Paper Trails of Plunder: Mapping the Looting of the Maqdala Manuscripts

In April 1868, British forces stormed the mountaintop Fortress of Maqdala, the seat of power of Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II. This was the final phase of the British Expedition to Abyssinia, a punitive expedition that aimed to resolve the “Abyssinian difficulty” by deposing Tewodros and securing British control over Coastal and East Africa.

Under the direction of state-appointed looters known as “Prize Agents”, troops pillaged all of Maqdala, including the citadel, treasury, library, and nearby church, Madhane Alam. Among the many priceless treasures taken (which included “an infinite variety of gold, and silver and brass crosses” and a “solid gold chalice weighing at least 6lbs”) were “heaps of parchment royally illuminated.”¹ These texts, now known as the Maqdala Collection, were comprised of nearly a thousand manuscripts gathered from all over the region as part of Tewodros’s ambitious plan to build a grand library attached to Madhane Alam. Several hundred books were taken to Britain and scattered among various institutions, with the lion’s share held at the British Library. Today, the manuscripts remain locked away, understudied and rarely exhibited. Scholars who manage to gain access to the material are stymied by gaps in provenance, inconsistent institutional records, and unresolved restitution claims, which obstruct a clear understanding of the contested removal and circulation of the items.

But plunder leaves paper trails. In this event, Ethiopic manuscripts specialist Eyob Derillo will share how military documents, such as military records, private papers and correspondence, and state papers, can be used to reconstruct the looting of the Maqdala manuscripts, providing a more complete picture of what was taken, for what purpose, and the ongoing consequences of dispossession. The workshop will guide scholars through practical techniques for studying contested and looted collections, and explore how digital humanities methods can equalize data access and bridge gaps in the historical record.

¹ Pankhurst, Richard. 1985. “The Napier Expedition and The Loot From Maqdala.” Présence Africaine, no. 133/134: 233–40.

Schedule

• Talk and Q&A—11:00am to 12:30pm
• Lunch—12:30pm to 1:30pm
• Workshop—2:00pm to 4:00pm

Registration

Advance registration is required for this free hybrid event.

• Talk: Open to all university members; limited in-person spots (unlimited virtual access).
• Workshop: Designed for scholars in relevant fields; limited spots for both in-person and virtual attendance.