Tiya is an archaeological site in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Soddo woreda, within the Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, which is south of Addis Ababa. The site is famous for its large stone pillars, many of which have some type of decoration. In 1980, the archaeological site was named a World Heritage Site because of the unique characteristics of these stone structures.
Overview
According to Joussaume (1995), who directed archaeological research at Tiya, the site is relatively young. It was dated to a time between the 11th and 13th centuries CE. Later studies suggest the stelae were built between the 10th and 15th centuries CE. However, the tradition of building large stone monuments in Ethiopia is very old, with many such structures existing before the Common Era.
The menhir or stelae at Tiya, "32 of which are carved with mysterious symbols, including images of swords," likely mark a large, ancient burial area. A German ethnographic team visited the site in April 1935 and discovered stone monoliths with sword symbols about one hour’s journey south of the caravan camp. These monoliths had been previously observed by Neuville and Père Azaïs.
Artifacts found on the surface at Tiya include tools from the Middle Stone Age (MSA), which are similar in design to tools found at Gademotta and Kulkuletti. Because of a unique manufacturing process called “tranchet blows,” Tiya tools may also be from the same time period as these other sites. Excavations at Tiya have also uncovered tombs.
Gurage stelae
Tiya is one of nine large stone pillar sites in the Gurage Zone. In 1997, 118 stone pillars were reported in the area. These pillars, along with those in the Hadiya Zone, are called Yegragn Dingay or "Gran's stone" by local people, named after Ahmad ibn Ibrahim. However, these pillars were not made during his lifetime but centuries earlier. They were mistakenly linked to him and the Oromo people because of similar shapes on the stone blades. Like other Sidamo and Konso pillars, experts believe they may have been created by the Aksumite culture or share a common regional tradition.
The Gurage stone pillars come in three types: those with human figures, those shaped like a male body part, and those that are neither. The human-shaped and non-human-shaped pillars are flat and are the only ones of this type in southern Ethiopia. Most of these pillars, including the 46 at Tiya, which are the largest, have detailed carvings. These designs include swords, plant-like symbols, and a standing human figure with arms stretched out. Swords and plant symbols often appear together on the same pillars. The Tiya stone slabs also frequently show a T-shaped symbol.
The pillars at Tiya and other places in central Ethiopia are similar to those found along the road between Djibouti City and Loyada in Djibouti. In Djibouti, there are human-shaped and male-shaped pillars near rectangular graves surrounded by vertical slabs. The Djibouti-Loyada pillars are of unknown age, and some have a T-shaped symbol similar to those at Tiya.
Research
Little research has been done at Tiya, and there are several challenges in understanding these sites from an archaeological perspective. First, it is hard to identify the people who built the megaliths based only on the megaliths themselves. Second, archaeologists have focused on using oral historical accounts to rebuild ethnic histories, but these accounts are not available or not helpful in many cases.