The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Lecture - ONLINE - The Shay Culture: Connected “Pagans” in Medieval Ethiopia
Alebachew Belay Birru
Tuesday 18th June 2024
Online event starting at 19:00 BST - Public lecture (all welcome to join).
Note - Register for the event on Eventbrite and you'll be emailed a Zoom link shortly before the event.
The Shay culture got its name after a river called Shay in Menz, Ethiopia, along which several megalithic monuments were located. Geographically, it covers areas that lie between Debre Berhan and Dessie towns, which include historical provinces, such as Tegulet, Menz & Yifat, and adjacent areas of south and eastern Wollo in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia.
The Shay Culture is principally characterized by tumuli of different morphological features. There are also stelae, dry-stone structures, and hypogea associated with the tumuli. In terms of material culture, the sites so far excavated and surface collections yield grave goods of local and exotic provenances. Chronologically, C-14 dates imply that the culture was prevalent from the 10th to 14th centuries.
In this talk, the speaker will highlight the genesis of archaeological research in the Shay Culture area with the major findings obtained and the way forward.
Alebachew Belay Birru (PhD)
Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
Research and Project Coordinator at the Office of Internationalisation and Partnerships Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
AfOx 2023/24 Visiting Fellow, University of Oxford, UK
Please reserve your place soon to avoid disappointment.