Free Republic

Hamburg - Archaeologists believe they have found the Queen of Sheba's palace at Axum, Ethiopia and an altar which held the most precious treasure of ancient Judaism, the Ark of the Covenant, the University of Hamburg said Wednesday. Scientists from the German city made the startling find during their spring excavation of the site over the past three months. The Ethiopian queen was the bride of King Solomon of Israel in the 10th century before the Christian era. The royal match is among the memorable events in the Bible. Ethiopian tradition claims the Ark, which allegedly contained Moses' stone...

The Axum Obelisk Coming Home to Ethiopia Mon Apr 18, 2005 By ANTHONY MITCHELL, Associated Press Writer AXUM, Ethiopia - A teenage Abebe Alenayehu watched Italian soldiers haul away Axum's revered obelisk nearly seven decades ago and never thought he would live to see its return. But if the weather cooperates, he will see the dream he shares with his nation come true Tuesday when a giant cargo plane returns the monument's 82-foot top section to this wind-swept town that was the seat of the ancient Axumite Kingdom. "The memory still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth," Abebe said...

Italy Returns Stolen Obelisk to Ethiopia By Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News Nov. 23, 2004 — A cyclopean task will put to an end a decades-long diplomatic dispute between Italy and Ethiopia over a looted obelisk, according to a bilateral agreement signed last week in Rome. Signed by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin and Italian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Alfredo Mantica, the deal set up the final details over the transport of a 160-ton granite stele from Rome to the city of Axum. “ This is a symbol of national identity to Ethiopians. ” The monument is one of a group of...

<p>ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Lightning has damaged a 3,000-year-old obelisk which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's troops plundered from Ethiopia and brought to the heart of Rome before World War II.</p> <p>Lightning struck the obelisk late on Monday and chipped chunks of stone from the top of the 24-metre (75-foot) artefact, looted from the holy city of Axum in 1937 after fascist Italy annexed the Horn of Africa country.</p>