A joint research and training program between the University of Asmara's
(UOA) new Archaeology Department and the Eritrean National Museum has
led to the discovery and documentation of an ancient civilization in
the Asmara area, dating between 400 BC and 800 BC. The Ona civilization
was well established nearly one thousand years before the rise of Axum.
It is one of the most important ancient cultures discovered in African
archaeology to date, rivaling the city-states of the East African coast,
but predating them by 2000 years.
Researchers at the UOA and the National Museum, led by a University
of Florida archaeology professor seconded under the USAID university
linkage program, have documented six of an estimated 100 large Ona sites
and 700 smaller sites around Asmara. Most of the sites are threatened
by urban development and land distribution plans. The team is using
a Uganda wildlife resource management model in planning for local community
management of the sites. In addition, work is underway to establish
on-site museums at several excavations to preserve and protect this
rich cultural heritage, for the education of future generations and
local economic development, through tourism. The first museum, at the
Sembel site, was funded by the U.S. Ambassador's Cultural Heritage Fund.
USAID supported the establishment of the Archaeology Department at
the UOA, and continues to provide assistance through UOA faculty scholarships,
the secondment of American professors, curriculum development and joint
research projects under a linkage program between USAID, the University
of Asmara and a consortium led by the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
University Linkage: Joint Research Uncovers Eritrea's Past
