Under the direction of Dr. Fiona Marshall, Helina Solomon-Woldekiros will conduct ethnoarchaeological research on the Afar salt caravan route in Northern Ethiopia. Long distance trade and exchange in salt, obsidian, iron, gold and exotic animal products have contributed to the development of distinctive political and socio-economic institutions of many ancient African societies. Ms Woldekiros will collect information on the route, costs of travel, and material traces of present day caravans to identify ancient use of the Afar trail. Archaeological survey and excavation will test the hypothesis that there was local or regional exchange in commodities from the Afar lowlands to the North Ethiopian plateau dating to as early as Aksumite (150 C.E-C.E 700) period.
This research will map the Afar Salt Route and allow calculation of ancient transport costs and estimations of changing commodity values on prehistoric Aksumite kingdom trade routes. It will also provide the basis for future studies of local interactions between highland and lowland communities and the complexity of Aksumite regional economies.. The project will establish a comparative perspective for ethnoarchaeological studies of caravan trade in other regions of the world such as the Andes and Asia. Ms Solomon-Woldekiros will collect three data sets to address the main goals of the project: GIS (Geographic Information System) locational information, ethnoarchaeological data, and archaeological data from survey and excavations on three sample sections of the route.
This project will have a broader impact by providing useful cross-cultural comparative material for archaeologists interested in the material remains of caravan organization in Africa and elsewhere. Documentation of the Afar salt trade will also contribute to recording of the rich cultural heritage of Northern Ethiopia. In many parts of the world, pack animal based caravans are being replaced by trucks and modern roads. This project may help to preserve this one aspect of Tigray and Afar cultural heritage. A workshop focused on the archaeological culture-history of the region and in cultural heritage management will also be coordinated with local Tigray and other ethnic groups who live in Adigrat, eastern Tigray region. Cooperation with the Departments of Anthropology in Mekelle and Addis Ababa, will focus on giving lectures and workshops for Archaeology undergraduate and master's students in ethnoarcheological and zooarchaeological analytical methods. Training students will likewise contribute to international exchange of information and the development of new research initiatives examining the histories of exchange systems in East Africa and the Horn.
