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Early churches found in ancient African kingdom


Still Waters

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Archaeologists have made an important discovery in the Kingdom of Aksum, a major ancient power in Northeastern Africa, identifying two churches from shortly after the Aksumite's conversion to Christianity. These are some of the first churches in the Kingdom reliably dated to this key period.

The Aksumite Kingdom ruled much of the northern Horn of Africa in the first millennium AD, stretching from Ethiopia to Arabia, and was an important contemporary of the Roman Empire. Like their Mediterranean neighbor, the Aksumite leader—King Ezana—converted to Christianity in the 4th century AD but securely dated churches from this period are rare.

However, two churches from the important Aksumite port of Adulis, in modern Eritrea, are helping fill this gap. One is an elaborate cathedral, complete with the remains of a baptistry, that is located near the center of the city and was first excavated in 1868. The other, first excavated in 1907, is in the east and features a ring of columns that show it once had a dome.

https://phys.org/news/2022-12-early-churches-ancient-african-kingdom.html

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/an-archaeology-of-conversion-evidence-from-adulis-for-early-christianity-and-religious-transition-in-the-horn-of-africa/

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10 hours ago, Still Waters said:

Archaeologists have made an important discovery in the Kingdom of Aksum, a major ancient power in Northeastern Africa, identifying two churches from shortly after the Aksumite's conversion to Christianity. These are some of the first churches in the Kingdom reliably dated to this key period.

The Aksumite Kingdom ruled much of the northern Horn of Africa in the first millennium AD, stretching from Ethiopia to Arabia, and was an important contemporary of the Roman Empire. Like their Mediterranean neighbor, the Aksumite leader—King Ezana—converted to Christianity in the 4th century AD but securely dated churches from this period are rare.

However, two churches from the important Aksumite port of Adulis, in modern Eritrea, are helping fill this gap. One is an elaborate cathedral, complete with the remains of a baptistry, that is located near the center of the city and was first excavated in 1868. The other, first excavated in 1907, is in the east and features a ring of columns that show it once had a dome.

https://phys.org/news/2022-12-early-churches-ancient-african-kingdom.html

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/an-archaeology-of-conversion-evidence-from-adulis-for-early-christianity-and-religious-transition-in-the-horn-of-africa/

I can't access your second source, am I doing something wrong? (Personally, I try to post references that are not behind paywalls or need registration.)

Edited by pellinore
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To my mind this is the most important post on the subject of religion on UM. Once you accept that there were several proto-religions, all similar, in existence before your particular religion emerged, it throws doubt on all of them. Of course, true believers discount all evidence that undermines their view that their religion is the true one, the true word of God.

If all else fails, fossils were planted by the Devil to mislead man and make him doubt that God created the Universe in six day six thousand years ago.

There is evidence that animals other than humans have some sort of innate longing for a belief in a infallible, all-loving deity who gives meaning to life and it's random troubles. I'll search for a link if anyone is interested, it was apes building a "shrine" for no obvious purpose. If anyone doubts the cleverness of apes, look at this:

 

 

 

Edited by pellinore
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