File:Ibex Relief, Church of Abba Afse, Yeha, Ethiopia (3141483107).jpg

This is one of several relief carvings of ibexes set into the exterior walls of the Church of Abba Afse in Yeha, northern Ethiopia.

Sources differ both as to the age of the church and of the ibex reliefs.

It seems likely the present church is not the original structure, which was built perhaps as early as the 6th century of the common era. Some maintain the current church dates to the "middle ages," while others contend today's church was built in the 1950s. Hmm.

Similarly, some believe the ibex reliefs were part of the first Ethiopian Orthodox church built on this site, while others think the ibex reliefs are far more ancient, dating to the D'mt Kingdom of the 8th and 7th centuries before the common era.

I'm inclined to believe the ibex reliefs are ancient, perhaps contemporary with the Temple of the Moon, which dates to the D'mt Kingdom.

They look like other sculpture of the era and, more importantly, they seem inconsistent with Ethiopian Christian Orthodox iconography, which revolves around biblical figures and stories.

In contrast, there are other examples of images of ibexes from antiquity in the Horn of Africa; see the photo below. I have read that Ibexes were considered sacred in antiquity in what is today Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.