Asmara in ancient and medieval times: About the hidden story of a capital city

The history of the Eritrean capital city doesn't begin in 19th cent., as commonly admitted. Evidences from archaeological excavations prove that the Asmara plateau, particularly the Sämbäl zone, hosted of a proto-urban culture already in early and mid-1st millennium BC. The remnants of Ǝnda Maryam, the 6th-7th cent. Christian church unhappily demolished by the Italians, indicate that Asmara was one of the main East African centers of Late Antiquity. In 14th-15th cent. Gǝ'ǝz hagiographic texts and Latin and Italian notes and itineraries help clarifying the historical picture of the Märäb Mǝllaš territories and the role of the political authority dwelling in the Eritrean capital city.