Surge in Online Sales of Ethiopian Artifacts due to the Tigray Conflict

The Altar and the Book from Lake Tana Church, Ethiopia (Wikimedia)

In the midst of conflict in the Northernmost region of Ethiopia, ancient artifacts - such as centuries-old manuscripts and scrolls -  have increasingly been found for sale online at surprisingly low prices. These ancient relics are being sold on websites such as  eBay, raising questions as to where they came from. Some officials suspect that army forces have taken advantage of the conflict by plundering the precious artifacts. 

The war in Ethiopia broke out in November 2020 between the TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front), the political party that controls Tigray, and the Ethiopian government. This civil war has left thousands of people dead and displaced millions. Parts of the country are experiencing famine; additionally, conflict has destabilized a number of nearby African countries due to a surge in  migration and military violence. Aid groups have been struggling to deliver assistance to victims and journalists have been struggling to get on the ground to report on the recent conflict in Tigray. 

According to Ethiopian philologist, Dr. Hagos Arbha Abay, churches, monasteries, and other significant sites have been targeted for looting during the war. Referring to the increase in Ethiopian relics for sale online, Dr. Abay told The UK Times: “It is hard to know if the Ethiopian artifacts we are seeing have been taken from Tigray without looking at them, but there have been more popping up almost every day over the last six months.” 

Muslim heritage sites in Tigray have also been attacked. Michael Gervers, a professor of history at the University of Toronto, stated that an ancient Muslim tomb at Negash, a village in the Tigray region, had been badly damaged. According to Gervers, the Emmanuel Church has also been vandalized and ancient Ge’ez manuscripts dating back to 800 CE have been looted from the Shire region of Tigray. He further explained that “A Belgian team…managed to reach the town of Shire, where they videotaped a tank covered with looted goods.” 

International experts are especially concerned about the wellbeing of the religious and cultural artifacts in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, a chapel located in Northern Ethiopia. Historians speculate that the church stores the Ark of the Covenant- the Biblical casket containing the Ten Commandments. 

In an effort to protect the relics, the American e-commerce company, eBay, has removed a number of rare Ethiopian artifacts without verification of origin from its site after being notified of the situation by The Times. eBay explained, “The sale of illicit antiques is prohibited on eBay, in line with UK and international laws.” Artifacts have been used throughout history to make fast cash, from the Nazis’ extensive looting of art during World War II to thefts at unexcavated sites amid the 2003 U.S.-led invasion in Iraq. These tokens of history that are stolen during times of chaos and conflict usually end up in elite museums and are rarely returned to their countries of origin.