In the Mix

You won't find Abyssinia on a modern map, unless it's a map of Zetaworlds of course! After some time on the Science Circle Grid, Skip Dahlgren , known as Aba Brukh inworld, has moved his build to a new grid, and a new start. 

'Abyssinia' as a geographical place is more or less the current land territory of Ethiopia and Eritrea. 

A term used in the West from around the 1600's, in the 1970s Haile Selassie nixed the name 'Abyssinia' because it has unflattering roots in an arabic word meaning mixture. 

Politics and deliberate slurs aside, this rich tapestry of an area, sometimes called the Horn of Africa, was undoubtedly enriched by the miscellaneous trade in goods, cultures, religious and philosophical influences, and DNA from three continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe, all passing through the area of the Red Sea. Not to mention a very mixed fortune over the centuries as powerful people came and went, leaving their mark on the landscape.

But before there was the Realm of Abyssinia, there was Aksum. it occupied more or less the land on the two sides of the red sea,  more or less modern Eritrea and Yemen, and lasted from around the time of Caesar Augustus to the time of King Canute, about 900 years. 

So there is a whole lot going on, much of it hidden in ruins, behind inhospitable conditions of harsh climate and human tumult.

So, maybe at this point, you're thinking, hmm, dense history, complicated geography, stuff that I was never made aware of at school... what I really need right now is a map, or series of maps and hints, so I can visualize it all. 

You're in luck! Skip has done that for you. Using 3D models, landscape, sounds, videos, interpretive signage, drawings, plans, maps, animesh, and interactive poses, you will discover a whole set of chapters in world history, and historiography -  because discovering the past is a story in itself.

This the land of the Queen of Sheba, of legends and lyrical languages. 

In our time, though, it is a particularly dangerous and inaccessible part of the world, and has been for decades, it's not exactly set up for western tourists, or even academic experts. 

That's what makes Skip's knowledge and his remarkably vibrant recollection of his time in Africa, all the more valuable, for this is no 3D mash-up fantasy based on a famous name, but a serious reconstruction of monuments and ancient buildings, and through them a glimpse at the people who thrived and strived in this land.  

This virtual reconstruction contains a wealth of knowledge. It's an extraordinary opportunity to walk in the past hand in hand with someone who has been there and has something concrete to share... paradoxical, isn't it, when you think of the fragility of virtual worlds. 

Ancient obelisks on sim Abyssinia. 
Phallic art in opensim - it stands to reason.

This region might so easily have been lost, so thank goodness Skip found a new home on Zetaworlds, where we can continue to learn and be amazed by the past.

Visit this sim by Skip Dahlgren (inworld Aba Brukh) by going here

HG Address: hop://hg.zetaworlds.com:80/Abyssinia/283/791/32