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Coordinates: 14°20′36″N 39°02′07″E / 14.3434°N 39.0353°E

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Beta Samati
Archaeological site
Beta Samati Location in Ethiopia
Coordinates: 14°20′36″N 39°02′07″E / 14.3434°N 39.0353°E / 14.3434; 39.0353
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Tigray Region

Beta Samati (or Betä Sämaʿti, meaning 'house of audience' in Tigrinya) is an archaeological site near Yeha, Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia. It was an Aksumite settlement that was occupied from around 750 BC until the 7th century AD.^[1]

Discovery

In 2009, the Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project, which also surveyed over 80 different archaeological sites from 2009 to 2016,^[2] discovered the site of the town ruins under a mound adjacent to the village of Edaga Rabu (Tigrinya: ዕዳጋ ሮቡዕ), located 6.5 km northeast of Yeha, Ethiopia.^[3]

Excavations

In 2015, excavations of the site were funded by the Archaeological Institute of America. In 2016, the National Geographic Society funded excavations at the Beta Samati site.^[4]

Discoveries at the archaeological site included a basilica dating to the 4th century AD, gold intaglio ring engraved with a bull's head, stone pendant, bucranium, stamp seal, incense burners, cow figurines, and coins depicting Kings Armah and Ezana.^[5] The basilica may the earliest known Christian building in sub-Saharan Africa.

References

^ Hunt, Katie (2019-12-11). "Archeologists unearth lost town from little-known ancient East African empire". CNN. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
^ Harrower, Michael J.; Nathan, Smiti; Mazzariello, Joseph C.; Zerue, Kifle; Dumitru, Ioana A.; Meresa, Yemane; Bongers, Jacob L.; Gebreegziabher, Gidey; Zaitchik, Benjamin F.; Anderson, Martha C. (2020). "Water, Geography, and Aksumite Civilization: The Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project Survey (2009–2016)". African Archaeological Review. 37 (1): 51–67. doi:10.1007/s10437-020-09369-8. ISSN 0263-0338.
^ Harrower, Michael J.; Dumitru, Ioana A.; Perlingieri, Cinzia; Nathan, Smiti; Zerue, Kifle; Lamont, Jessica L.; Bausi, Alessandro; Swerida, Jennifer L.; Bongers, Jacob L.; Woldekiros, Helina S.; Poolman, Laurel A.; Pohl, Christie M.; Brandt, Steven A.; Peterson, Elizabeth A. (2019). "Beta Samati: discovery and excavation of an Aksumite town". Antiquity. 93 (372): 1534–1552. doi:10.15184/aqy.2019.84. ISSN 0003-598X.
^ "Ethiopia". SOLAR. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
^ Brown, Marley. "Early Adopters". Archaeology Magazine. Retrieved 2024-02-02.

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