Archaeologists Date Eritrea Civilization 600-500 BC
May 31, 1999 - 0:0
ASMARA -- Archaeologists in the Red Sea state of Eritrea said on Saturday that they had discovered evidence of an ancient indigenous civilization in the country dating back to between 600 and 500 BC. The findings, they said, challenged some accepted facets of the history of the region. "These sites trace their earlier occupation to well before 500 BC, the date most archaeologists have long held to be the beginning of the cultural complexity in the highlands," Dr Yosief Libseqal, director of the National Museum of Eritrea and head of Asmara University's Archaeology Department, said in a statement.
The statement was issued after radiocarbon dating was done on the findings. "The significance lies fundamentally in being able to point to an indigenous cultural evolution away from foreign influence," added Dr Peter Schmidt, professor of archaeology at the University of Florida, and visiting professor in Asmara. Schmidt, who worked with Yosief, said the findings challenged the accepted theory that civilization in the area was influenced by the Axum Empire of northern Ethiopia, which existed in 100-900 AD. "The reigning paradigm in this part of the world is Axumite archaeology, and the archaeology of a hegemonic empire which extended its influence to Eritrea. That is the kind of history that people are taught, which people believe in," he said.
"Previously, many historians had assumed that complex civilization in the Eritrean highlands only developed under the influence of the Axum Empire." He added it was also assumed that any pre-Axumite civilization in highland Eritrea was founded as a result of influence either from across the Red Sea, from Yemen and Saudi Arabia or from western Tigrai, close to Sudan. Schmidt told Reuters that the findings cast some doubt upon those assumptions.
"We are looking at a culture already arrived at a level of complexity which suggests that in the highlands, prior to any kind of foreign influence, there was already a very significant culture," Schmidt Later told Reuters. The sites excavated were around Asmara, Mai Temenai and Sembel. Mai Temenai is thought to be a burial ground. At the site, excavators from the National Museum found daggers, rings, gold earrings, bracelets, beads, many intact pots, and ornate vases.
An unusual find was a three-necked jug, the use of which is still unclear. The site of Sembel, near Asmara's International Airport, was excavated by students from Asmara University. Thought to have been a settlement, the site yielded pottery characterized by its polish and red paint, as well as small stone objects carved in the form of bulls' heads. (Reuter)
The statement was issued after radiocarbon dating was done on the findings. "The significance lies fundamentally in being able to point to an indigenous cultural evolution away from foreign influence," added Dr Peter Schmidt, professor of archaeology at the University of Florida, and visiting professor in Asmara. Schmidt, who worked with Yosief, said the findings challenged the accepted theory that civilization in the area was influenced by the Axum Empire of northern Ethiopia, which existed in 100-900 AD. "The reigning paradigm in this part of the world is Axumite archaeology, and the archaeology of a hegemonic empire which extended its influence to Eritrea. That is the kind of history that people are taught, which people believe in," he said.
"Previously, many historians had assumed that complex civilization in the Eritrean highlands only developed under the influence of the Axum Empire." He added it was also assumed that any pre-Axumite civilization in highland Eritrea was founded as a result of influence either from across the Red Sea, from Yemen and Saudi Arabia or from western Tigrai, close to Sudan. Schmidt told Reuters that the findings cast some doubt upon those assumptions.
"We are looking at a culture already arrived at a level of complexity which suggests that in the highlands, prior to any kind of foreign influence, there was already a very significant culture," Schmidt Later told Reuters. The sites excavated were around Asmara, Mai Temenai and Sembel. Mai Temenai is thought to be a burial ground. At the site, excavators from the National Museum found daggers, rings, gold earrings, bracelets, beads, many intact pots, and ornate vases.
An unusual find was a three-necked jug, the use of which is still unclear. The site of Sembel, near Asmara's International Airport, was excavated by students from Asmara University. Thought to have been a settlement, the site yielded pottery characterized by its polish and red paint, as well as small stone objects carved in the form of bulls' heads. (Reuter)