Cartographic sources and territorial transformations of Ethiopia since the late 18th century - ETHIOMAP

The research project consists of two partner projects that are being carried out in parallel in France (funded by the ANR) and in Germany (funded by the DFG). The aim of the research project is to systematically collect, classify and analyse historical maps from and about Ethiopia, which in many cases are unknown in Ethiopian research. Findings of map material that is still completely unknown even to the researchers involved are to be expected, which will offer important cultural-historical and historical insights. This will not only close a gap in the global history of cartography, but also make an important contribution to the preservation of indigenous territorial knowledge, which was incorporated into the maps created on the basis of local cooperation, especially in the phase before colonisation, and thus of original African cultural heritage. This is also a contribution to "nation-building" in Ethiopia, as reliable material on socio-political territorial history hardly exists there. The project combines digital methods with historically grown Northeast African or Ethiopian research and a fund of historical map archive treasures that are largely unprocessed. The aim is to publish a book documenting, analysing and indexing the most important maps, and a digital database to be created by the French partners in cooperation with the German partners to document and index map material important for research.

Further information

Further information about the project "Kartographische Quellen und Territoriale Transformationen Äthiopiens seit dem späten 18. Jahrhundert - ETHIOMAP" can be found on

the Project Website (in French)

or

on the Website of the Forschungskolleg Transkulturelle Studien / Sammlung Perthes