Ethiopia
Melka Kunture and Balchit
Melka Kunture and Balchit by Michael Novins
Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia represents an ancient volcanic landscape in the Awash Valley used by humans since prehistory.
Tens of thousands of lithic tools, faunal and some human fossilized remains have been discovered. The tools were mainly made of obsidian, of which the primary source is at Balchit.
Community Perspective: Daytrips from Addis to the WHS of Tiya also often include Melka Kunture as it is on the way. Boj recommends the on site museum.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia (ID: 13)
- Country
- Ethiopia
- Status
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Inscribed 2024
Site history
History of Melka Kunture and Balchit
- 1978: Deferred
- Bureau meeting - info requested
- 1979: Deferred
- Bureau meeting - info requested in 78 still not in place
- 1980: Deferred
- 1981: Deferred
- At Bureau - Need Tentative List
- 2012: Revision
- Bachilt Archaeological Site added to the nomination
- 2024: Name change
- Upon inscription on the request of ICOMOS from "Melka Kunture and Balchit Archeological and Paleontological Site" to "Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia"
- 2024: Inscribed
- Inscribed
- WHS Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- iii
- iv
- v
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- melkakunture.it — Website of the Italian-Spanish Archaeological Mission
Community Information
- Community Category
- Natural landscape: Rivers, Wetlands and Lakes
- Natural landscape: Volcanic
- Archaeological site: Prehistoric
- Urban landscape: Asian
Travel Information
Recent Connections
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Fossils
Crit iii: "Hominin fossils of Homo erec… -
Inscribed at third attempt or more
Deferred 4 times (1978-1981) -
Cultural sites rejected for Natural criteria
Initially nominated as a mixed site but…
Connections of Melka Kunture and Balchit
- History
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Palaeolithic and Mesolithic
"The Melka Kunture cluster of Palaeolithic archaeological and palaeontological sites testifies to hominin occupation of the area from around two million years ago (...)." (AB Ev) -
Early Hominid Remains
"yielded remains of Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis and archaic Homo sapiens" (AB ev)
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- Ecology
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Fossils
Crit iii: "Hominin fossils of Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis and archaic Homo sapiens discovered" -
Obsidian
'Heaps of by-products of obsidian knapping activities alternate with natural exposures, and with glittering stretches of land. This is an impressive sight over thousands of square meters, where randomly abandoned volcanic-glass implements reflect the light of the sun. The relationship between modern human groups and obsidian sources is in full sight. - UNESCO Description
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- World Heritage Process
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Ten years or more to inscribe
1978-2024 -
Cultural landscape not recognized
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Cultural sites rejected for Natural criteria
Initially nominated as a mixed site but rejected for natural values -
Inscribed at third attempt or more
Deferred 4 times (1978-1981)
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- Human Activity
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Ongoing Archaeological digs
"Melka Kunture was discovered in 1963. (...) Since 1999 excavations have been ongoing until present." (AB Ev)
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- Timeline
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Early Pleistocene
"The Melka Kunture and Balchit Archeological and Paleontological Site preserves evidence of hominin occupation of high altitudes from around two million years ago (...)." (AB Ev)
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- WHS Names
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Name changes
Upon inscription on the request of ICOMOS from "Melka Kunture and Balchit Archeological and Paleontological Site" to "Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia"
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News
No news.
Community Reviews
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It’s likely we are the first visitors from our community to visit this site after inscription at the 2024 session.
On our southern Etiopia tour this was our first stop. The site is anonymous, with no signs leading to it from the main road. At the site itself, there were no indications of its recent status as a World Heritage site.
We visited the Gombore site, which has five excavation sites, with #2 displayed as an open-air museum. From the entrance, it is a few hundred meters walk along an overgrown path.
This excavation site is approximately 800,000 years old. We saw several tools, fireplaces, and the bones of hippos and gazelles. A Homo erectus skull was also found here, which is now displayed in the National Museum in Addis Ababa. According to the site mananger there are also some old footprints, that testify a long existence of life in this area.
The site manager told us they have identified 65 possible sites in the area, with half of them currently been excavated. The findings range from 2 million years old to 150,000 years old Homo sapiens. There is certainly much more to discover in this area.
The site we visited appears to be a primary site. There is a small museum in a traditional house, displaying mostly tools from the surrounding excavation sites, along with some replica skulls from other parts of Africa. There are several tools made of obsidian from the Balchit site. …
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Visited Melka Kunture archaeological site in January 2023 - a quick day trip from Addis Ababa.
The site has an interesting museum exhibiting Ethiopia's rich archaeological heritage. Melka Kunture boasts for recording 1.7 million years of continuous prehistoric human occupation, apart from its rich lithic, flora and fauna fossil records (Photo is from the dig site with in-situ artefacts).
Travelers can arrange a visit to Melka Kunture with a trip to Tiya (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Adadi Mariam Rock Church, the only known rock-hewn church outside of Lalibela.
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