Historically, studies of Ethiopia, like those of other countries, tend to concentrate on events at or near the center of political power, and devote far too little attention to other areas. The present account attempts, at least in part, to redress the balance by shifting attention to the "peripheral" regions, which, while of central importance to their own inhabitants, tend to receive relatively little focus in studies of the Ethiopian region as a whole. This book is an historical investigative account of the history of the expanding and often nebulous borders of Ethiopia, beginning from ancient times to 1800. it deals with areas that have for years been contentious and problematic for the adjacent peoples in the region: Land of Bahr Nagash, Ifat, Adal, Fatagar, Dawaro, Bali, Damot, Gurage, Waj, gamo, ganz, Gafat, Kafa, etc. It contains numerous illustrations of antiquities, from old European maps to Ethiopian historical drawings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RICHARD PANKHURST, one of the most prolific writers on Ethiopian social history, is the author of An Introduction to the Medical History of Ethiopia (RSP 1991) and A Social History of Ethiopia (RSP 1992). He is a former director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

CATEGORY
History, Politics, Geography/AFRICA