Ancient History of Ethiopian Art & Architecture

Pre- Axumite Architecture

Prep. By Ephrem N.

Introduction

•What is history?

…We say Architecture is ‘Living

History’

HOW?

Introduction

• Architecture is subject to social, political, or

cultural influences. It reflects the society and

communicates the values of that society.

• With the change of the society the face of

Architecture changes too.

• Our architecture has so many stories to tell

about us. It’s our personality and our culture

which is reflected in the shelter we build.

■ How Architecture evolve?

Introduction

■ Agriculture vs. Architecture?

Introduction

Introduction

Agriculture created Architecture.

•Agriculture leads to settlement. People needed

to live where there was good land for farming.

•The tools and materials around enabled them to

build shelter/dwellings.

Introduction

•Farming in the Nile delta started

around 4000 B.C. and a powerful

Egyptian state developed about

2600 B.C. ,at the time the state

was able to command the labor for

such huge constructions as the

Great pyramid.

Pre- Axumite Architecture

•Archaeological

sites in northern

Ethiopia and the

middle east

•Ancient route from Axum

to Redsea

Pre- Axumite Architecture

•Earliest Art (example of cave painting in Ethiopia)

• a cave at Porcepic near Dire Dawa, dated at 400,000 years and

notable for its exquisitely accurate rendering of animal forms – Antelope,

Jackal and hyena are clearly identifiable

Pre- Axumite Architecture

Sabian or Intermediate period

(500 b.c. to 100 a.d.)

Sabean architecture

Pre- Axumite Architecture

•Some influences to early Ethiopian culture

• South Arabians brought with them the

Sabean syllabury, a modified version of which

is the script in which both Ge’ez and Amharic

(200 – 300 A.D.) are written.

• The techniques of carving probably originated

the early civilization in South Arabians.

Pre- Axumite Architecture

•Symbols of Sabian religion

“ the Disk & the Crescent”

• the decoration of this stone altar is

clearly Architectural and depicts “Axumite

type of window carpentry similar to the

patterns of the largest stales at Axum.

Temple of Yeha

Pre- Axumite Architecture

Oldest well-preserved building in

Ethiopia (built more than 2500

years ago, in Sabian times)

•The country’s earliest high

civilization

•Temple of Yeha -

Pre- Axumite Architecture

•Constructed with Masonry of

dressed stone.

•Consists of a single oblong

Chamber

-Area 18.5m by 15m

-height 12m

•Regular rectangular blocks of up to

3 m length were used to construct

the wall, without the use of any

mortar.

Basic characteristics

The walls are smooth, with long

well-cut blocks, excellent

straightness and tightness of

joints

Outer faces, edges and corners

are unemotionally dressed with

great precision

The wall thikness is about 60 cm.

Pre- Axumite Architecture

Were they melting the stone?

Temple of Yeha

The wall, whose total

thickness is about 60

cm, is not just a single

structure but there

are two walls

interconnected to

each other by smaller

blocks of stone which

serve as anchor.

Temple of Yeha

Temple of Yeha

The floor is also

superbly built with 5

layers of variously

sized blocks some

measuring 1m by 50

cm, others 1m by 1m

or 50 cm by 50 cm

Temple of Yeha

The Sabean walls.

smooth,

long well-cut blocks,

straight

Tight joints

Perfect corners

Pre- Axumite Architecture

Pre Axumite Domestic architecture

COMPARISON

History of Ethiopian Architecture

vs.

..……the other world

Egyptians

Great Pyramid of Khufu, Egypt,

(2600 to 2480BC) Temple at Luxor (1408 to

1300BC) Egypt

Hatshepsuts Temple, Egypt

(1550BC)

The Greeks

Parthenon Greece,

477 to 438 BC

The Romans

The Roman Forum

(100 to 300BC)

The powerful kingdom of Axum

(100 to 1000 a.d.)

To be Continued

Axumite Architecture - II