Product Description
In this eminently readable, concise history of Ethiopia, Harold Marcus surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation from prehistory to the present. For the updated edition, Marcus has written a new preface, two new chapters, and an epilogue, detailing the development and implications of Ethiopia as a Federal state and the war with Eritrea. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A History of Ethopia Updated Edition
Read by me and some of my grandchildren. We have a new member of our family from Ethiopia.The author is Harold G. Marcus. I'm keeping it in my library.

A foundation for learning Ethiopian history
I found the book well-written and well-organized according to significant changes in Ethiopia's development. Economics, as well as politics, ethnology and technology are used to explain events and their significance. One thing that did annoy me is the fact that historic maps are all located together in the back, rather than in the sections in which they are relevent. The use of some of the Ethiopian titles of nobility is also confusing, when European equivalents would have done just as well.

Not a casual read by any means, but a serious student of African history could do much worse than Marcus' book.

Good Book
This was the first History book I have read for leisure and I was supprised at how interested I was. A very well written and researched work. The only complaint I have is that the vocabulary was to much for me in places. Im used to looking things up in the dictionary, but not this much. Overall a very good read, will leave you wanting more.

The author is biased !
I personally appreciate all writers' accounts about the African history, especially those about the older civilizations like that of Abyssinia, Aoudal (Adal), Ifat (Yifat), Banadir, Oroma etc. Most of the histories from this region are either written by early travelers, who were apparently subject to their respective contact's account(s). Likewise some writers are subject to either personal inclination to one group or influenced by local authorities to make their fictitious political claims printed in the history in order to subdue others. We therefore should be very careful about the writer's tone vis-à-vis historical realities and events. The author falls to the second category trap (personal or Authority influence). For instance, he gives more credit to Amhara actions while undermining all other nationals in Ethiopia. He even reached a stage where he distorted the really of geographical history maps. Look the maps at the end of book. It is typical dreams of all Abyssinian emperors' ambitions. History is history no body can rewrite but can be corrected when grave distortions like those presented in this book are circulated. The writer is a good writer in literature wise but his story is biased!

A decent but often confusing coverage of Ethiopia
I found this book to be helpful as a general resource of information about Ethiopia's history.However, the reading often becomes confusing, most likely because of the lack of a "big picture" view.The text centers too much on individual events, especially in the first half.Also, I often became unclear of who the author was speaking of when he mentioned "the emperor" or "the king".This feeling was probably caused by the overly rapid introduction of new people. ... Read more

Product Description
This study deals mainly with the history of the Oromo ofthe area - the Gibe region.It covers a period of three centuries.The story begins at a time when the medieval Christian kingdom ofAbyssinia was rapidly disintegrating and ends shortly before thecreation of the modern Ethiopian empire.During this long period, theOromo led an independent existence as masters of their destiny andmakers of their own history.The Oromo of the Gibe region lived asneighbors with, but beyond military control and political influenceof, the medieval Christian kingdom of Abyssinia.The latter came toconstitute only a small part of what today is Ethiopia.The Oromodeveloped their own cultural, religious, and political institutionswhich shaped their history and expressed their world view.

The independent existence of the Oromo was brought to an end abruptlyand rudely by the creation of the modern Ethiopian empire during andafter the 1880s.The conquest and annexation of their territory notonly deprived the Oromo of their sovereignty but also of theirhistory, because the creation of the empire consolidated myths anduntruths long held and circulated in the Christian kingdom about theOromo, who were generally portrayed as people without a history.Toset the record straight this introduction considers two themes thatare unrelated but each necessary to the understanding of the historyof the Oromo.First, the introductory chapter briefly depicts how theOromo problem is either presented falsely or even ignored in theEthiopian historiography.The second and larger part of the chapterdeals with the Oromo social organization on the eve of theirsixteenth-century migration.

During the sixteenth and subsequent centuries much was written on themilitary conflict between the Oromo were generally described simply as"the enemies of the Amhara" and what was written about them by theChristian chroniclers mainly expressed the intense prejudice which wasdeeply rooted in Abyssinian society.Even the enlightened historianand great intellectual of his time, Abba Bahrey, who wrote History ofthe Galla in 1593 opens his invaluable work with these words: "I havebegun to write the history of the Galla in order to make known thenumber of their tribes, their readiness to kill people, and thebrutality of their manners."Since the time of Abba Bahrey thepurported brutality of Oromo manners has been magnified andembroidered with grotesque distortions of history, which depicts theOromo as "barbarian hordes who brought darkness and ignorance in theirtrain."In such writings the Oromo were never credited as creators ofan original culture, or as having religious and democratic politicalinstitutions which flowered in patterns of their own making andnourished their spiritual and material well-being.On the contrary,unsubstantiated myths and untruths were created and the Oromo werearbitrarily degraded to a lower stage of material culture, as peoplewho needed the "civilizing mission" of their Abyssinian neighbors.Although the Abyssinian society has had a fascinating history, tomaintain that its elite members had an historic mission "to civilizethe barbarians" is nonsense historically.The Abyssinian elite,especially the Shawan Amhara rulers, who laid the foundation of andcreated the modern Ethiopia empire, had everything to gain inattributing a "civilizing mission" to themselves - it has been thecommon cry of colonizers.In fact, the new Ethiopian ruling class,typified by Emperor Menelik, the creator of the modern Ethiopianempire, found it necessary and profitable to denigrate the Oromopeople, their culture, and their history in all ways great and small.This ruling class especially perceived the danger of the larger Oromopopulation to its empire.Consequently, the ruling classsystematically depicted the Oromo as people without history, andbelittled their way of life, and their religious and politicalinstitutions.It is not an exaggeration to say that no people havehad their history so distorted or ignored and their achievements andhuman qualities undervalued as the Oromo have in the Ethiopianhistoriography.Bogumil Jewsiewicki's observation in his Introductionto the African Historiographies seems apposite.

Because of its alliance with the state structures, separate from thetrue needs and concerns of the people, the historiography of thesavants is, in Africa as else where, the dominant form by which thepast is described.But such an alliance also requires the creation ofmyths which pretend to be exclusive truths and portray themselves ascapable of overcoming all other means of understanding the past.

Until very recently, Oromo history has been either neglected, asM. Abir admits, or it has been totally ignored, or it has beendistorted by prejudice.The Ethiopian ruling class even succeeded inelevating its anti-Oromo prejudice to the plane of state ideology,which was uncritically repeated in the name of scholarship.

The Galla had nothing to contribute to the civilization of Ethiopia,they possessed no material or intellectual culture, and their socialorganization was at a far lower stage of development than of thepopulation among whom they settled.

These words written in 1960, by a well-known scholar of Semiticlanguages, are a good illustration of such long-held common historicalprejudice.A number of other scholars have expressed similarhistorical prejudice less eloquently.

These biases derive from several sources.The very presence of a vastand readily available corpus of chronicles and texts in the Semiticlanguages of the northern kingdoms and chiefdoms has fitted in withthe biases of European historians and classical linguists towardswritten sources; however dubious their contents, texts have been ratedas more scholarly than oral sources, "proper" history only existing inwriting and records.The northern Abyssinian texts, moreover, werewritten in Semitic languages of the same family as those used by thefounders of the great Middle Eastern religions, Judaism, Christianity,and Islam and enshrined in the holy books of those religions.That,in itself, gave them prestige in the eyes of Orientalists. Further,Oromo, by not being a "written language" was not available to Europeanscholars in libraries; not being a available meant that it did notexist (Tutschek 1844 is an honorable exception).Amharinya, Tigrinya,and Geez pointed towards the Middle East and Abyssinians stressedmyths such as the Solomonic legend (which was taught in schools ashistorical fact) and they played down their Africanness.Christianand Negro were often cited as opposites, as good and evil.Oromo, orGalla as it was called, derived from Black Africa.Further, the studyof the north flourished when European colonial empires wereflourishing: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Portugalalso saw themselves as having "civilising missions."In a way Menelikand his nobles became honorary, if second-class, bearers of the "whiteman's burden."Similarly, Christianity, even of the Ethiopianvariety, just had to be an indicator of a higher level of civilizationthan a traditional African religion which did not have a "book": Justas in a society stratified by class, the predatory state was at"simple states" of the Oromo.

Addis Ababa, the capital of the empire, was at the end of the railwayline and was the stopping-point for most diplomats and scholars;beyond that was wild bush country populated by wild people and wildgame.Certainly foreign travelers, diplomats, and the rare travelingscholar had to set out from the seat of the empire if they wished topenetrate its peripheries.So their own experiences, directed as theywere from the center, took on the perceptions of the center, and thoseperceptions were arrogantly colonialist and Amhara-centered.Suchonly to destroy the Oromo people's pride in their achievements , butalso needed to keep them chained, with no faith in themselves, theirhistory, and national identity.

I believe that a true knowledge of the history of the variousEthiopian peoples will create confidence and trust among the peoplesof the country.Therefore, it is with this goal in mind that I haveendeavored to write an objective history of the Oromo of the Oromo ofthe Gibe region, but from an Oromo point of view, though I do notneglect the history of the other people with whom the Oromointeracted.Above all, it is a history whose unexpressed messagestresses the importance of and the need for building bridges ofunderstanding and tolerance between the various peoples of Ethiopia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

What a disappointment
Coming from an Oromo background myself replete with oral tradition I had hoped Hassen would at least provide some of this information in his ground breaking book.To date there has been little Oromo History recorded by Oromo's themselves.I am disappointed to say this book was full of mistakes and what I can only consider polemics and racism.Perhaps my coming from a mixed background of Oromo, Amara and Tigre parents has allowed me the luxury to seeing the good in all these wonderful compoents of the Ethiopian fabric.I was daunted to read the same extremist language and denial of contemporary historical accounts of Ethiopian historians of the time.Its also telling that Hassen's insistence of the existence of an Ethiopian/Axumite state that predates the Oromo state is not borne in our traditions.Anyone even moderately familliar with Ethiopian history know that today's Oromia was established after the Turkish invasion and enslavement of the previous nations that occupied those lands namely the Kingdoms of Enarya, Angot, Damot and the Sultanates of the Welasma and Ifat.The ruins of Abyssinia's pre-Oromo capital Bokan lie about 20 kilometres from present day Adama(Nazreth).
In this I find Hassen typical of liberation era ideologues who manifest non-existent realities diluting Oromo history with Egyptian and Somali rhetoric of the 70's to distill an Oromia that never existed.Hassen's entire premise of an Oromo State is not unlike Mohammed Siad Barre's insistence of an ancient Somali state that can not be found even in Somali oral tradition let alone the historical accounts of the region.The existence of the Ethiopian state during its various stages Proto-D'mt, D'mt, Proto-Axum, Axumite,D'mt resurgence,Solomonic Restoration, Era-of-the-Rases, 2nd Solomonic Restoration is well recorded and save when the destruction of records makes it necessary to rely on outside sources easily debunked.

Secondly the injured air Hassen takes for Abyssinia's counter invasion of lands occupied by the Oromo raises many questions chiefly about his role as a historian.The Oromo oral tradition does not lie but transmits truth from father to son.In this Hassen falls short.If Abyssinians, a term Hassen uses for Ethiopians though they consider it derogatory, were invaded, and enslaved many being sold to Turkish slavers by the Oromo themselves, why is unreasonable for the Abyssinians then to return in sufficent force to reclaim what was theirs.Why is Hassen's Oromia any more deserving of existence than the Sidamo, Enarya and Angotai Kingdoms that were devastated b y the Oromo's northern march.

Hassen's exposition on Oromo's is entitled "The Oromo's and confines itself to beginning in 1570" 46 years after Gragn's eastward and the Oromo's northward invasion of Ethiopia.IN this manner he completely avoids having to relate how the Oromo's served Gragn's war of attrition on Ethiopia, on the Enaryans, Angotay, Amhara and Sidamoans of the region through slave trading. This trickery is unworthy of real historians who are supposed to courageoulsy treat both past mistakes and triumphs.He is a passionate polemicist and champion for Islamic Oromo's he should stick to that and stop calling himself a historian for all Oromo's since he ill serves them.

Lastly if his name had not appeared on the book I would have assumed it was a book written by any number of propagandists to whip the Muslim or Oromo population into massacres.And its value in that regard is worthy of investigation.But as a historical reference setting down actual Oromo history and tradition I think we will have to wait a little longer.In the meantime Alequa Atsme's contemporary accounts of the Oromo still stand the test of time.

The Beginning of the Long Journey Oromos should make to rectify their distorted History.
This book is original in the sense that there was never a book written about the Oromo nation of Ethiopia with good intentions. This book is novel since it offers a new perspective on Oromos history. It's also courageous for Dr. Hassan to write Oromos' history from a perspective unaccustomed in the mainstream Ethiopian historiography. Ethiopian historiographers for the most part have conscious since they portrayed the Oromos as people of no history. It surprises me than no other historian took interest to make their own research rather than relying on Abyssinian historiagraphers for their source.

This is the beginning; and the history of Oromos of East Africa as ancient people and descendants of Kush deserve to be studies in depth.

I give this book 4.5 stars, and I did read it, unlike the other fella who gave it a low rating while confessing that he/she has not read it yet.

Yonatan
As an Ethiopian (and as an oromo myself) I am aware of various grievances agains Ethiopia that are being raised by the Oromo people.I am trying to educate myself of these grievances and their validity.I have not yet read this book, and I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the Author's comments on his intentions of bridging the gap between the peoples of Ethiopia.Of late, I have been very discouraged by the level of negativity directed at Ethiopia from oromo's and organizations of such.I hope I will not be disappointed and that I will be able to write a good review of the book once I have read it.

The oromo of ethiopia- HIdden truth
The oromo of ethiopia is the third single largest nation in Africa yet strange to the world.Why?The history of oromo has been ignored. The language and the land has been abused.It was not by any directinternational power but by royal family tribes of Amhara.Now It is timeto tell the story which I call the hidden truth of one of Africas largestnationality-The oromo and their country Oromia.

The Book the Oromo ofEthiopia by Mr. Mohammed Hassen, is a wonderful start to introduce the richbut neglected culture and identity of Oromos. I thank Amazon.com forbringing this book up to my search result and many will benefit from it.I've never thought I will find a book like this one fromAmazon.com.

Thanks a million. ... Read more

Product Description
During the first seven centuries AD there arose at Aksum in the highlands of northern Ethiopia, a unique African culture which has been described as "the last of the great civilizations of antiquity to be revealed to modern knowledge". Although its monuments have long been known, their full significance has only recently been recognized. Ancient Aksum maintained a wide-ranging international trade and produced unparalleled coinage in gold, silver and copper. Its kings adopted Christianity in the 4th century AD and the Christian civilization of the Ethiopian highlands traces its origins to Aksumite roots. This text, based on the author's field research, presents an illustrated account of Aksumite civilization of the Ethiopian highlands, tracing its origins to Aksumite roots. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a history of the Ethiopians from pre-history to the present day. Drawing on research in archeology, anthropology, linguistics and on recent historiography, the book charts the development of Ethiopian peoples and their society, placing emphasis on the African origins of Ethiopian civilization.

The book opens with a review of Ethiopian prehistory, showing how the Ethiopian section of the African Rift Valley has come to be seen as the "cradle of humanity". It describes, for instance, the discovery of the remains of the oldest known hominid, "Lucy", in the middle Awash Valley, in 1974. The book then discusses Ethiopia in biblical time, reconsidering, for example, the legend of the Queen of Sheba. The author examines the various dynasties that ruled in the period up to the first Portuguese mission, and explores the subsequent political and religious struggles between Christians, Muslims and Falashas. He discusses the social and economic effects of key stages in Ethiopian history such as the Gondar period and the era of the "Judges".

The book also examines the succession of modernizing monarchs that followed, culminating in the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie. The book concludes with a review of Ethiopian history and culture considering contemporary Ethiopia within an historical context. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Okay
This is a good book, especially when it got to the nineteenth century. My only complaint is that it barely says anything about ancient Axum (thats like writing a history of Italy but skipping over the Roman empire).The text also seemed to focus on Ethiopia's connection with the rest of the world, rather than focusing on Ethiopia's history and the Ethiopian people themselves (that is , their culture).An imformative read but hardly the kind of info I expected.

Cursory but Useful
Pankhurst writes a nice readable book. The work is a bit shallow on the treatment of a variety of subjects but it is survey so that is expected.

It reads well for a reader who is just approaching the subject but anyone with a more than passing interest in the book will likely want something a bit more substantial.

277-Page Summary of Ethiopian History
As a RastafarI I have an intense interest in the history of Ethiopia. However, in the country I live in, I could find nothing in the book shops, not even in the library that is anything else than travelogues, architectural picture books, satires of the reign of Haile Selassie-I or the usual Western doom-n-gloom vision of contemporary politics.

What a relief this book is indeed! As for the above reasons, my so far knowledge on Ethiopia's history is relatively limited, i.e. my rating has to be considered as that of a reader, who largely reads "new" information.

The subtitle "A History" should be considered, as it rightfully doesn't say "The History". The 277 text pages - including 25 half-page sized pictures - are merely a summary of Ethiopia's history. Most of the time quite literally, as the book proceeds with an incredible pace through the times. Therefore, it is probably the perfect book for newcomers to the subject. On average every page suggests an entire book waiting to be written on its content. So much for the Western assumption, Africa would be devoid of any history! In fact, reading this book, I felt like reading some sort of science fiction, the history of another planet. Ethiopian history reads like one of the "classical" histories of other countries we are well used to, only this one has been thoroughly omitted from the Western consciousness. No wonder, after all, it is THE classical country, as it is the oldest, in the sense that Ethiopia is the very cradle of humanity. No wonder also, knowledge about it has been largely censored, as the Western entanglements in Ethiopian history largely is a shame.

It would be an idel attempt to summarize this defacto summary. Let me select some interesting bits of information to wet your appetite: Aksum (preceding name of "Abyssinia", preceding "Ethiopia") came into existence at the time, Jesus was conceived, i.e. 8 "B.C." (though the book doesn't explicitly go into that). Muhammad excluded Ethiopia from the Jihad. (The book elaborates on, what happened to the rulers on either side who violated that.) Three successive Ethiopian rulers turned Ethiopia into a Roman Catholic society. (Guess, what happened to THEM and what the consequences for the country turned out to be!) Losing soldiers of the US-Civil War as mercenaries engaged in warfare against Ethiopia. Instead of any democratic member of the League of Nations to initially help Ethiopia against the fascist Italian invasion it was only one leader to do so: Adolf Hitler. Secretely, of course, and not for altruistic reasons... Written in 1998 the book closes after the revolution of 1991.

All too many bits of history are mentioned too briefly for my taste. This briefly, that they do not really explain themselves, as in one or two sentences. I would have appreciated an extra 100 pages and gladly paid more money for that. For example, I DO know a bit more about the abolished "lebeshay" tradition of magical thief-catchers. It would have been interesting to explain more (or at all) than is actually said about it like in this sentence. Some information I missed completely, like the Ethiopian temporary "spin-off" kingdom on the Arabian peninsula and the Year of the Elephant (of importance at the advent of Islam). However, I can't bring myselft to subtract any star from this book.

Scholarly and insightful introduction to Ethiopian history
The Ethiopians - A history is a scholarly introduction to Ethiopian history by an author with a profound insight into the subject. Commencing with the dawn of pre-history, Professor Pankhurst provides a well organised trek through the events, people and geography that are Ethiopia. The perspective is that of an empathetic, embedded westerner, conveying a deep passion for the subject while connecting with an educated western audience. Ethiopia has a very long and complex history, making the task of summarising it extremely challenging. It is therefore almost inevitable that any brief description of this fascinating web of events and people must at times verge on the clinical. This book is, however, by no means free of passion. It would be inhuman for any author to not convey some degree of emotion when reporting events such as the 1935 invasion by Mussolini's regime, and colonial attitudes to such a proud and independent nation. Overall this book provides a very useful historical basecamp from which the reader can make forays into the complexity of Ethiopia.

A short yet comprehensive history of Ethiopia.
Richard Pankhurst is one of the foremost modern authorities on Ethiopia. This book is a summary of many more that he has written on the subject. It has acceptable maps (these can almost always be improved) and a helpful chronological table. The prose flows easily and it is a pleasure to read.
My purpose in buying the book was to be able to have conversations regarding Ethiopia with a good friend who has just returned after spending 20 years there. He was impressed that I could ask him to tell me in more detail about the Tigray, or the Amharas or the Oromos, or the Italian occupation or the war with Eritrea! ... Read more

Product Description

This engaging and informative historical narrative provides an excellent introduction to the history of Ethiopia from the classical era through the modern age. The acute historical analysis contained in this volume allows readers to critically interrogate shifting global power configurations from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth century, and the related implications in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region. Adejumobi identifies a second wave of globalization, beginning in the nineteenth century, which laid the foundation for a highly textured Ethiopian Afromodern twentieth century. The book explores Ethiopia's efforts at charting an independent course in the face of imperialism, World War II, the Cold War and international economic reforms with a focus on the gap between the state's modernization reforms and the citizenry's aspirations of modernity. The book focuses on Ethiopians' efforts to balance challenges related to social, political and economic reforms with a renaissance in the arts, theater, Orthodox Coptic Christianity, Islam and ancient ethnic identities.

The History of Ethiopia paints a vivid picture of a dynamic and compelling country and region for students, scholars, and general readers seeking to grasp twenty-first century global relations. The work also provides a timeline of events in Ethiopian history, brief biographies of key figures, and a bibliographic essay.

Product Description

Product Description
PILLARS IN ETHIOPIAN HISTORY,The William Leo Hansberry African History Notebook, Volume IEdited by Joseph E. Harris Taken from William Leo Hansberry's private papers the four essays in Volume I, better described as narrative histories, decipher and remove from the entanglement of myth, legend and spurious historical documentation the pillars of Ethiopia's unity. The editor, Joseph Harris, is the former chairman of the Department of History at Howard University.AFRICA AND AFRICANS AS SEEN BY CLASSICAL WRITERS, The William Leo Hansberry African History Notebook Volume II Edited by Joseph E. harris volume II of the William Leo Hansberry Notebook interprets, classical comments about Africa and Africans.William Leo Hansberry is considered by many to be the father of African Studies in the United States.During the thirty-seven years that Hansberry taught at Howard University, he laid the foundations for the systematic study of African History culture and politics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Knowledge of ancient Africans
Ever heard of William Leo Hansberry?Well I didn't either.He had an amazing knowledge of the ancient Africans and the opinions of other ancients of those Africans.Great Book for background knowledge of Africans. ... Read more

Product Description
This international collection of essays offers a new approach to the understanding of imperial Ethiopia, out of which the present state was created by the 1974 revolution. After the 1880s, Abyssinia, under Menilek II, expanded its ancient heartland to incorporate vast new territories to the south. Here, for the first time, these regions are treated as an integral part of the empire. The book opens with an interpretation of nineteenth-century Abyssinia as an African political economy, rather than as a variant on European feudalism, and with an account of the north's impact on peoples of the new south. Case studies from the southern regions follow four by historians and four by anthropologists, each examining aspects of the relationship between imperial rule and local society. In revealing the region's diversity and the relationship of the periphery to the centre, the volume illuminates some of the problems faced by postrevolutionary Ethiopia. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

An Outstanding Feat of Scholarship
The great contribution of Professor Levine's book, as I see it, is its very broad picture of the history and ethnography of the various people who inhabit what he terms Greater Ethiopia. This would includes, at least, the current countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea.He manages to give an extremely valuable accounting of both theethnographic (anthropological) and the historical scholarship -- two worlds that are not customarily combined.

By and large, he sees two contrasting cultures:a) that of the Amhara (and associated Tigreans), and b) that of the Oromo, also known as Galla. The ancient civilization of the Amhara is Christian and Jewish, while the culture of the Oromo is, traditionally, African pagan, although today the Oromo have largely adopted Christianity and Islam. In Levine's view, it is the synthesis of Amhara and Oromo, under emperors who trace their origins to King Solomon, that makes for the unique social system that he calls Greater Ethiopia.The key to the self-understanding of the people who embrace this synthesis, according to Levine, is the fourteenth century Tigrean literary work "Kibre Negest" ("Glory of Kings," sometimes transliterated as 'Kebra Nagast').

Levine's work is now more than thirty years old, so we would not expect it to cover all of the latest scholarship.The second edition of 2000 has a new introduction and additions to the bibliography, but is otherwise unchanged.One of the virtues of these additions, however, is that Levine explicitly mentions the fact that "three important studies have transformed our understanding of the Beta Israel (Falasha)," i.e. the Ethiopian Jews.Here he lists the works of Steven Kaplan, Jim Quirin, and Kay Kaufman Shelemay.

In addition to the history and ethnography in this work, there is also an attempt to apply the theories of Max Weber, Talcott Parsons, S. N. Eisenstadt, and other "grand theorists" of sociology.Being more empirically minded, I do not find this kind of theory very helpful in the present context.This may very well be my own shortcoming rather than that of the author.In any case, no amount of "grand theory" can substantially diminish the value of this book for anyone looking for empirical description.All around:an astounding feat of scholarship.

Required reading
This book is one of those classics that never stays on the bookshelf for long. It should be required reading for all those interested in sociology or development studies in Ethiopia. The model describing the evolution of Ethiopian society presented by Levine has withstood the test of time, and is indeed proving more and more useful as time goes by.

"Greater Ethiopia"by Donald N. Levine:New Perspective
Donald N. Levine's classic work on the social evolution and integration of the many ethnic groups that make up Ethiopia has been a must reading for all sociologists and those concrned with economic and social development in Africa and elsewhere since the book was first publilshed by the University of Chicago almost 25 years ago.The author has now (year 2000) updated his work with the addition of a new and comprehensive introduction that incorporates recent developments that have occured in Ethiopian society and culture since the book was published. The book has just been translated into Ethiopia's official language, Amharic, testifying to the importance and relevance of the work, in spite of the major transformation, including a revolution, that the country has gone through. The book provides new perspectives and fresh analyses on multi-ethnic societies, and is highly recommended to all who wish to understand the interplay among sub-groups, whether ethnic or otherwise, in today's conflict-ridden societies of Africa, Asia and even central Europe. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Poor, Detective Wannabe Speculations
I read Dr. Munro-Hay's last book, "The Quest for the ARK OF THE COVENANT" after learning about it referenced by another book. I had read his other work, "Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity" some time ago and had marveled at his data collection skills.In the "Quest for the ARK OF THE COVENANT" it seemed he has strayed from his forte, which is data collection, and ventured into territories for which he is less crafted: deductive conclusion.

It seems the author was bruised by Mr. Hancock's book, "the Sign and the Seal," more so by the book's conclusion that the Ark resides in Aksum and by the reputation it gained, which seemed to have motivated Mr. Stuart Munro-Hay to write this book. The book is replete with self-serving hypotheses, speculations, surmises built on no firm grounds and logical contradiction. Mr. Munro-Hay's motive-induced irritation perhaps by imaginations of the presence of the holiest artifact in a black nation can easily be spotted through the cracks of his intellectual limitations. There hardly is a page in the book that bears unbiased, left-to-the-discretion-of-the-reader data to talk about. Apparently, Mr. Munro-Hay died before concluding the book, and it is possible his work has been tampered with by peers around him with motives other than scholarship. If that is the case, these unknowns have done great disservice to the author by trying to pass a book of surmises as one of scholarship. This book also places Ethiopianists at credibility risk.

the only reliable source on the Ark
The late Stuart Munro-Hay was the world's foremost Aksum historian and arguably the world's most knowledgable scholar on anything related to the so-called Ark of the Covenant. His work leaves in the dust all the popular works by such pseudo-scholars as Laurence Gardner (who once applied to work as Munro-Hay's research assistant and was turned down for lack of credentials).

The work covers much more than just Ark history, digging deep into Ethiopia's past, and as such is highly recommended for anyone in Ethiopian studies.

Extraordinary Scholarly Source
For the serious scholar of Ethiopia and medieval African texts, this book is essential. The title of this book is unfortunate in that regard. Billed as something populist (for the Ark of the Covenant obsessed), it is actually something much more. It would have been better titled something like "Twenty Centures of Primary Sources related to the Ethiopian Text Kebra Nagast (The Glory of the Kings)." The late Munro-Hay has done something extraordinary for scholars, he has put together a library of primary sources, many of them never before translated into English, never cited in books about Ethiopia, or never checked in the original. I am in awe of the archival work he has done. Many scholars without access to archives in Portugal, Spain, Italy, England, or Ethiopia will be very grateful to Munro-Hay's exhaustive list of African, Middle Eastern, and European texts that discuss the Kebra Nagast. He uses these to make an incredibly well-thought out argument about the actual dates of the Kebra Nagast and the many stories it contains. Although he concludes that the ark of the covenant was not in Aksum, he provides so many of the primary sources that others inclined otherwise can use his own work to argue with him. Perhaps most important, he does support very early datings of versions of the Kebra Nagast, in particular a very early date for the first versions of stories about the encounter between Solomon and Sheba resulting in a child that became the beginning of an Ethiopian dynasty. Although the book has a slightly rushed-into-print feel (the sources are not always as fully documented in the text the first time they appear) this is a small flaw in what is really a towering achievement. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides an introduction to Ethiopia using a question-and-answer format that discusses land features, government, housing, transportation, industries, education, sports, art forms, holidays, food, and family life.Includes a map, facts, and charts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ethiopia
Very helpful and provides a brief overview of the country and sites immediately noticeable upon entering the city. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the first truly complete work on the monuments and art of Ethiopia, as well as a literary companion to its land and history. Stuart Munro-Hay provides a valuable guide to the countrys architecture, geography, peoples, art, and history that covers all the major sites of the land from ancient times to the present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Review
Was a gift.Not as in depth about the country as I would have liked, but just about all that was available out there.

Also, was for a Christmas gift and paid expedited shipping but did not arrive on scheduled date.Amazon did refund shipping cost.

This book doesn't live up to the Title
The author shows little respect for Ethiopians in General, numerous instances he describes Ethiopians artifacts as "meager", "dingy" etc. This is unacceptable in my opinion because if your going to write about a place then at least be respectful of the place and the people,the author shows little respect for the overall Culture. Ethiopia has been through many violent episodes in the past so if little fragments of history survive in a tarnished manner take account of the fact that wars are usually unkind to places where wars were fought. I read the intro and noticed the author focused on the Names Aksum which is correct towards one of the ancient name of Ethiopia, also correctly naming Kush a neighboring country north of Ethiopia that impressed me so I bought the book anticipating some quality information. After receiving and reading the first 15 pages the author begins to show his unethusiatic attitutde for Ethiopian History which turned off this reader so I returned my copy and will continue searching for quality unbiased information for Ethiopia.

Be Cautious of the Title
I purchased this book because I was looking for an in-depth study of Ethiopian culture, both past and present.However, it soon became apparent that the book's subtitle "A Cultural and Historical Guide" was somewhat misleading.Rather, Mr. Munro-Hay provides a detailed and scholarly analysis of Ethiopian historical sites.The publisher would have been well-advised to use the subtitle "An Archaeological Survey" instead.If that is what you're looking for, then this book is ideal.But if you want information on contemporary Ethiopian culture, it would be best to look elsewhere.

An explorer's companion
Although not a "tourist guide" this book is a handy reference for anyone with interest in this land.Munro-Hay's subtitle: The Unknown Land provides a clue to the problem he faced in summarizing the history and culture of this ancient country.Known to early Christians as the land of "Prester John," Ethiopia's nearly landlocked location and rugged terrain has made it a challenge to scholars for millennia.Munro-Hay makes an earnest effort to enlighten us on many aspects of Ethiopian history and culture.Rather than provide a surface overview, he divides the country into regions based on ancient kingdoms.It's an effective means of organizing the complex store of research he's brought to the task.

After an opening overview of Ethiopian history, the author provides a survey of the role of the Church in the society.For Ethiopia, this element cannot be overstated.Churches and their rituals are a fundamental part of Ethiopia life.He details the structure of church hierarchy and the roles assigned the various officers.Rituals and other aspects such as religious art are also described.Munro-Hay then gives a brief survey of the foreigners who entered the country, evaluating their published accounts.Foreign impact played a major role in how Ethiopia came to be a modern nation, with Portuguese, Arabs and others providing architectural expertise, trade and political developments.Some lasting impact of the Italian invasion in this century is added.

The theme of this book relates the histories of ten important regions making up historical Ethiopia and into modern times.While all had their impact, three are of particular import.Gondar, situated near Lake Tana, was considered to be ruled by descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.Munro-Hay sees the political patterns set in ancient Gondar to carry through Ethiopia history until modern times.The heritage was so important that even usurpers found ways of establishing legitimacy by claiming descent from those origins.Munro-Hay provides diagrams of ancient Gondar and vivid descriptions of what remains from a glorious imperial city.

Next in significance is the ancient site of Aksum.Certainly, as Munro-Hay notes, it's of vital archaeological importance and worth any visitor's time and effort.Well north of Addis Ababa and on the way to the Red Sea, Aksum nearly disappeared until extensive excavations during the 1970s revealed its importance.The remnants of the city are dotted with numerous stone stelae, possibly inspired by similar constructions in Egypt, Ethiopia's
neighbour.Munro-Hay conducts us on a tour of these and other historical sites in a compelling chapter.As a participant in some of the exploratory work, the author is well-suited to describe what has been revealed.He does so with verve and close detail.

In his Forward, Munro-Hay reminds us that at the time of writing, Ethiopia had provided the oldest representative of our ancestry, Don Johanson's "Australopithecus afarensis," the 3.6 million-year old "Lucy."It's somewhat of a surprise that Ethiopia's other prehistory doesn't emerge for another 350 pages.In Yeha, "the beginnings of Ethiopian civilization are rooted," including the distinctive script still in use.Close to the Red Sea, Yeha appears to have adopted Semitic languages and religious artefacts from its Arabic neighbours.Pre-Christian temples and other buildings may still be seen there.

Munro-Hay is an acknowledged leader in the study of Ethiopia.This book is a monument to his scholarship.Rich in detail and presenting both ancient and modern aspects of Ethiopian life, it provides excellent resource material for anyone wishing to pursue the topic.At less than 400 pages, the book is also a worthwhile companion to the traveler.Clearly written and beautifully organized for both scholar and tourist, this book will remain useful for some time. ... Read more

Product Description
Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world. Beginning with the Aksumite Empire, this book traces the country's expansion southward during medieval times, its resistance to Muslim invasion, and, under energetic leaders, the defense of its independence during the European colonization of Africa. Rather than exploring only the major figures--kings, princes, and politicians--this volume also includes insights on daily life, art, architecture, religion, culture, customs, and observations by travelers.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A history written by a diplomat
Henze's Layers of Time is a narrative history of Ethiopia from earliest times through
the first few years following the defeat of the Derg regime. It is well-written, with
a solid bibliography that provides a useful starting-point for further research.

That being said, it is important to note that Henze writes this history as a diplomat.
On one hand, this provides him a storehouse of personal experience which he draws on
in discussing the latest chapters of Ethiopian history, from the last years
of Emperor Haile Selassie's reign forward. On the other hand, however, it soon becomes
clear that Henze has a goal to his judgements on the actors in recent Ethiopian history.
For example, about the only individuals who draw his disapproval are the former dictator
of Ethiopia, Mengistu Haile Mariam, and his former colleagues in the Derg. He fails to
criticize the actions of either the late Emperor Haile Selassie or the Ethiopian Peoples'
Revolutionary Democratic Front (the current ruling party in Ethiopia); compare the
account in Bahru Zewde's A Modern History of Ethiopia (1855-1994), second edition.
Bahru is a trained Ethiopian historian, and his discussion of not only Haile Selassie
and the Derg, but of the three important prior Emperors (Tewodros II, Yohannes IV and
Menelik II) is notably less laudatory. As long as readers remember to distinguish
between the facts and opinions set forth in this book, and that there are reasons to
omit details other than lack of space, they will be able to enjoy the strengths of
Henze's book. ... Read more

Product Description
Traditionally, Ethiopia has formed a bridge between civilizations, with Jerusalem as vital as Askum in the national consciousness of the Ethiopians.In this volume, Ullendorff investigates the relationship of Ethiopia to the Bible.He considers the historical background, translations of the Bible into Ethiopian languages, and the impact of the Old Testament, which goes beyond anything experienced in the other Oriental Christian Churches. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Needing update on historical perspective
Schweich lectures are thoroughly researched; nonetheless, exists a demand for update on this 1988 historical perspective. References to Ethiopia in the Bible point to "Nubia"(South of Egypt)in modern Sudan; however,not modern Ethiopia. This mistaken terminology has been revised in the mainstream of Biblical history. I suggest that anyone using Schweich's "Ethiopia and the Bible" as a study guide, should keep this important point in mind.

So complete
Ullendorf made here a complete review of research possibilities, without commiting the usual errors or misunderstanding about Ethiopia's faith andreligious culture. A very great book for any one that desire to know aboutEthiopia's religion away of any propaganda. ... Read more

Product Description
Few countries in Africa have a more glorious history than Ethiopia; few have had as tragic a past. These two aspects of a nation that has struggled to survive over centuries have never been more poignant than today. In the dozen or so years since the first edition, rapid change both worldwide and in Ethiopia necessitated this revised edition. New entries as well as revised and expanded existing ones bring this work up to date. It should be noted that this book was completed shortly before Eritrea withdrew from Ethiopia and became an independent state on May 24, 1993, and therefore contains considerable material on Eritrea as well as Ethiopia, although the former is only treated as a region. It is not unusual in such a time of flux that less should be known about Ethiopia now than two decades ago when things were more settled. This dictionary will help trace some of the people and institutions whose fate was not easy to follow. It also informs us about new leaders and groups that have risen, sometimes quite suddenly, to take their place. However, despite the amazing comprehensive view of Ethiopia as it was until recently, is today, and may perhaps be tomarrow, great attention is paid to more remote history. Added to this are useful entries on the ethnic groups that inhabit the land and their customs and practices, plus an overall view of the economic and cultural situation. The author's introduction provides an overview of the country and its people, religion, languages, education, health conditions, economy, and the like. The dictionary proper gives information succinctly on prominent persons, important historical events, customs, places, and other topics. There is a 200-page bibliography arranged in 20 categories. An unusual feature is an index to the dictionary, multiplying its usefulness by interconnecting related fields. ... Read more

Product Description

"... an excellent, comprehensive account of the Ethiopian revolution... essential for anyone who wishes to understand revolutionary Ethiopia." -- Perspective

"This masterly history deals with the Emperor and the Dergue... on their own terms.... [Keller] buttresses his analysis with careful and useful detail." -- Foreign Affairs

"Keller's analytic grasp of the complex features of Ethiopian history and society from a wide range of sources is remarkable." -- African Affairs

Product Description
Almost unnoticed, in the wake of the overthrow of Emperor Haile-Selassie, the coming to power of the military, and the ongoing independence struggle in Eritrea, a band of students launched an insurrection from the northern Ethiopian province of Tigray. Calling themselves the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), they built close relations with Tigray's poverty-stricken peasants and on this basis liberated the province in 1989, and formed an ethnic-based coalition of opposition forces that assumed state power in 1991. This book chronicles that history and focuses in particular on the relationship of the revolutionaries with Ethiopia's peasants. ... Read more