The Aksum Archaeological Area: A Preliminary Assessment

Abstract

This invaluable compendium, published by the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples, arises out of research undertaken jointly by that institution and Boston University under the direction of Rodolfo Fattovich and Kathryn Bard. That it is written in English will greatly facilitate its use in Ethiopia. Aksum, in the highlands of Tigray in northern Ethiopia, was the capital of a major state during the first seven or eight centuries A.C. Its local precursors and antecedents during the last millennium B.C. have been a particular focus of the research conducted by Bard and Fattovich. The area thus contains important archaeological remains illustrative of the development and florescence of a major African civilization. Despite Aksum's designation by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, comparatively little archaeological field research has been undertaken there. Sadly, much of what has been undertaken remains incompletely or inaccessibly published. Aksum today is a town of some size which attracts growing numbers of pilgrims and tourists, as well as being the administrative center for the rapidly developing Central Zone of Tigray. The Ethiopian authorities are aware of the major problem presented by the need to ensure adeolen cultural heritage in rec nt years. It will provide a luable datum against which to measure cultural heritage struction in the future.