Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray)
ይሐ · Yeha Altar
Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period temple culture·🇪🇹 Tigray, Yeha, Ethiopia
About
About Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray)
Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray) in Tigray, Yeha, Ethiopia is a Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–500 CE) temple complex attributed to Multi-period temple culture. Systematic survey and photogrammetry document radiocarbon sequence. The site includes a principal enclosure and domestic quarter. Dimensions temple 32 m × 18 m; court 45 m × 30 m; area unmeasured ha. Excavation unexcavated; condition partially preserved. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Multi-period temple culture temple-complex with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 2120 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction technique
- 02Relation to regional network
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape model
- 02Elite residence hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1500 BCE
- Period
- Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period temple culture
- Purpose
- Temple and sanctuary complex
- Rediscovered
- 1988
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 1500 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 1164 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1934
Antiquarian record, modern excavation from 1960s
c. 1415 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
14.2800° N · 39.0200° E · 2120 m · 3 mapped features
- Main Temple CellacellaMain Temple Cella at Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray) — cella with stratified deposits14.2782° N · 39.0186° E
- North Court AncillarycourtNorth Court Ancillary at Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray) — court with stratified deposits14.2779° N · 39.0209° E
- Pylon GatepylonPylon Gate at Yeha — Great Temple Ancillary Altar (Tigray) — pylon with stratified deposits14.2795° N · 39.0203° E
Gallery