Archaeology of the Jesuit Missions in Ethiopia (1557–1632)

Víctor M. Fernández, PhD (1983), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, is professor of archaeology at that university. He has conducted excavations in Sudan and Ethiopia since 1978 and published monographs and articles on those areas, including The Blue Nile Project (2003).Jorge de Torres, PhD (2012), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, is research cataloguer at the British Museum, London. He has conducted excavations and published about the archaeology of Spain, Morocco, Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Mozambique. Andreu Martínez d’Alòs-Moner, PhD (2008), European University Institute, Florence, is associate professor at the University of Gondär, Ethiopia. He was editor of the Encyclopaedia Aethiopica at the University of Hamburg and has published Envoys of a Human God: The Jesuit Mission to Christian Ethiopia, 1557–1632 (Brill, 2015).Carlos Cañete, PhD (2009), Universidad de Málaga, is researcher at the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CSIC, Madrid). He has conducted field-work in Spain, Morocco, and Ethiopia. He is a historian specializing in the history of representations of African and Mediterranean cultures.

“This is a first-rate and comprehensive study, richly illustrated and (as one would expect with Brill) well presented […]. It sets the standard for historical archaeological work in eastern Africa and will hopefully encourage other archaeologists, working with Ethiopian heritage professionals, scholars and communities, to engage with some of the more recent sites, all places that have much to reveal about the complex and rich history of imperial Ethiopia and its engagement with the outside world over the last six hundred or so years.” Niall Finneran, University of Winchester. In: Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, Vol. 53, No. 1 (2018), pp. 123–125. A “monumental volume”. […] “It is of the highest quality and will reward any and all who consult it.” Steven Kaplan, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 70, No. 1 (January 2019), pp. 191–192.“This substantial, well-produced book has raised the state of knowledge of this field, as well as our understanding of historical archaeology as applied to an African context, to a whole new level. […] It should remain a major reference work for archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians for many years to come.”Tania Tribe, SOAS University of London. In: Journal of Early Modern History, Vol. 24, N. 3 (2020), pp. 293–295.

• List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors 1 Introduction: The Fieldwork and the Team Víctor M. Fernández2 The Infrastructure of the Mission: Convents, Palaces, and Temples Andreu Martínez d’Alòs-Moner2.1 The Jesuit Mission: From Oviedo to Mendes 2.2 Pedro Páez: The Experimental Phase, 1614–212.3 João Martins and the Indian Builders: The Patriarchal Phase, 1626–32 2.4 The Mughal Hypothesis 3 The Mission Sites Víctor M. Fernández, Jorge de Torres, Carlos Cañete, and Andreu Martínez d’Alòs-Moner3.1 Introduction 3.2 Fǝremona 3.2.1 Introduction and Historical Data 3.2.2 The Ruins 3.3 The Royal-Missionary Complex of Azäzo-Gännätä Iyäsus 3.3.1 Introduction 3.3.2 The Jesuit Church 3.3.3 The Fortified Enclosure 3.3.4 The Palace-Residence 3.3.5 The Hydraulic Systems 3.3.6 Gännätä Iyäsus after the Jesuits’ Departure 3.3.7 The Material Culture 3.4 Gorgora, the “Phoenix of Ethiopia” 3.4.1 Gorgora in the History of the Jesuit Mission 3.4.2 Locating the Different “Gorgoras” 3.4.3 The Remains of Gorgora Nova 3.4.4 The Church of Gorgora Iyäsus 3.4.5 The Residence3.4.6 The Material Culture3.4.7 An Oral History about Gorgora Nova 3.5 Dänqäz 3.5.1 Introduction and Historical Data 3.5.2 The Palace 3.5.3 The Cistern 3.5.4 The Church 3.6 Däbsan 3.6.1 Introduction and Historical Data 3.6.2 The Ruins 3.7 Särka 3.7.1 Introduction and Historical Data 3.7.2 The Church of Virgin Mary 3.7.3 The Fortified Compound 3.7.4 The Main Building or “Palace” 3.7.5 The Subterranean Room or “Prison” 3.8 Ǝnnäbǝse—Märṭulä Maryam 3.8.1 Introduction and Historical Data 3.8.2 The Ruins 3.9 Abba Gǝš Fasil (Lǝǧǧä Nǝguś?) 3.9.1 The Historical Data 3.9.2 The Ruins 3.10 Qwälläla 3.10.1 The Historical Data 3.10.2 The Ruins 3.11 Hadaša 3.12 The “Lost” Missions 3.12.1 Tanḵa 3.12.2 Näfaša 3.12.3 Ankaša 3.12.4 Atḵäna 3.12.5 Märäba 3.12.6 Gäbärma 3.12.7 Dǝbarwa 3.12.8 Adegada 4 The Politics of Domination in Missionary and Royal Architecture Carlos Cañete and Jorge de Torres4.1 Introduction 4.2 Main Traits and Exceptions4.3 Particular Interests, Global Consequences 4.4 The Material Accommodation of Power 4.5 The Regulation of Manners 4.6 From Materiality to Society 5 Conclusions Victor M. Fernández5.1 Introduction 5.2 Before the Mission 5.3 Before the Chunambo 5.4 After the Chunambo 5.5 After the Mission: The Origins of Gondärine Architecture 5.6 After the Mission: The “Closure” and Transformation of JesuitStructures 5.7 A Troubled Legacy 5.8 Conclusions Appendixes 1 The Topography of the Mission Sites Eduardo Martín Agúndez and Víctor del Arco Sanz2 Three-Dimensional Laser-Scanner Reconstructions Christian Dietz and Gianluca Catanzariti3 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey at the Azäzo—Gännätä Iyäsus Jesuit Mission Gianluca Catanzariti and Christian Dietz4 Technical Report on the Construction Materials, State of Conservation, and Restoration Proposals Jorge A. Durán5 Public Archaeology in Azäzo Jaime AlmansaBibliography Manuscript Sources Printed Sources Secondary Literature Index