Content analysis of the chronicle of Bäkaffa (r.1721-1730)
Abstract
Ethiopia is a unique among sub Saharan Africa in ancient tradition of written culture its own literary language, Gə’əz. Gə’əz is the primary literary language in Ethiopia. During the reign of Axum (from the 5th c., A.D onwards), religious literature has been translated from the Greek and Syriac into the Gə’əz. After the rise of the “Solomon dynasty†in the 13th century, religious and some secular texts were translated from Arabic into Gə’əz. Many local works (hagiographies, chronicles and the like) began to be written during this period. The writing of chronicles as historical genres of the Ethiopian Emperors began in the early 14th c., during the reign of Emperor Amdä Ṣəyon who ruled the country from 1314 to 1344. The chronicle of king Bäkaffa (r.1721-1730) is an important genre in Ethiopian historiography. Originally it was composed by Azzaž Sinoda and KÇnfä Michael in the first half of 18th century. The main objective of this research was to analysis the chronicle of Bäkaffa. The paper discusses the history of the king, and his Social, political, economic, Religious and cultural Contribution including his military expedition against rebellious provinces. The Content of the Chronicle, the Subject Matters (Social, political, economic, Religious and court) of the Chronicle, Language use in the chronicle, Inter-textuality, and some Amharic loanwords are also analyzed. At last it makes conclusion and recommendations.
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