The Pre-Aksumite Period: Indigenous Origins and Development in the Horn of Africa

This paper is dedicated to the people of Tigrai. We are greatly indebted to the people of Aby Adi, Tsahwa, Menabeity, Etchmare, and Adigrat, some of whom have worked with ETAP since 2004. In particular, we wish to acknowledge Waizoro Medhin Abate, the owner of the field beneath which Mezber sits, and our many team members living in Gulo Makeda administrative zone for participation in excavations, ethnoarchaeological and traditional knowledge studies, including Ato Abraha Girmay, Waizoro Zaid Mahray, Ato Tewoelde Brahn Beyene, Haleka Gebreselassie Gebreyesus, Waizoro Medhin Abate, Ato Hailu Hagos, Waizoro Genet Teklay, Waizoro Lemlem Gebregzhiabir and Waizoro Azieb Tesfay. We are grateful for the participation of our Adigrat-based team members including Waizoro Moulu Gebregzhiabir, Waizoro Mesalu Gowayo, Ato Tesfay Gebremariam, Waizoro Abrehet Hailu, Waizoro Sahaynesh Redda, Waizoro Adriana Richard, Ato Kibrom Aynalem and Memhir Tadedsse Gebreyohannis. We thank additional ETAP participants, too numerous to include everyone, but especially Dr. Larry Pavlish, Dr. Graham Wilson, Tsegu Hadgu, Aman Mohammed, Hagos Hailat, Dr. Barbara Winter, Dr. Laurel Phillipson, Dr. Sarah Oas, Christie Pohl, Dr. David Jones, Abel Ruiz-Giralt, Getachew Meresa and Gidey Gebregzhiabir. We are grateful to the Ethiopian Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and the Tigrai Bureau of Culture and Tourism (TBCT) for their support over the years, in particular Ato Demerew Dagne and Ato Kebede Amare. ETAP investigations at Mezber were financially supported by three grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), including Standard Research Grants 410-2007-2472, 410-2011-1646 and Insight Grant 435-2014-01. Further support was obtained by grants from Simon Fraser University, including four SSHRC/SFU Institutional Grants and a VP Research SSHRC 4A grant. Field and laboratory microbotanical work completed by AR-G and CL was developed within the framework of the RAINDROPS project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC-Stg 759800) and both are part of CaSEs, a recognised research group of the Generalitat De Catalunya (AGAUR SGR-e-2017-212). We thank Dr. Timothy Harrison for permission to adapt the Tell Tayinat excavation manual, Dr. Sturt Manning for assistance in constructing the OxCal chronological model for the site, and Dr. Michael Harrower and Hailay Teklay for critical reading of this manuscript.