Dʿmt

For the medieval kingdom located in Eritrea and north of

Ethiopia, see Kingdom of Damot.

Native Name: ደዐመተ

Conventional Long Name: Dʿmt

Common Name: D'mt
Era: Iron Age
Government Type: Monarchy
Year Start: c. 980 BCE
Year End: c. 400 BCE
P1: Land of Punt
S1: Kingdom of Aksum
Image Map Caption: Dʿmt is given as "Damot" on this map,
not to be confused with the later and
more southwestern Kingdom of
Damot.
Capital: Unknown, Yeha (likely)

D mt (Ge'ez: ደዐመተ, DʿMT theoretically vocalized as ዳዓማት, Daʿamat or ዳዕማት, Daʿəmat) was
a kingdom located in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia that existed between the 10th and 5th
centuries BC. Few inscriptions by or about this kingdom survive and very little archaeological
work has taken place. As a result, it is not known whether Dʿmt ended as a civilization before the
Kingdom of Aksum's early stages, evolved into the Aksumite state, or was one of the smaller
states united in the Kingdom of Aksum possibly around the beginning of the 1st century.

DʿMT (C. 800-400 BC)

The best-known building of the period in the region is the ruined 8th-century BC multi-story
tower at Yeha in Ethiopia, believed to have been the capital of Dʿmt. Ashlar masonry was
especially dominant during this period, owing to South Arabian influence where the style was
extremely common for monumental structures.
History
Damot's history as an independent entity ended after the conquest of the region by Emperor
Amda Seyon in the fourteenth century and remained under the Solomonic dynasty's influence
after that. Originally located south of the Abay and west of the Muger River, under the pressure
of Oromo attacks the rulers were forced to resettle north of the Abay in southern Gojjam between
1574 and 1606.
The kings, who bore the title Motalami, resided in a town which, according to the hagiography of
Tekle Haymanot, was called Maldarede. The kingdom was reduced to smaller size and the name
became the Kingdom of Wolayta. Their territory extended east beyond the Muger as far as the
Jamma.
Given the presence of a large temple complex, the capital of Dʿmt may have been present day
Yeha, in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. At Yeha, the temple to the god Ilmuqah is still standing.
The kingdom developed irrigation schemes, used plows, grew millet, and made iron tools and
weapons.
Some modern historians including Stuart Munro-Hay, Rodolfo Fattovich, Ayele Bekerie, Cain
Felder, and Ephraim Isaac consider this civilization to be indigenous, although Sabaean-
influenced due to the latter's dominance of the Red Sea, while others like Joseph Michels, Henri
de Contenson, Tekle-Tsadik Mekouria, and Stanley Burstein have viewed Dʿmt as the result of a
mixture of Sabaeans and indigenous peoples. Some sources consider the Sabaean influence to be
minor, limited to a few localities, and disappeared after a few decades or a century, perhaps
representing a trading or military colony in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the
civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-Aksumite state. However other sources hold that Dʿmt,
though having indigenous roots, was under strong South Arabian economic and cultural
influence.
After the fall of Dʿmt in the 5th century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller
unknown successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first
century BC, the Aksumite Kingdom.

Name
Due to the similarity of the name of Dʿmt and Damot when transcribed into Latin characters,
these two kingdoms are often confused or conflated with one another, but there is no evidence of
any relationship to Damot, a kingdom far to the south and existing a millennium and a half later.

Known rulers
The following is a list of four known rulers of Dʿmt, in chronological order:

Regions
  Barka
 Bur
 Hamassien
 Marya
 Seraye
 Yeha

KINGDOM OF DAMOT
The Kingdom of Damot (Amharic: ዳሞት) was a medieval kingdom in what is now Ethiopia, and
ruled by Welayta people or Sidama people. The territory was positioned below the Blue Nile. It
was a powerful state that forced the Sultanate of Showa (also called Shewa) to pay tributes. It
also annihilated the armies of the Zagwe dynasty that were sent to subdue its territory. Damot
conquered several Muslim and Christian territories. The Muslim state Showa and the new
Christian state under Yekuno Amlak formed an alliance to counter the influence of Damot in the
region.

YEHA
D mt (Ge'ez: ደዐመተ, DʿMT theoretically vocalized as ዳዓማት, Daʿamat or ዳዕማት, Daʿəmat) was
a kingdom located in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia that existed during the 10th to 5th centuries
BC. Few inscriptions by or about this kingdom survive and very little archaeological work has
taken place. As a result, it is not known whether Dʿmt ended as a civilization before the
Kingdom of Aksum's early stages, evolved into the Aksumite state, or was one of the smaller
states united in the Kingdom of Aksum possibly around the beginning of the 1st century.

Fig. Archeology Ruins of the great temple at Yeha in the  Tigray Region  of  Ethiopia.
The oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, the Temple of Yeha, is located in Yeha. This is a tower
built in the Sabaean style, and dated through comparison with ancient structures in South Arabia
to around 700 BC. Although no radiocarbon dating testing has been performed on samples from
site, this date for the Great Tower is supported by local inscriptions. David Phillipson attributes
its "excellent preservation" to two factors, "the care with which its original builders ensured a
level foundation, firmly placed on the uneven bedrock; and to its rededication -- perhaps as early
as the sixth century AD -- for use as a Christian church." Two other archaeological sites at Yeha
include Grat Beal Gebri, a ruined complex distinguished by a portico 10 meters wide and two
sets of square pillars, and a graveyard containing several rock-hewn shaft tombs first investigated
in the early 1960s. One authority has speculated that one of these tombs contained a royal burial,
while another believes the ancient residential area was likely one kilometer to the east of the
modern village.
Additionally, Yeha is the location of an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church monastery. The
edifice was founded according to tradition by Abba Aftse, one of the Nine Saints. In his account
of Ethiopia, Francisco Álvares mentions visiting this town in 1520 (which he called
"Abbafaçem"), and provides a description of the ancient tower, the monastery, and the local
church. This church was either the rededicated Great Temple, or a now destroyed building which
the Deutsche Aksum-Expedition described in the early 20th century. (The current structure,
which exhibits Aksumite architectural features, was built between 1948 and 1949.)
The Central Statistical Agency has not published an estimate for this village's 2005 population.
Explored briefly in February 1893 by the British antiquarian Theodore Bent and his wife Mabel,
Yeha has also been the site of a number of archaeological excavations, beginning in 1952 by the
Ethiopian Institute of Archeology. Although interrupted during the Derg regime, excavations
were resumed in 1993 by a French archaeological team.

ARCHEOLOGY

The oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, the Temple of Yeha, is located in Yeha. This is a tower
built in the Sabaean style, and dated through comparison with ancient structures in South Arabia
to around 700 BC. Although no radiocarbon dating testing has been performed on samples from
site, this date for the Great Tower is supported by local inscriptions
David Phillipson attributes its "excellent preservation" to two factors, "the care with which its
original builders ensured a level foundation, firmly placed on the uneven bedrock; and to its
rededication -- perhaps as early as the sixth century AD -- for use as a Christian church." Two
other archaeological sites at Yeha include Grat Beal Gebri, a ruined complex distinguished by a
portico 10 meters wide and two sets of square pillars, and a graveyard containing several rock-
hewn shaft tombs first investigated in the early 1960s. One authority has speculated that one of
these tombs contained a royal burial, while another believes the ancient residential area was
likely one kilometer to the east of the modern village.
Fig. Ruins of the great temple at Yeha in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Fig. Ancient stone slabs with Sabaean inscriptions found at Yeha.

Additionally, Yeha is the location of an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church monastery. The
edifice was founded according to tradition by Abba Aftse, one of the Nine Saints. In his account
of Ethiopia, Francisco Álvares mentions visiting this town in 1520 (which he called
"Abbafaçem"), and provides a description of the ancient tower, the monastery, and the local
church This church was either the rededicated Great Temple, or a now destroyed building which
the Deutsche Aksum-Expedition described in the early 20th century. (The current structure,
which exhibits Aksumite architectural features, was built between 1948 and 1949.)
The Central Statistical Agency has not published an estimate for this village's 2005 population.
Explored briefly in February 1893 by the British antiquarian Theodore Bent and his wife Mabel,
Yeha has also been the site of a number of archaeological excavations, beginning in 1952 by the
Ethiopian Institute of Archeology. Although interrupted during the Derg regime, excavations
were resumed in 1993 by a French archaeological team.

CHARACTERISTICS
Almaqah is considered a moon god, but Garbini and Pirenne have shown that the bull's head and
the vine motif associated with him may have solar and dionysiac attributes. He was therefore a
priest of Ra, the male counterpart of the sun goddess Shamash / Ishtar / Isis, who was also
venerated in Saba, but as a tutelary goddess of the royal Egyptian dynasty.
The ruling dynasty of Saba' regarded themselves as his seed. Almaqah is represented on
monuments by a cluster of lightning bolts surrounding a curved, sickle-like weapon. Bulls were
sacred to him.

TEMPLES
Both the Barran Temple and the Awwam temple were dedicated to Almaqah.
Sabaʾ the national god was Almaqah (or Ilmuqah), a protector of artificial irrigation, lord of the
temple of the Sabaean federation of tribes, near the capital Maʾrib. Until recently Almaqah was
considered to be a moon god, under the influence of a now generally rejected conception of a
South Arabian…

STELE
For other uses, see Stele (disambiguation). Several terms
redirect here. For other uses of "Stela", see Stela
(disambiguation). For the town, see Stelae (Crete). For
the battle, see Battle of Stelai. For the Ten
Commandments stone tablet, see Tablets of Stone.
Yeha is a large Bronze Age archaeological site located
about 15 miles (25 km) northeast of the modern town
of Adwa in Ethiopia. It is the largest and most
impressive archaeological site in the Horn of Africa
showing evidence of contact with South Arabia, leading
some scholars to describe Yeha and other sites as
precursors to the Aksumite civilization.

Fig. Stele N from Copán, Honduras, depicting King K'ac Yipyaj Chan K'awiil ("Smoke Shell"), as drawn by Frederick Catherwood in 1839

Fast Facts: Yeha

 Yeha is a large Bronze Age site in the Ethiopian Horn of Africa, established in the first
millennium BCE.
 Surviving structures include a temple, an elite residence and a set of rock-cut shaft tombs.
 The builders were Sabaean, people from an Arabian kingdom in Yemen, thought to be
the ancient land of Sheba.
The earliest occupation at Yeha dates to the first millennium BCE. Surviving monuments
include a well-preserved Great Temple, a "palace" perhaps an elite residence called Grat Be'al
Gebri, and the Daro Mikael cemetery of rock-cut shaft-tombs. Three artifact scatters probably
representing residential settlements have been identified within a few kilometers of the main site
but have not to date been investigated. 

6 KINGDOMS OF LIFE
The builders of Yeha were part of the Sabaean culture, also known as Saba', speakers of
an old South Arabian language whose kingdom was based in Yemen and who are thought
to have been what the Judeo-Christian bible names as the land of Sheba, whose powerful
Queen is said to have visited Solomon.

CHRONOLOGY AT YEHA
 YEHA I: 8th–7th centuries BCE. Earliest structure located at the palace at Grat Be'al
Gebri; and a small temple where the Great Temple would be constructed later.
 YEHA II: 7th–5th centuries BCE. Great Temple and the palace at Grat Be'al Gebri built,
elite cemetery at Daro Mikael begun.
 YEHA III: Late first millennium BCE. Late phase of construction at Grat Be'al Gebri,
tombs T5 and T6 at Daro Mikael.

GREAT TEMPLE OF YEHA

The Great Temple of Yeha is also known as the Almaqah Temple because it was dedicated to
Almaqah, the moon god of the Saba' kingdom. Based on construction similarities to others in the
Saba' region, the Great Temple was likely built in the 7th century BCE. The 46x60 foot (14x18
meter) structure stands 46 ft (14 m) high and was constructed of well-made ashlar (cut stone)
blocks measuring up to 10 ft (3 m) long. The ashlar blocks fit together tightly without mortar,
which, say scholars, contributed to the structure's preservation over 2,600 years after it was built.
The temple is surrounded by a cemetery and enclosed by a double wall.
Foundation fragments of an earlier temple have been identified beneath the Great Temple and
likely date to the 8th century BCE. The temple is located on an elevated location next to
a Byzantine church (built 6th c CE) which is higher still. Some of the temple stones were
borrowed to build the Byzantine church, and scholars suggest there may have been an older
temple where the new church was built.

CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERISTICS
The Great Temple is a rectangular building, and it was marked by a double-denticulate (toothed)
frieze that still survives in places on its northern, southern, and eastern façades. The faces of the
ashlars display typical Sabaean stone masonry, with smoothed margins and a pecked center,
similar to those at the Saba' kingdom capitals such as the Almaqah Temple at Sirwah and the
'Awam Temple in Ma'rib.
In front of the building was a platform with six pillars (called a propylon), which provided access
to a gate, a broad wooden door frame, and double doors. The narrow entrance led to an interior
with five aisles created by four rows of three squarish pillars. The two side aisles in the north and
south were covered by a ceiling and above it was a second story. The central aisle was open to
the sky. Three wooden-walled chambers of equal size were located at the eastern end of the
temple interior. Two additional cultic rooms extended out from the central chamber. A drainage
system leading to a hole in the southern wall was inserted into the floor to assure that the temple
interior was not flooded by rainwater.
PALACE AT GRAT BE'AL GEBRI
The second monumental structure at Yeha is named Grat Be'al Gebri, sometimes spelled as Great
Ba'al Guebry. It is located a short distance from the Great Temple but in a comparatively poor
state of preservation. The building's dimensions were likely 150x150 ft (46x46 m) square, with a
raised platform (podium) of 14.7 ft (4.5 m) high, itself built of volcanic rock ashlars. The exterior
façade had projections at the corners.
The front of the building once also had a propylon with six pillars, the bases of which have been
preserved. The stairs leading up to the propylon are missing, although the foundations are
visible. Behind the propylon, there was a huge gate with a narrow opening, with two massive
stone doorposts. Wooden beams were inserted horizontally along the walls and penetrating into
them. Radiocarbon dating of the wooden beams dates construction between early

8th–late 6th centuries BCE.

NECROPOLIS OF DARO MIKAEL

The cemetery at Yeha consists of six rock-cut tombs. Each tomb was accessed via a staircase
along 8.2 ft (2.5 m) deep vertical shafts with one grave chamber on each side. The entrances to
the tombs were originally blocked by rectangular stone panels, and other stone panels sealed the
shafts at the surface, and then all was covered by a mound of stone rubble.
A stone enclosure fenced in the tombs, although it is unknown whether they were roofed or not.
The chambers were up to 13 ft (4 m) in length and 4 ft (1.2 m) in height and were originally used
for multiple burials, but all were looted in antiquity. Some displaced skeletal fragments and
broken grave goods (clay vessels and beads) were found; based on grave goods and similar
tombs at other Saba' sites, the tombs probably date to the 7th–6th c BCE.

ARABIAN CONTACTS AT YEHA

Yeha period III has traditionally been identified as a pre-Axumite occupation, based primarily on
the identification of evidence for contact with South Arabia. Nineteen fragmentary inscriptions
on stone slabs, altars and seals have been found at Yeha written in a South Arabian script.
However, excavator Rodolfo Fattovich notes that the South Arabian ceramics and related
artifacts recovered from Yeha and other sites in Ethiopia and Eritrea are a small minority and do
not support the presence of a consistent South Arabian community. Fattovich and others believe
that these do not represent a precursor to the Axumite civilization.
The first professional studies at Yeha involved a small excavation by the Deutsche Axum-
Expedition in 1906, then part of the Ethiopian Institute of Archaeology excavations in the 1970s
led by F. Anfrayin. In the 21st century, investigations have been conducted by the Sana'a Branch
of the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Hafen City
University of Hamburg.

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Shaw, Thurstan (1995),  The Archaeology of Africa: Food, Metals and Towns,
Routledge, p.  612, ISBN 978-0-415-11585-8
2. ^ L'Arabie préislamique et son environnement historique et culturel: actes du Colloque de
Strasbourg, 24-27 juin 1987; page 264
3. ^ Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C; page 174
4. ^ Uhlig, Siegbert (ed.), Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag,
2005. p. 185.