Dʿmt (Unvocalized Ge'ez : ደዐመተ, DʿMT theoretically vocalized as ዳዓማት, * Daʿamat or ዳዕማት, * Daʿəmat ) was a kingdom located in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia which existed between the 10th and 5th centuries BC. Few inscriptions by or about this kingdom survive and very little archaeological work has taken place. As a result, it is not known whether Dʿmt ended as a civilization before the Kingdom of Aksum 's early stages, evolved into the Aksumite state, or was one of the smaller states united in the Kingdom of Aksum possibly around 150 BC.
15-622: Given the presence of a large temple complex, the capital of Dʿmt may have been present-day Yeha , in Tigray Region , Ethiopia . At Yeha, the temple to the god Ilmuqah is still standing. The kingdom developed irrigation schemes, used plows, grew millet , and made iron tools and weapons . Some modern historians including Stuart Munro-Hay , Rodolfo Fattovich , Ayele Bekerie , Cain Felder , and Ephraim Isaac consider this civilization to be indigenous, although Sabaean -influenced due to
30-613: A now destroyed building which the Deutsche Aksum-Expedition described in the early 20th century. (The current structure exhibits Aksumite architectural features and was built between 1948 and 1949.) The Central Statistical Agency has not published an estimate for this village's 2005 population. Explored briefly in February 1893 by the British antiquarian Theodore Bent and his wife Mabel , Yeha has also been
45-399: A ruined complex distinguished by a portico 10 meters wide and two sets of square pillars , and a graveyard containing several rock-hewn shaft tombs first investigated in the early 1960s. One authority has speculated that one of these tombs contained a royal burial. Another believes the ancient residential area was likely one kilometer to the east of the modern village. Additionally, Yeha
60-783: Is a town in the northern Central Zone, Tigray in Ethiopia . It likely served as the capital of the pre- Aksumite kingdom of Dʿmt . The oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, the Temple of Yeha, is located in Yeha. This is a tower built in the Sabaean style, and dated through comparison with ancient structures in South Arabia to around 700 BC . Although no radiocarbon dating testing has been performed on samples from site, this date for
75-664: Is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development . The Directress General of the CSA is Samia Gutu . Before 9 March 1989 the CSA was known as the Central Statistical Office (CSO). The CSA has 25 branch offices. Besides
90-461: Is the location of an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church monastery. It founded according to tradition by Abba Aftse, one of the Nine Saints . In his account of Ethiopia, Francisco Álvares mentions visiting this town in 1520 (which he called "Abbafaçem"), and provides a description of the ancient tower, the monastery, and the local church. This church was either the rededicated Great Temple, or
105-483: The 1994 and 2007 censuses are available online. While the practice of keeping statistical information in Ethiopia has been traced back as far as the sixteenth century, the need for systematic statistical information that could be used for economic management was recognized as a priority in 1957. In 1960 compiling statistical information became a regular government activity as a result of the Addis Ababa conference of
120-740: The African Statisticians from UNECA member countries in 1960. At first the collection of statistics was the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, then in 1963, this activity became the function of the CSO, which was an autonomous unit under the Ministry of Planning and Development. In 1972 the CSO was reorganized in Proclamation 303/1972, and was responsible for the Planning Commission. The CSO
135-468: The Great Tower is supported by local inscriptions. David Phillipson attributes its "excellent preservation" to two factors, "the care with which its original builders ensured a level foundation, firmly placed on the uneven bedrock; and to its rededication -- perhaps as early as the sixth century AD -- for use as a Christian church." Two other archaeological sites at Yeha include Grat Beal Gebri ,
150-456: The capital city of Addis Ababa , the cities and towns with offices are: Ambo , Arba Minch , chiro , Asayita , Assosa , Awasa , Bahir Dar , Debre Berhan , Dessie , Dire Dawa , Gambela , Goba , Gondar , Harar , Hosaena , Inda Selassie , Jijiga , Jimma , Mek'ele , Mizan Teferi , Adama , Negele Borana , Nekemte , and Sodo . National censuses of the population and housing have been taken in 1984, 1994, and 2007. Information from
165-444: The civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-Aksumite state. Archaeologist Rodolfo Fattovich believed that there was a division in the population of Dʿmt and northern Ethiopia due to the kings ruling over the 'sb (Sabaeans) and the 'br , the 'Reds' and the 'Blacks'. Fattovich also noted that the known kings of Dʿmt worshipped both South Arabian and indigenous gods named 'str , Hbs , Dt Hmn , Rb , Šmn , Ṣdqn and Šyhn . After
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#1732765752092180-509: The fall of Dʿmt in the 5th century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller unknown successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century BC, the Aksumite Kingdom . The following is a list of four known rulers of Dʿmt, in chronological order: Yeha Yeha ( Ge'ez : ይሐ yiḥa , older ESA 𐩥𐩢 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] ḥw ; Old South Arabian : 𐩺𐩢𐩱 yḥʾ )
195-511: The latter's dominance of the Red Sea , while others like Joseph Michels, Henri de Contenson, Tekle-Tsadik Mekouria, and Stanley Burstein have viewed Dʿmt as the result of a mixture of Sabaeans and indigenous peoples. Some sources consider the Sabaean influence to be minor, limited to a few localities, and disappeared after a few decades or a century, perhaps representing a trading or military colony in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with
210-566: The site of several archaeological excavations, beginning in 1952 by the Ethiopian Institute of Archeology . Although interrupted by the Derg , excavations were resumed in 1993 by a French archaeological team. 14°17′8.36″N 39°1′8.61″E / 14.2856556°N 39.0190583°E / 14.2856556; 39.0190583 Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency ( CSA ; Amharic : ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ)
225-659: Was once again restructured on 9 March 1989, when it was renamed as the CSA and was directly responsible to the Council of Ministers . It was once again placed under a Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation in October 1996, and transferred to its present position in September 2001, under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development . On November 21, 2006 the CSA announced that it had been recognized by
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