Jorge de Torres

The Azazo Project: Archaeology and the Community in Ethiopia

Abstract In this article we discuss the motivations, aims, and preliminary results of working with a local community in Ethiopia. Trying to escape from the (neo)colonial archaeology that is still practised in Africa, this project aims to achieve a cooperative and participative archaeology. This work with the community has been one of our main priorities in our last seasons, and although we have focused on elementary school and university students, we have opened up a number of different paths to follow in future years. The experience has been very positive, and engagement with local people has helped us to create awareness about the importance of cultural heritage, hopefully ensuring the future protection of the sites.

The Archaeology of the Jesuit Missions in Ethiopia (1557–1632)

This book presents an archaeological and architectonic study of the 17th century Jesuit constructions in Ethiopia, which played an important role in the missionary activity. Its comprehensive study gathers and preserves the splendor of these endangered ruins for future generations.

Exploring long distance trade in Somaliland (AD 1000–1900): preliminary results from the 2015–2016 field seasons

ABSTRACT Somaliland was a key region in the trade routes connecting the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean from antiquity to the nineteenth century. However, little archaeological work on this topic has been carried out in the region to date. A new project by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) intends not only to assess the role of Somaliland in the Indian Ocean network, but also to understand the participation of local communities in long distance trade and the impact this had on their sociopolitical organisation and culture. This paper presents data from two field seasons undertaken respectively in 2015 and 2016. These included a preliminary survey of the ports of Zeila and Berbera and the latter’s hinterland that gathered important data that help illuminate the relationship between Somaliland and the wider world, between the coast and the interior and between merchants and local societies during the second millennium AD. The survey also casts light on the little known pastoralist communities of the region and their funerary rituals.