Archaeology at Aksum, Ethiopia, 1993-7 (SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF LONDON RESEARCH REPORT, 65)

This two-volume work provides a detailed account of five seasons' archaeological research at Aksum, which Dr Phillipson directed on behalf of the British Institute in Eastern Africa, supported by a major research grant from the Society of Antiquaries. Aksum was, during the first seven centuries AD, the capital of a major state, centred on the highlands of northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, which exercised a powerful influence on international trade. Christianity was adopted in the 4th century and Aksum played a vitally important role in the rise of Ethiopian civilisation. The research here described was designed to provide a comprehensive view of ancient Aksum, including aspects which had received little attention. Dr Phillipson and his colleagues describe royal tombs and commoner graves, domestic economy and international trade, monumental architecture and farming settlements, finely carved ivory and flaked stone tools. A secure chronological framework is provided and the whole picture is set in its Ethiopian, African and international context.