Tiya (archaeological site)
Tiya | ||
---|---|---|
Archaeological site | ||
Zone Gurage | | |
Official name | Tiya | |
Type | Cultural | |
Criteria | i, iv | |
Designated | 1980 (4th session) | |
Reference no. | 12 | |
Region | Africa |
Tiya is an archaeological site in central
Overview
According to Joussaume (1995), who led archaeological work at Tiya, the site is relatively recent. It was dated to a time period between the 11th and 13th centuries CE.[2] Later dating places the stelae's construction some time between the 10th and 15th centuries CE. However, the building of megaliths in Ethiopia is a very ancient tradition, with many such monuments predating the Common Era.[3]
The
Surface finds at Tiya contained a selection of Middle Stone Age tools (MSA) that are technologically similar to tools found at Gademotta and Kulkuletti. Because of a unique production process that uses what are called “tranchet blows”, Tiya tools might also belong to the same time span as these other two sites.[6] Additionally, archaeological excavations at Tiya have yielded tombs.[3]
Gurage stelae
Tiya is one of nine megalithic pillar sites in the Gurage Zone. As of 1997, 118 stelae were reported in the area. Along with the stelae in the Hadiya Zone, the structures are identified by local residents as Yegragn Dingay or "Gran's stone", in reference to Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmad "Gurey" or "Gran"), ruler of the Adal Sultanate.[2]
The Gurage stelae are of three types: anthropomorphic stelae with human figures, phallic stelae, and stelae of neither anthropomorphic nor phallic type. The anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic/non-phallic stelae types are flat in shape, being the only stelae of this form in the southern region.[2] Most of these stelae, including the 46 ones at Tiya, which are the largest of the bunch, also have distinctive, elaborate decorations.[2][3] Among these designs are swords, plant-like symbols, and a standing human figure with arms akimbo. The plant and sword emblems can be found on the same stelae.[2] The sword design is reportedly of local "Galla" type, as made by the Oromo. In addition, the Tiya rock slabs also often feature a T-shaped symbol.[7][8][9][10]
The stelae at Tiya and other areas in central Ethiopia are similar to those on the route between
Research
Little research has been done at Tiya, and there are several difficulties in understanding these types of sites from an archaeological standpoint. First, it is difficult to determine the identity of the megalith builders given just the megaliths themselves. Second, archaeologists have been preoccupied with reconstructing ethnic histories through oral historical accounts, yet these are unavailable or uninformative in many cases.[12]
See also
- Tiya (town)
References
- ^ a b "Tiya". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ ISBN 4879749761. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b c "Tiya - Prehistoric site". UNESCO. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Matt Philips and Jean-Bernard Carillet, Ethiopia and Eritrea, third edition (n.p.: Lonely Planet, 2006), p. 171
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 31 May 2008)
- .
- ^ The Eastern Anthropologist, Volume 3, Issues 1-4. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society, U.P. 1949. p. 121. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-429-76924-5.
- ISBN 978-1-134-25993-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-5867-1.
- doi:10.3406/ethio.1987.931. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
- S2CID 146339998.
Further reading
- Roger Joussaume (editor), Tiya, l'Éthiopie des Mégalithes, du Biface a l'Art Rupestre dans laCorne d'Afrique (Paris: UNESCO/CNS, 1995).