Archaeology, politics and nationalism in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ethiopia: the use of archaeology to consolidate monarchical power

ABSTRACT

Ethiopia’s Christian and medieval past was perceived and exploited by Menilek II, the founder of modern Ethiopia, to consolidate his own political power and resist the encroachments of European states in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This paper shows how Menilek used archaeological data to assert his continuity with the Solomonic dynasty and consolidate his political authority in order to strengthen historically documented narratives about his genealogical ties with ancestors who had established and ruled one of the great ancient African civilisations at Aksum. It also shows how Menilek supervised and ordered excavations to search for traces of Ethiopia’s Christian past in the ruins of medieval royal churches and former royal camp sites, while emphasising his pivotal role in inviting the first foreign scholars to conduct archaeological excavations at historical sites in the country. It argues that this combination of archaeological activities was instrumental in developing a sense of Ethiopian national identity during Menilek’s reign and thereafter.

RÉSUMÉ

Le passé chrétien et médiéval de l'Éthiopie a été perçu et exploité par Menilek II, le fondateur de l'Éthiopie moderne, pour consolider son propre pouvoir politique et résister aux empiètements des États européens à la fin du dix-neuvième siècle et au début du vingtième siècle. Cet article montre comment Menilek utilisa les données archéologiques pour affirmer sa continuité avec la dynastie descendue du roi Salomon d’Israel et pour consolider son autorité politique, ceci afin de renforcer les récits historiquement documentés sur ses liens généalogiques avec des ancêtres qui avaient établi et gouverné l'une des grandes civilisations africaines, celle d'Axoum. Il montre également comment Menilek a fait faire et supervisé des fouilles dans le but de rechercher des traces du passé chrétien de l'Éthiopie dans les ruines des églises royales médiévales et des anciens camps royaux. L'article souligne par ailleurs le rôle central qu’il joua en invitant les premiers érudits étrangers à effectuer des fouilles archéologiques sur des sites historiques du pays. Il soutient que cette combinaison d'activités archéologiques a contribué à développer un sentiment d'identité nationale éthiopienne pendant le règne de Menilek et par la suite.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethiopia
• Menilek II
• political legitimacy
• nationalism
• Solomonic dynasty

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Addis Ababa University (Graduate School Research Fund) and the French Centre for Ethiopian Studies. Material and logistical support were provided by the ARCCH (Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage) Ethiopia. A research permit was also given by the ARCCH. I am grateful to Profs Andrew Duff and Barry Hewlett (Washington State University), Prof. David Phillipson (University of Cambridge), Dr Yonas Beyene, Dr Agazi Negash and Dr Kassaye Begashaw (Addis Ababa University) and Francois-Xavier Fauvelle (former director of the French Centre for Ethiopian Studies) for their invaluable suggestions, constructive comment and unreserved guidance and direction for the overall enrichment of the paper, which also benefitted from the critical reading and comments of three anonymous reviewers and the editors.

Notes on the contributor

Ashenafi Girma Zena is currently a PhD candidate in archaeology at Washington State University, Pullman, United States of America. Most of the data collected for this research were obtained in 2007–2008 for his MA degree in archaeology at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.