Ethiopia Reprise: Axum Museum, Trilingual Tablet, and Adwa

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Following on my March 6 visit to the Axum obelisks, I entered the Axum Museum and made an excursion to the trilingual tablet stored in a shack nearby.

In the museum, they have interesting old crosses, the second of which was found near the Church of St. Mary Zion. There were also some interesting drain gargoyles, probably of a similar period.

Cross, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Cross Found Near Church of St. Mary Zion, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Cross, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Cross, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Gargoyles, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

There are stone inscriptions in a pre-Axumite language called Sabean from the middle of the first millenium BCE.

Sabean Inscription, Middle of First Millenium BCE, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Sabean Inscription, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Interesting human figures, three-legged pots, coins, and miscellaneous other items at the museum.

Terra Cotta Human Figures, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Three-Legged Pot and Miscellaneous Items, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Amphora and Other Items, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Unknown Item, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Coins, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Figurines, Dishes, and Other Items, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Coins, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Three-Legged Pots and Miscellaneous Items, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Foot-Washing Bowl, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Human Figurines, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Unknown Item, Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

This woman was weaving and selling baskets outside the Axum Museum.

Woman Weaving Baskets Outside Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Woman Weaving Baskets Outside Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Woman Weaving Baskets Outside Axum Museum, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

And here is the Trilingual Tablet, in Ge’ez, Greek, and Sabean I think.

Trilingual Tablet, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Trilingual Tablet, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Here’s the “taxe” that brought me there (poor horsie!).

Horse Taxi in Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Horse Taxi in Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

We drove by Queen Sheeba’s bathing pool. And we saw a sign about a military leader apparently killed by the Eritreans.

Queen Sheeba's Bathing Pool, Tigrai, Ethiopia Military Leader Memorial Sign, Tigrai, Ethiopia

And there is a great sycamore fig tree in town.

Sycamore Fig, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Sycamore Fig, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia Sycamore Fig, Axum, Tigrai, Ethiopia

Many Ethiopians and others visiting Axum stop by also at Adwa. In fact, the country celebrated a holiday related to Adwa on March 1 while I was traveling there. Ethiopia is the only African country to remain free of colonial rule. The Italians tried in the late 19th century and the Ethiopians defeated them at Adwa on March 1, 1896. The Italians did later occupy Ethiopia during World War II for some years, but basically Ethiopia is the only African nation that has been consistently free of colonial occupation.

I also thought about visiting the rock-hewn churches at Lallibela before heading on to Gonder on March 7, but decided that I had to move forward. Many people rank the Lallibela churches as a must-see and I’m sorry I had to miss them this time around.

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