About me:

Temesgen Leta is a PhD candidate in the Centre for Islamic Archaeology at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. He is a curator of palaeoanthropology and archaeology at the Ethiopian Heritage Authority (EHA, formerly the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, ARCCH) where he is also a member and the former president of the Youth Forum, and a member of the Ethiopian Archaeologist Association (EAA) where he is a public relations officer.

His doctoral research focuses on understanding stone tool production, use and function at Islamic and Christian sites in Ethiopia during the mediaeval and early modern period. Broadly, he is primarily interested in lithic technology, traceology, human mobility and landscape, experimental archaeology, heritage conservation, GIS for archaeology, and public archaeology. He received a Master of Art degree with Distinction in archaeology from Addis Ababa University (AAU) and a BA degree in archaeology and heritage management also from AAU.

He has participated in international and local archaeological fieldwork, including surveys and excavations, and field schools, including e.g., Koobi-Fora, Kenya, and in South Africa, and Bahrain. He has participated in Ethiopian archaeological and paleontological field projects, at, for example, Harlaa, Lalibela, Middle-Awash, and Kesem-Kebena. He has also worked on an archaeological impact assessment in the Ashashire mining area, Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia.

Research Unit:
Centre for Islamic Archaeology (CfIA)