Speaker: Louise Schofield
2 February 2016

Ethiopia is a mysterious and beautiful country steeped in history and legend. Its wonderful people, indomitable of spirit despite their many hardships, live a life that is truly biblical and timeless. Around them are breathtaking landscapes – rugged mountain ranges, beautiful valleys and extraordinary deserts alive with active volcanoes – inhabited by demons and spirits of local legend. Their ancient history too is populated with evocative names – the Queen of Sheba once ruled over large stretches of the north of the country. The Axumite kingdom that succeeded hers introduced Christianity in the 4th century AD and has left a living legacy in the myriad of colourfully frescoed rock-hewn churches nestling in secret corners of the highlands.

Louise Schofield has been working in Ethiopia since 2006, living for much of the year in a small tent in a village in the north-eastern province of Tigray. This lecture looks at the art, archaeology, legends and landscapes of Ethiopia and recounts some of the adventures Louise has met along the way during her time in the country

Profile
Louise Schofield was for 13 years Curator of Greek Bronze Age and Geometric Antiquities at the British Museum where she was responsible for the Mycenaean collection. She has also worked on international archaeological projects, principally in Turkey, Albania and Greece. Louise now spends some time living in a tent in a small village in Ethiopia running an archaeological, conservation and development project. She has lectured for a number of universities and institutions, including Florida State University, Christie’s Education, and Swan Hellenic Cruises, and she recently published The Mycenaeans (The British Museum and the Getty Museum).

Here’s an interesting Guardian article about Louise.