Table of Contents

Introduction - Part I Before Aksum
The northern Horn 3000 years ago
The first millennium BC - Part II The Kingdom of Aksum
Aksumite civilisation: an introductory summary
Aksumite languages & literacy
Some written sources relating to Aksumite civilisation
The emergence & expansion of the Aksumite state
Aksumite kingship & politics
Aksumite religion
Cultivation & herding, food & drink
Urbanism, architecture & non-funerary monuments
Aksumite burials
Aksumite technology & material culture
Aksumite coinage
Foreign contacts of the Aksumite state
Decline & transformation of the Aksumite state - Part III After Aksum
The Zagwe Dynasty - Part IV Epilogue
The future of the past in the northern Horn

Reviews

A useful working tool for scholars, a complete and updated textbook for students and a readable and informative account for those who wish to be introduced to the past of these regions.
*AETHIOPICA*

This authoritative and challenging book is essential for experts of Ethiopian and Eritrean archaeology and history, but it is also an accessible and engaging read for a wider audience.
*AFRICAN AFFAIRS*

[A] compelling read [and] a meticulous survey that engages with several branches of archaeology and history as well as art history, epigraphy, and linguistics. ... This authoritative and challenging book is essential for experts of Ethiopian and Eritrean archaeology and history, but it is also an accessible and engaging read for a wider audience beyond its geographical and temporal scope.
*AFRICAN AFFAIRS*

Offers a valuable introduction to what is still a very poorly developed research field. . As a way into the complex world of 'Ethiopian' archaeology this book has much to offer.
*ANTIQUITY*

[A] welcome synthesis of current scholarship [and] an important contribution to African history that belongs in all university libraries.
*CHOICE*

An impressive piece of work, valuable not only as a statement on current archaeological research in Ethiopia and related areas, but also because it incorporates evidence from historical documentation, linguistics, and other sources. [...] This is a book that should be added to the shelves not only of those interested in the Ethiopian past but also of those with wider interests in later African archaeology and history.
*JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY*

Foundations of an African Civilisation is an unparalleled contribution to the archaeological literature about Aksum, which will aid both the established researcher and the recently initiated student of Aksumite studies alike. Its comprehensive, yet largely accessible treatment of a range of archaeological, epigraphic, and historical data, excellent organisation and informative illustrations are a tribute and a testimony to David Phillipson's long-running dedication to exploring this most intriguing ancient African civilisation.
*AZANIA*