Axum Empire's History of Ancient Ethiopia

This is a Brief History of the Axum Empire of Ethiopia

The Axumite Empire is a name given to the ancient Kingdom of Axum. The empire existed from approximately 100 AD until 940 AD, when it declined due to the rise of Islam in the region. You probably never heard of this extraordinary ancient civilization of East Africa. The empire was an ancient African kingdom situated in the northern part of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea. It was comparable to Roman Empire and ancient civilization of China. At its height, the kingdom controlled not only modern day Ethiopia but also Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt and Yemen.

Axum Introduced Christianity to Ethiopia

The Axum Empire was the first major state to introduce Christianity to the region. It was also one of the earliest empires to issue its own coinage alongside with Sasanian Empire, Roman Empire, and Three Kingdoms of China. But Axum was the first to use cross on its coins and these coins are widely collected today.

A gold coin of the Axumite king Ousas by Classical Numismatic GroupCC-BY-SA-3.0

King Ezana is the most famous king of Axum Empire

King Ezana of Axum who ruled from 330 to 356 AD was the king of the Kingdom of Axum during the fourth century and is best remembered for his conversion to Christianity around 325 CE, resulting in its subsequent spread throughout Ethiopia and southern Arabia. He is regarded as a saint by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. Tradition states that he was responsible for converting the country to Christianity and that he established it as a powerful empire. He is credited with having built numerous churches and monasteries in Ethiopia.

King Kaleb was the emperor of Axum during the 6^th century. Around 525 King Kaleb attacked Yemen to the south, destroying the Himyarite Kingdom around Sana'a, which had been weakened by Byzantine Emperor Justin I's attacks from the sea. This expanded Ethiopian territory allowed them to control the Red Sea trade.

Axum is well known for its obelisks

The Aksum Obelisk by Ondřej Žváček 
CC BY 2.5

The Renaissance style obelisk is the tallest standing stele in Ethiopia. It is located in the city of Axum and was constructed during 4^th century AD. The obelisk has unique design elements that are not found anywhere else in the world.

Several stelae survive in the town of Aksum dating between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The largest standing obelisk rises to a height of over 23 meters and is exquisitely carved to represent a nine-story building of the Aksumites. It stands at the entrance of the main stelae area. This obelisk was taken by Italians during war but returned to its home town recently. During it's  return it had to be devided and still it was so heavy it could only carried by the russian plane. The largest obelisk of some 33 meters long lies where it fell, perhaps during the process of erection. It is possibly the largest monolithic stele that ancient human beings ever attempted to erect.

The fall of Axum Empire

The fall of the Axum empire is a mystery that has stumped historians for centuries. There are many opinions surrounding this event including the rise of a presupposed jewish queen Judith, shortage of food and discontinual of trade connections. Queen Judith also known as Yodit Gudit burnt a lot of churches; eventhough whether she was jewish uncertain there are alot of evidences that suggest there was a femalr leader who burnt churches. But one thing is certain - the Axum people created an impressive civilization that will be remembered throughout time.

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