From the Field: Shire, Ethiopia

Since 2016, the Shire Archaeological Project directed by Willeke Wendrich has been excavating and conducting archaeological survey work in the western Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. This region and its complex cultural heritage provide important information on the sub-Saharan counterpart of the Greco-Roman world. The research area is just east of the modern city of Indaselassie (Shire), which itself is about 30 miles west of Aksum (ancient Axum). It comprises extensive ancient remains, dating from the Paleolithic and Neolithic to the medieval period, and includes three large settlements: Mai Adrasha, Adi Jamera, and Mezaber Adi Menaber (dating around 1000 BCE–100 CE).