Tania Tribe awarded €238,188 grant for archaeological research project in the Ethiopian highlands
Dr Tania Tribe, Researcher at the Centre of African Studies, has been awarded a €238,188 grant from the Gerda Henkel Foundation for her archaeological research project, the Solomonic-Zagwe Encounters Project, in the highlands of Ethiopia.
The Solomonic-Zagwe Encounters Project (generally known in Ethiopia as the SolZag Project) deals with the establishment and expansion of the so-called Solomonic dynasty in the country in the 13th-16th centuries. This is important not just academically but also to present-day Ethiopians, because this dynasty remained in power until the last emperor, Haile Selassie, was deposed in 1974. Archaeological studies of this medieval period have been scarce, since historians have focused on documentary research while archaeologists have concentrated mainly on the earlier Aksumite empire, further north (which ended in the 9th century) and its apparent successor, the Zagwe royal domain, in the Lasta area of the highlands.
Dr Tribe will research sites closely associated with the early Solomonic dynasty, which defeated the Zagwe around 1270. Originally, Dr Tribe selected these sites partly based on the presence of medieval wall paintings clearly associated with the first Solomonic king, Yekunno Amlak, mainly those found at his initial power base at Washa Mikael on the Wadla plateau, centred around a rock-hewn church and the ruins of a so-called palace. The research will now be expanded to examine how the southward expansion of this Solomonic empire took place, and how it may be reflected in the archaeological record.
In reaction to being awarded the grant, Dr Tribe said:
“I felt surprised and elated at the same time. Such a competitive award, it was wonderful to get it and guarantee the continuation of the SolZag Project.”
The Gerda Henkel grant will fund this expanded study over the next two years, starting from January 2023.
The grant will cover will cover travel and laboratory expenses for Dr Tribe’s research team, including a research scholarship for Dr Katie White-Iribhogbe (SOAS Centre of African Studies), the team's bio-archaeologist, to produce the first extended biological study of Ethiopian medieval populations.
The research be done in partnership with Dr Alemseged Beldados (Addis Ababa University, ranked 6th in Africa by the THES) who, with his research students, takes care of the environmental archaeology and archaeobotany. Dr Behailu Habte (National Museum of Ethiopia) will be the team’s lithics expert, whilst Dr Jacke Phillips (SOAS Centre of African Studies) will be conducting the macroscopic study of small finds, especially pottery, for the Project. The ceramic lab analyses are being done by Dr Laurence Smith (Wolfson College, University of Cambridge) and Dr Patrick Quinn and his students at UCL Institute of Archaeology. Dr Christopher Tribe (Visiting Scholar in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge) will deal with faunal remains and representations.
SolZag team members will also be conducting seminars and workshops at Addis Ababa University as a key objective of the Project is to contribute to capacity building in Ethiopia.
