Seminar CFEE & FMSEH – “The Stelae Tradition of Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia”
Seminar – “The Stelae Tradition of Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia”
By Ermias Yeshitla
Friday 28th March, 3 PM (Addis Ababa Time)
ONLINE
The CFEE is pleased to collaborate in 2025 with the FMSEH webinar series on the annual theme: A Century of Megalithic Research in the Horn of Africa
The third lecture of this series is given by Ermias Yeshita, online by zoom. The link to access the online presentation:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://univ-grenoble-alpes-fr.zoom.us/j/95401821807?pwd=YNMfbOGKxKFCbRxIvuQaejTECqG127.1
Meeting ID: 954 0182 1807
Passcode: 333033
Ermias Yeshitla is a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management at Wolaita Sodo University. Currently, he is pursuing my PhD at the Laboratoire TRACES (Travaux et Recherches Archéologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Sociétés) at Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès. His thesis focuses on the Gedeo megalithic culture.
Ethiopia is home to some of the world’s most remarkable and diverse stelae traditions, with a significant concentration of stelae found in the Rift Valley lakes. In southern Ethiopia, most stelae sites are located east and northwest of Lake Abaya, including Wolaita, which lies to the northwest of the lake.
While some stelae sites in Wolaita have been known since the 19th century, but many areas remain unexplored due to limited archaeological surveys. Compared to other regions, little archaeological data exists on the megalithic stelae of Wolaita. Research has often focused on well-decorated and unique sites such as Tiya and Tuto Fela, leading to the neglect and gradual loss of many stelae in other areas.
The stelae tradition in Wolaita is predominantly characterized by phallic stelae, with a few sites featuring rough, unshaped stelae. The survey results also reveal isolated stelae that are widely dispersed across the landscape. This presentation introduces newly identified stelae sites, analyzes their typo-stylistic features, and examines their spatial distribution. Additionally, it highlights local cultural memories associated with these stelae and discusses the challenges and future prospects for further research in the area.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Secrétaire Scientifique (20 mars 2025). Seminar CFEE & FMSEH – “The Stelae Tradition of Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia”. UN ŒIL SUR LA CORNE / AN EYE ON THE HORN. Consulté le 25 avril 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/13iwm