ይሐ/Yeha(800BC-100BC)

Introduction

After the second millennium BC, references to Punt largely vanish from historical records. Nevertheless, civilisation in the northern highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia persisted. From the latter half of the second millennium BC, contact with South Arabia grew as South Arabian polities took greater interest in the region, while highland polities regained some of the losses caused by the decline of Egyptian trade. This interaction, driven largely by merchants, intensified over time, with many settling and intermingling with the predominantly Cushitic population, leading to the emergence of a partially Semitic-speaking community.

By around the 8th century BC, new polities began to emerge across the northern highlands, one of which was DʿMT (vocalised as Daʿəmat or Da‘amat1). Among its most prominent settlements was ይሐ/Yəḥa, which was likely the capital. Yəḥa is mentioned in an inscription noting that King Waʾran of DʿMT was appointed “Lord of the Temple”.

Dating to the early first millennium BC, Yəḥa’s significance is evident in its remarkably well-preserved structures, unmatched elsewhere in the region. These buildings have strong architectural parallels with the Sabaeans of South Arabia, while also incorporating distinct features native to the northern highlands.

There are three significant pre-Aksumite structures/sites located at Yəḥa, which I will explore in this article:

• The Great Temple of Yəḥa

• The Palace at Grat Be'al Gebri

• The Necropolis at Daaro Mikael & Abiy Addi

The Great Temple Of Yəḥa

The Great Temple, once a major centre of pagan worship, is the oldest surviving megastructure in the region, largely intact and dating to the DʿMT period. It uniquely blends indigenous and South Arabian architectural styles, and appears to have served primarily as a place of worship for Almaqah3, the South Arabian moon god.

Although researchers initially dated the temple's age to 500 BC, it has since been revised to 800 BC4. Before the creation of the temple, a settlement is thought to have existed in the surrounding area.

Excavations & History

Extensive archaeological excavations have shed considerable light on the Great Temple’s structure and history. Its remarkable preservation is largely due to its conversion into a church dedicated to Abba Aftse, likely around the 6th century AD. This adaptation not only safeguarded the building but also embedded it within the religious life of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian community.

To this day, the temple hosts major annual religious festivals (such as around 5-6th June6 for commemorating Abba Afṣe), reflecting its enduring significance as a sacred site7.

Numerous foreign travellers, such as the Portuguese explorer Alvares, who visited Yəḥa in the early 16th century AD, noted the existence of this ancient structure:

A few centuries later, in the early 19th century, the English traveller Henry Salt passed through Yeha during his travels in Abyssinia and remarked upon the remarkable architecture of the Temple of Yeha.

Architectural Features

The structure spans 18.6m in length x 15.0 m in width and has a height of 13 meters8; the walls consist of rectangular blocks of limestone. The Great Temple originally featured a large porch at its west that extended over 5.1m9 with six rectangular pillars, a design element that finds parallels in structures in southern Arabia. From the entrance, the double wooden doors opened to reveal a narrow passageway leading to the temple10.

The structure comprises a ground floor with evidence for a second storey, while the roof appears to have covered most of the temple, leaving the central area above the altar open to the sky13. The interior dimensions are 12.6m by 11.3m, comprising a central nave flanked by two sides, each with two aisles separated by square pillars (totalling five aisles). An inner drainage system, likely used to channel liquid runoff (for ceremonial rituals on the altar), is also evident at the southern section. At the rear of the temple, a stepped entrance leads to three rooms (likely the sanctuary)14.

Before the construction of the palace, archaeologists found evidence of an earlier structure19.

Grat Be'al Gebri: Elite Architecture

Another significant discovery at Yəḥa was Grat Be'al Gebri, often referred to as a ‘Palace’. The structure likely served as a residential and administrative hub for the local ruling elite (Likely the kings of DʿMT and their entourage). Archaeologist Francis Anfray has dated the structure to between the 5th Century & 2nd century BC20.

Before the construction of the palace, archaeologists had found that an earlier structure existed22.

Architectural Features

The building spanned at least 46 x 46 meters and included a 4.5-meter-high podium. This podium housed an interior chamber system23. It was constructed primarily from timber & locally quarried stone (a characteristic common in later “Aksumite Era” structures as well)24.

The primary entrance was marked by a six-pillar, roofed porch, the bases of which, along with some pillar remnants, remain today. Behind this grand entryway lay a large gated doorway leading into a hallway, which in turn opened into a corridor that bisected the building. This corridor provided access to various rooms, although the specifics of these rooms remain poorly documented due to the building's deteriorated condition25.

Grat Be'al Gebri showcases two principal phases of construction, each illustrating different architectural techniques and cultural influences. Initially, this monumental building was erected with a distinctive South Arabian influence, featuring a stepped podium and a front porch supported by pillars. Unfortunately, this initial structure met its demise likely through a catastrophic fire, leading to its destruction26. The earliest section of the building is the outside staircase entrance, which is estimated to be dated to around 750 BC-500 BC27. This staircase had more than 24 steps28!

A second building phase followed, during which a new structure was erected directly over the ruins of the first. This later construction employed different walling techniques, possibly including the ‘monkey head’ method, a style common in the Aksumite Era that used timber framing combined with rubble stones and mud mortar. Stratigraphic (analysis of rock layers) test pits at the base of the podium also revealed evidence of occupation that predated the construction of the original building29.

Additional artefacts discovered

Excavations and tests in the areas surrounding Grat Be'al Gebri have uncovered several intact artefacts. Items from the second phase of the building’s use include a variety of objects, such as vases and jars.

A remarkable discovery, though not made at Yəḥa itself but rather to the south at the site of Hawelti, was a statue of a woman dressed in traditional cotton attire resembling a modern-day Kemis. Nicknamed the “Queen of Yəḥa,” it dates to the same era in which Yəḥa flourished.

The Necropolis

Further south of the aforementioned buildings lies the necropolis known as Daro Mikael, a large burial site where tombs, likely belonging to the elite of DʿMT society, have been uncovered. These tombs reflect a culture that valued the afterlife and its preparation, particularly for wealthier citizens.

Professor Rodolfo Fattovich has suggested that the tombs date to around the mid-first millennium BC, with evidence indicating continued use into the late first to early second millennia AD31.

Daaro Mikael

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Ethiopian Institute of Archaeology, led by archaeologist F. Anfray, conducted excavations at Daaro Mikael, located at the Necropolis south of Yəḥa. The team uncovered seventeen tombs and two burial chambers, most of which contained various types of pottery and artefacts, with some even holding skeletal remains32.

These artefacts included storage vessels like large vases for holding grain, cauldrons for cooking, and possibly even early forms of Jebenas used for brewing coffee. Other items found included tools for cutting wheat, bracelets, necklaces, incense burners, and objects from later periods, such as crosses.

Seals

Among the artefacts discovered were bronze seals, some bearing Sabaean script and motifs such as the ibex, an animal associated with the god Almaqah. However, these seals also featured indigenous elements not found in southern Arabia.

Abiy Addi

In the autumn of 2009, a joint Ethiopian–German archaeological team surveyed the area of Yəḥa, focusing on the hill slope of Abiy Addi opposite the ancient settlement. During the survey, they identified a necropolis with visible traces of burial sites. Local residents reported that one tomb contained a shaft and staircase, suggesting the presence of subterranean burial chambers33.

Further excavations in the spring of 2010 uncovered six rock-cut tombs, each with a 2.5-metre-deep vertical rectangular shaft and a grave chamber at each of the narrow ends. The chambers varied in size, with some reaching up to 4 metres in length and 1.2 metres in height. The entrances were originally sealed with rectangular stones, though most were missing at the time of discovery.34

Brief Timeline of Events and Interaction with Peripheral States

Pottery resembling the style found at Yəḥa, which in Phase 1 was mostly confined to local areas, saw a wider distribution in Phase 2. This spread reached beyond Tigray into Akkele Guzay, suggesting increased interaction and cooperation between the populations of these regions. In contrast, ancient Ona sites in Asmara maintained their distinct ceramic traditions, though fragments of Ona jars have been found in both Akkele Guzay and Tigray. This points to the possibility of trade, while also indicating that the Ona sites & Yəḥa each retained a unique culture and perhaps their own elite classes36.

Therefore, it’s likely that during this period, multiple polities coexisted across the highlands of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. However, DʿMT and by extension Yəḥa was without doubt one of the most, if not the most, powerful polities in the region at the time.

Conclusion

Yəḥa is one of the most renowned and extensively studied sites of the early classical era in the first millennium BC. Rightfully so, as it contains several important structures, including a grand temple, an elite residence resembling a palace, and burial tombs for the ruling class. Likely among the most urbanised centres of its time, Yəḥa played a pivotal role within the DʿMT kingdom. Despite decades of study, our understanding of the site is still in its early stages, and further discoveries are almost certain. Yəḥa provides some of the earliest evidence of a hierarchical society in the Horn of Africa & was likely the key centrepiece in the history of DʿMT.

Further Readings

The following research papers are recommended for readers interested in exploring Yeha’s history in greater depth:

• Reconsidering Yeha

• Yeha and Hawelti: cultural contacts between Sabaʾ and DʿMT — New research by the German Archaeological Institute in Ethiopia

• Une campagne de fouilles à Yĕḥā (Février-mars 1960) → Shows various artifacts that were found at Yəḥa.

Short Video On Yəḥa