የፀሓይ ከተማ - "City of the Sun"

by Dr. Meskerem Lechissa

This book (written in Amharic) is a historical research based on "City of the Sun" (1603)-a classical utopian fiction by the Dominican Friar, Tommaso Campanella. In this seven-chapter book, Dr. Meskerem Lechissa shows the untold relationship between Campanella's "City of the Sun" and the Axumite civilization of Ethiopia. She presents evidence-based claims on the Axumite origin of several parts of this literary masterpiece which was immensely popular during the Italian Renaissance. The author also discusses other influences on Campanella's work; Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Indo-Iranian civilizations, and elucidates on the historical battle between the Judeo-Christian civilization in Ethiopia and the infiltrating Solar, lunar, and stellar cults of ancient hermetic cultures. The implication to current political, religious, economic, social, and epistemological crisis in Ethiopia are discussed in the last chapter, together with recommendations for ways forward. The book is interesting read to anyone who wants to explore the relationship between classical blueprint utopias and history of Christian civilization in Ethiopia, also known as "the Land of Prester John."

Paperback

Published January 1, 2022