Beta Samati
Archaeological site in Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Beta Samati (or Betä Sämaʿti, meaning 'house of audience' in Tigrinya) is an archaeological site near Yeha, Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia. It was an Aksumite settlement that was occupied from around 750 BC until the 7th century AD.
01Discovery
In 2009, the Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project, which also surveyed over 80 different archaeological sites from 2009 to 2016, discovered the site of the town ruins under a mound adjacent to the village of Edaga Rabu (Tigrinya: ዕዳጋ ሮቡዕ), located 6.5 km northeast of Yeha, Ethiopia.
02Excavations
In 2015, excavations of the site were funded by the Archaeological Institute of America. In 2016, the National Geographic Society funded excavations at the Beta Samati site.
Discoveries at the archaeological site included a basilica dating to the 4th century AD, a gold intaglio ring engraved with a bull's head, stone pendant, bucranium, stamp seal, incense burners, cow figurines, and coins depicting Kings Armah and Ezana. The basilica may be the earliest known Christian building in sub-Saharan Africa. The mixing of Christian and bucranial motifs at the site suggests a complex religious tradition at this late antique site.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Beta Samati”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Urn cambridge.org id binary 20191209150458328-0988 S0003598X1900084X S0003598X1900084X fig10.png by Ioana A. Dumitru, CC BY 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
