Settlement archaeology and oral history in Lasta, Ethiopia: some preliminary observations from a landscape study of Lalibela

The Ethiopian town of Lalibela is known for its magnificent rock-hewn churches said to date from the time of the Zagwe King Lalibela (twelfth century AD), but beyond the churches little is known about the town's archaeological context. This paper sets out preliminary observations of the landscape history of the town and argues that future work, integrating archaeological survey and oral history research, will yield a fuller picture of long-term human settlement in the region.