ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Gods in Real Places: Ethiopia and Aksum

Exploring how mountains, rivers, springs and stone monuments linked the spirit world to everyday life in ancient Ethiopia.

Chapters

0:07 Sacred Peaks: Mountains and Sky
1:34 Living Waters: Rivers and Springs
3:01 Stone Portals: Stelae and Temples
4:28 From Pagan to Christian: Overlapping Worlds

On-screen text

0:07 Sacred Peaks: Mountains and Sky
0:14 Sacred Peaks: Mountains and Sky
0:31 Asmara’s spirit Waqa (tradition) Tradition / scripture · Kebra Nagast (14th c.)
0:49 Hawulti mentions highland god Historical record · Hawulti obelisk inscription (c. 3rd c. CE)
1:07 Aksumites worshipped a sun god (Periplus) Historical record · Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st c. CE)
1:25 Ezana dedicates to Mahrem (c.330) Historical record · Ezana’s Ge'ez inscription, Abyssinia (c. 330 CE)
1:34 Living Waters: Rivers and Springs
1:41 Living Waters: Rivers and Springs
1:58 Blue Nile guarded by spirit (tradition) Tradition / scripture · Ibn Hawqal, Kitab Surat al‑Ard (c. 950 CE)
2:16 Sacred springs for water spirits The Institute's interpretation · J. Phillipson, Ancient Ethiopia: A Cultural History (2009)
2:34 Yeha temple to Almaqah (8th c. BCE) Historical record · Sabaean inscription at Yeha (c. 8th–7th c. BCE)
2:52 Sun temple aligns with solstice Historical record · Excavation report of the Temple of the Sun, Aksum (Michele B., 1995)
3:01 Stone Portals: Stelae and Temples
3:08 Stone Portals: Stelae and Temples
3:25 Stelae as ancestor markers The Institute's interpretation · UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Aksum Stelae (1978)
3:43 Lion crowns as guardian spirits The Institute's interpretation · R. Pankhurst, The Aksumite Empire (1982)
4:01 Endubis coin shows sun disc Historical record · Gold coin of King Endubis (c. 270 CE)
4:19 Sun temple aligns with solstice Historical record · Excavation report of the Temple of the Sun, Aksum (Michele B., 1995)
4:28 From Pagan to Christian: Overlapping Worlds
4:43 Aksum, c. 330 CE Historical record · Ezana’s Ge'ez inscription, Abyssinia (c. 330 CE)

Sources

Historical record: Hawulti obelisk inscription (c. 3rd c. CE) · Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st c. CE) · Ezana’s Ge'ez inscription, Abyssinia (c. 330 CE) · Sabaean inscription at Yeha (c. 8th–7th c. BCE) · Excavation report of the Temple of the Sun, Aksum (Michele B., 1995) · Gold coin of King Endubis (c. 270 CE)

Tradition / scripture: Kebra Nagast (14th c.) · Ibn Hawqal, Kitab Surat al‑Ard (c. 950 CE)

The Institute's interpretation: J. Phillipson, Ancient Ethiopia: A Cultural History (2009) · UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Aksum Stelae (1978) · R. Pankhurst, The Aksumite Empire (1982) · E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of Ethiopia (1928) · S. Munro‑Hay, ‘Aksumite Religion’, in The Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology (2015)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 197 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (2) — the next things to make

Living Waters: Rivers and Springs: Illustrate the belief that rivers and springs were animated by spirits that ensured fertility and safety.
Villagers gather at a clear spring, pouring libations of milk and honey while a chant is sung.