Preliminary Report on the Hamburg archaeological mission to Axum 2000

bibliographic database
Line

Periodical article

Title:	Preliminary Report on the Hamburg archaeological mission to Axum 2000
Author:	Ziegert, Helmut
Year:	2001
Periodical:	Annales d'Éthiopie
Volume:	17
Pages:	25-33
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ethiopia
Subjects:	Axum polity archaeology history traditional polities
Abstract:	The research programme of the Hamburg archaeological mission to Axum (Ethiopia) in 2000 was based on the archaeological model of an 'Ideal city' (Max Weber), characterized by various social, cultural and environmental factors. The fieldwork started from a set of historical questions on environmental change, settlement patterns, depopulation, and cultural behaviour. This kind of conducting archaeological research can be defined as holistic archaeology. After an intensive survey, two sites were chosen for excavation: Mai Malahso with the 3-language stele of King Ezana, and Berit Audi. At the first site, a large building complex was excavated; in the latter, a sequence was pointed out: a first palace/king's grave, a second palace/annex to the big grave, a ritual filling with stones and soils of pre-Christian buildings; a monastery with a baptisterium, and a Christian cemetery. The study covers the late pre-Christian to the early Christian period. Bibliogr., sum. in English and French. [Journal abstract, edited]