Aksum An African Civilisation of Late Antiquity Stuart Munro-Hay

The tombs customarily attributed to the sixth century Aksumite kings Kaleb and Gabra 
Masqal could conceivably be of that period or of the fifth century. The building-complex 
consisted of two underground granite-built tombs with a double superstructure which 
seems to have consisted chiefly of two columned halls set on a platform approached by a 
staircase. The façade was about 40 m long, and the two halls were not exactly the same 
size, that attributed to Gabra Masqal being a little larger. The eight- or ten-columned hall 
above the `Kaleb' tomb measured c. 10 × 11 m, and that above the `Gabra Masqal' tomb 
c. 10 × 13 m, though both also had niches to the east adding an extra 2 m. The Gabra 
Masqal hall contained some sort of architectural feature, possibly a cupola or baldaquin, 
perhaps for a statue of the deceased (see the illustration in Littmann 1913: II, 133). Each 
side of the superstructure also contained entrance halls and staircase-wells, and these 
side-buildings were linked by a broad main entrance-stair 23 m wide. This was 
surmounted by a terrace with two porticoes, each with a column in the centre supporting 
the roof; the base of the column on the Kaleb side was square and stepped, while the 
column (which survived) and base on the Gabra Masqal side were octagonal. The 
building may represent a memorial chapel or shrine to the deceased, perhaps a 
`Christianised' development of the principle which gave rise to the decorated stelae and 
the Tomb of the False Door. The Book of Aksum claims that these tombs were filled with 
gold and pearls.  
Illustration 32. The white capping over a fill of stones on one of the platforms at Aksum. 
Photo BIEA.  
The main southern stele field, particularly the area set aside in modern times as a `Stele 
Park', is also characterised by the terracing achieved by erecting walls or platforms. The 
earliest of these platforms are the oldest architectural works yet found at Aksum (Chittick 
1974; Munro-Hay 1989), and may date to the first century AD or possibly even a little 
earlier in some cases. Platform-building seems to have continued for some time, the 
typical examples being simple stepped or rebated revetting walls acting as facing to 
enormous quantities of freshly-quarried rock fill. They appear to have been carefully 
topped with layers of white and red soils, doubtless specially chosen for some religious 
purpose, and there are signs that sacrifices or sacrificial meals took place on or around 
them. They seem to precede some of the stelae and to be contemporary with others. At 
some time, possibly in the fourth century, major work was undertaken to raise the height 
of the stele field, the whole being faced with a long rebated terrace wall at least three 
metres high. It is on this terrace that the largest of all the stelae were raised.  
6. The Stelae 
These are the most famous of all the monuments of Aksum. They range from very rough 
and simple stones erected to mark grave-pits, to massive sculpted towers which represent 
soaring multi-storeyed palaces. Such huge monuments represent an enormous outlay of 
labour and skill, particularly in the most elaborate specimens. There are six carved and 
decorated monuments, the largest, now fallen and broken, formerly exceeding 33 m in 
height, with a measurement at the base of about 3 × 2 m. It is carved on all four sides and 
shows 12 storeys. It seems that the kings each tried to outdo the achievements of their 

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predecessors; this largest of all the stelae exceeds by far even its nearest companion, 
which was only about 24 m high, and c. 2 × 1 m at the base. It was only ten storeys high 
and, though also carved on all four faces, was not so elaborate. One wonders if the giant 
stele ever actually stood, or whether it immediately plunged down to smash its (variously 
estimated) 400-750 tons to pieces on the terrace wall below, destroying the great tomb, 
Nefas Mawcha, as it fell. The stelae very often have only about one-twelfth of their 
length buried, very inadequate support when the total height began to grow, let alone 
when  it exceeded 33 m; the third tallest, also probably about 24 m long but only 21 m 
above the ground, still (rather surprisingly) stands dominating the terrace of stelae, in 
spite of the abraded surface of the Stele Park, which leaves it somewhat less support than 
it originally had. Only very few stones in the ancient world exceeded the Aksum stelae in 
bulk, notably those forming the trilithon at Baalbek, constructed in the first half of the 
first century AD, where the largest stone measures something in the order of 20 × 4 × 4 
m.  
Illustration 33. View from the Nefas Mawcha looking towards the restored terrace wall, 
showing the still standing decorated stele; to the left of it originally stood the two largest 
stelae.  
Illustration 34. The largest of all the stelae, lying as it fell over the terrace wall. (Photo D. 
Phillipson).  
The great monolithic towers unquestionably mark the sites of the tombs of the Aksumite 
kings, although only two tombs which can be directly associated with them have so far 
come to light. All six of the carved stelae are embellished with the elaborate doors, 
windows, beam ends and other features typical of Aksumite architecture. At their 
summits are emplacements for what seem to have been either one or two metal plaques, 
which we may perhaps imagine as gilded bronze embossed with the sign of the disc and 
crescent or some other emblem of the kings or gods. All that now remains are the traces 
of the fixing nails, arranged in positions which could even represent the cross; 
conceivably those which bore pagan symbols were later `Christianised' (van Beek 1967). 
At the base of the decorated stelae were granite base-plates, carved in the case of all but 
the second largest (those of the largest have never been found) with the kylix, or Greek-
style wine-cup with two handles. Some show several of these carved cups, with 
surrounds of decorative carving to the base-plates. The missing front base-plate for Stele 
6 was found by Chittick (1974: pl. VIa). It is supposed that the cups were for offerings; 
since there is a similar cup carved in the base of a fruit-press cut from the solid rock at 
Atshafi near Aksum, it may indeed have been for wine-offerings that these altar- like 
base-plates were prepared. Perhaps the wine-offerings were poured out during memorial 
ceremonies for the deceased.  
Illustration 35. The top of one of the decorated stelae (no. 4) showing the emplacements 
presumably for fixing decorative plaques.  
Illustration 36. The base-plate of one of the decorated stelae at Aksum (no. 4), showing 
the kylix carved in the raised central portion, and three others around it; in the 
background can be seen the fallen stele.  

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