Abyssinia (in Open Sim)

Abyssinia (in Open Sim)

Abyssinia, which is intended as a living museum & educational resource on the Science Circle’s OpenSim grid, is my reconstruction of archaeological & historical sites in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) & Eritrea that date from at least 1000 BCE through roughly 800 CE. I excavated at or visited several of these sites decades ago (1969-1972), & now am restoring parts of them virtually to recreate their prominence during their heyday. I had created a similar project on Second Life more than a decade ago, but technical & financial issues prevented its continuation, so I am grateful to have been able to created it again.

The first site reconstructed included two major buildings & other parts of Yeha, capital of the kingdom then known as Di’amat, located in Tigray, that was a major power for a few hundred years beginning around 3000 years ago.

My next project was Metera, one of the most significant archaeological sites in Eritrea. Metera dates back at least as far as Yeha, & became a major city in the trade route between the Red Sea coast & Aksum, the city that rose following the fall of Yeha. My Metera site includes a palace from the Aksumite period, representative of several that have been excavated there, with some additional features taken from palaces excavated at Aksum.

Subsequently I have added a number of other sites. Aksum itself is represented by the huge royal palace, a pair of royal burial chapels, & several other features characteristic of the city.

The Red Sea port is seen in two periods: first, as Punt, the region famously visited by Egyptian traders, & then as Adulis, the port city that enabled Aksum to become one of the 4 great powers of the 3rd century according to the historian Mani, along with Rome, Persia, & China.

I also have added Qohaito, another important Eritrean site, & a major city on the Aksumite trade route some distance north of Metera. It is famed now for the ancient dam which still provides water for local cattle.

Debre Dammo, the important monastery in Tigray, has been extensively recreated, including the 9th Century church & the monks’ quarters atop the flat mountain, which is only accessible by a climb up a vertical cliff, pulling oneself up on a thick braided rawhide rope.

Barentu, a site in western Eritrea, is included to show some ancient technology that is still in use there. Nearby are examples of houses traditional to Eritrea, distinct from those in Tigray. Still under construction is Bahar Dar, the city on the shore of Lake Tsana, the source of the Blue Nile, & the Blue Nile Falls which are nearby.

Also still in preparation are delivery systems at each site that will provide notecards containing a self-tour of that region.

The Home Area, which is the primary landing place for all of Abyssinia, contains information, illustrations, & teleport buttons to all of the regions, along with some seats for resting or discussion in the shade of a Bedouin tent.

Throughout all regions there are displays with multiple photos being displayed in slide show fashion showing illustrations of related subjects in the region. They are best viewed by taking the time for each in turn to cycle through its entire contents.

Barentu, a site in western Eritrea, is included to show some ancient technology that is still in use there. Nearby are examples of houses traditional to Eritrea, distinct from those in Tigray. Just completed are Bahar Dar, the city on the shore of Lake Tsana, the source of the Blue Nile, along with the Blue Nile Falls which are nearby, & the 500 year old bridge over the Blue Nile built by Emperor Susenyos.

Still in preparation are delivery systems at each site that will provide notecards containing a self-tour of that region.

Some regions have arrows in the ground indicating the way to points of interest within easy walking distance. In others, there are secondary teleport buttons (indicated by smaller fonts for the labels) that take the visitor to more distant points of interest within the region.

Note: it is recommended that for the clearest view of the site’s details, at least during one’s first visit, environment controls be set to Midday. Feel free to change to a more artistic lighting on subsequent visits.

A field trip with Archaeologist Skip Dahlgren

Note: Make sure you have an OpenSim account and avatar ready, days before the field trip. Starting this process on the day itself does not guarantee access!

Are you new to our own Grid, follow the instructions here.

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