The Project

From the Past to the Present in Ethiopian Prehistory. An Interactive Museum for the Archaeological Park of the Early Palaeolithic site of Melka Kunture"

The general objective of the project is the fostering of the intercultural dialogue and mutual exchange between European and non-European cultures, encouraging cooperation on subject of common interest between cultural institutions in the Member States and those in Third Countries. The main objective is the realisation of an innovative link between the Ethiopian Prehistory and the modern web technologies. Tradition will be respected through the utilization of “containers” already built in local style, while innovation will consist on the utilization of modern technologies for the diffusion of information. The musealization of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene Ethiopian site of Melka Kunture represents the conclusion of 40 years of researches and excavations carried out by the French and the Italian Archaeological Missions.

The foreseen activities consist on:

1- The organization of the exhibition in the four structures built in the site of Melka Kunture by the Oromia Culture and Tourism Bureau.

2- The elaboration of a computerized archaeological and geological map through an inter-sites GIS application, whose realization will be finalized to these objectives:

To obtain an useful tool for the safeguard of the archaeological and natural heritage;
To conduct a territorial analysis for a better understanding of the relations between Man and environment in the Past;
To create an informative base for the realization of a Web GIS, conceived as the structural base for the navigation in the Internet site of Melka Kunture.

3- The creation of an Internet site to be considered as an interactive museum which could be utilized at distance. The added value of the co-operation on a European level consists in an explicit recognition of culture as an economic factor and as an important factor in social integration and citizenship. Besides, this project represents a clear example of integration between European competences and technologies and Ethiopian traditional culture for a mutual cultural growth.
The valorisation of Melka Kunture, a site for which the Ethiopian Government is asking to UNESCO its insertion in the list of sites belonging to the Cultural Heritage of Humanity, represents a tangible help to the development of a still depressed area.

This project realizes the idea-museum of Melka Kunture, conceived since the seventies. If today it is concretized it is also and above all thanks to the collaboration, to the interest and the support of different Ethiopian institutions: the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Oromia Region and the National Museum of Addis Abeba. The continuous service of custody that such institutions have guaranteed since the beginning of the researches, has preserved the cultural and naturalistic integrity of the site, without which any projects could have been realized.
A special thanks to Dr. Miquela Ugolini of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” for the encouraging enthusiasm and continuous support.