History of Ethiopia and the Horn Module

History of Ethiopia and the Horn Module (Hist. 1012)

Introduction to the Module

• The module is a common course for students of higher learning institutions, aiming to help students understand the history of Ethiopia and the Horn from ancient times to 1995.
• The module focuses on major topics in the history of Ethiopia and the Horn, including social, cultural, economic, and political developments and their interrelationships.

Objectives

• The general objective of this module is to introduce students to the diverse histories of Ethiopia and the Horn and the extent to which interaction between peoples throughout the region and with the outside world have shaped the history of the region.
• The specific objectives of the module are to enable students to distinguish the nature and uses of history, identify pertinent sources for the history of the peoples of Ethiopia and the Horn, and describe changes and continuities that unfolded in Ethiopia and the Horn.

Competences

• This module enables students to comprehend the nature of history, analyze relevant sources for History of Ethiopia and the Horn, and describe Ethiopia and the Horn in relation to Human Evolution and Neolithic Revolution.

Unit One: Introduction

• The unit introduces the nature of history and historiography, the diverse histories of Ethiopia and the Horn, and the extent to which interactions between societies throughout the region have shaped human history.

The Nature and Uses of History

• The term "history" derived from the Greek word Istoria, meaning "inquiry" or "an account of one's inquiries."
• The study of history involves the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events.
• History is divided into ancient, medieval, and modern history through the process of periodization.
• Historians select topics and problems to study, like natural scientists, but focus on the study of human society and its interaction with the natural environment in the past.

Uses of History

• History helps better understand the present by providing a storehouse of information about how people behaved and acted in the past.
• History provides a sense of identity, allowing communities to define their identity, orient themselves, and understand their relationships with the past and with other societies.### Importance of History
• Historical knowledge is valuable for understanding other disciplines like literature, art, philosophy, religion, sociology, political science, anthropology, and economics.
• Studying history helps develop critical skills, including research, evaluation, and communication.

Historical Sources

• Historians use primary and secondary sources to study the past.
• Primary sources are original, firsthand accounts, such as manuscripts, diaries, letters, and photographs.
• Secondary sources are second-hand accounts, including books, articles, and textbooks, often based on primary sources.
• Oral sources, like folk songs and oral traditions, are valuable for non-literate societies.

Historiography of Ethiopia and the Horn

• Historiography is the study of historical writing and its development.
• The earliest known reference to the history of Ethiopia and the Horn is the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea (1st century A.D.).
• Ancient Greek and Chinese historians, like Herodotus and Sima Qian, introduced historiography.
• The modern academic discipline of history emerged in the 19th century in Europe and the US.

Ethiopian Historical Writing

• Chronicles, written in Ge'ez, first appeared in the 14th century and continued into the 20th century.
• Hagiographies, originating from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, provide insights into the country's past.
• Arabic-speaking visitors to the coast and European missionaries and travelers also contribute to the region's history.
• Ethiopian writers, like Aleqa Taye Gebre-Mariam and Blatten Geta Hiruy Wolde-Selassie, made significant contributions to modern historiography.

Development of Ethiopian Historiography

• The Italian occupation of Ethiopia interrupted the development of modern history writing.
• After liberation, writers like Tekle-Tsadik Mekuria and Yilma Deressa continued to contribute to the field.
• The 1960s saw the emergence of history as an academic discipline, with the establishment of the Department of History at Haile Selassie I University.
• The Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) was founded in 1963 and became a hub for professional historiography.

Professionalization of History in the Horn

• The professionalization of history in other parts of the Horn is a post-colonial phenomenon.
• African populations sought to explore their own past and recover lost pre-colonial civilizations.
• New methodological approaches, involving oral data and interdisciplinary studies, emerged in the field.
• European and African intellectuals contributed to the intensive academic study of African history.### 1.4 The Geographical Context
• The term "Ethiopia and the Horn" refers to the region of Northeast Africa, which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
• The region is characterized by a massive highland complex of mountains and plateaus, divided by the Great Rift Valley, and surrounded by lowlands, semi-desert, deserts, and tropical forests.
• The diversity of the terrain leads to regional variations in climate, natural vegetation, soil composition, and settlement patterns.
• The region's geographical factors, such as location, landforms, resource endowment, climate, and drainage systems, have a significant impact on the way people live and organize themselves.

The Impact of Drainage Systems

• The region has five principal drainage systems:
  • Nile River
  • Gibe/Omo–Gojeb River System
  • Genale/Jubba-Shebele River System
  • Awash River System
  • Ethiopian Rift Valley Lake System
• These drainage systems are important for the life and history of the people in the region, providing sources of livelihood, facilitating the movement of people and goods, and enabling the exchange of ideas, technology, and cultural expressions.

Environmental Zones

• The region can be divided into three major distinct environmental zones:
  • Eastern lowland: a narrow coastal strip of northeastern Eritrea, widening to include lowland Eritrea, the Sahel, the Danakil Depression, and the arid terrain of northeastern Djibouti and Somalia.
  • Highland massif: a region of complex mountains, deep valleys, and extensive plateaus, stretching from northern Eritrea to southern Ethiopia.
  • Hot lowlands: a region of thick forests, stretching from north to south, characterized by the Nile and its tributaries.

Human Evolution

• Human evolution is a gradual process that has been occurring over 4.5 billion years.
• The earliest life forms emerged between 3 and 1 billion years ago.
• Primates branched off from placental mammals around 200-170 million years ago.
• The earliest human ancestors, such as Ardipithecus ramidus, were discovered in the Middle Awash River valley.
• Fossils of Homo sapiens sapiens were discovered in the Porc Epic and Kibish regions, with the oldest dating back to 195,000 years ago.

Neolithic Revolution

• The Neolithic period marked a significant shift in human society, from mobile to sedentary, and from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals.
• This shift was driven by climatic change, population growth, and the decline of hunting and gathering resources.
• The domestication of plants and animals led to the development of settled agriculture, and eventually, the emergence of complex societies.

The Peopling of the Region

• The region is marked by ethnic and linguistic diversity, with around 90 languages and 200 dialects.
• The languages of Ethiopia and the Horn can be classified into two major language super families: Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan.
• The Afro-Asiatic language super family includes the Cushitic, Semitic, and Berber language families.