Axum, an african civilisation of late antiquity, by stuart munrohay very specifically looks at ancient ethiopian history. The aksum kingdom is sometimes known as the axumite civilization. African culture, african history, global holidays, baptism of christ. Ethiopia s historic journey is long and many ruins can be seen in the country. It is one of ethiopias most visited historical cities.
By 100 ad a kingdom called axum existed in ethiopia. Ethiopian historiography includes the ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern disciplines of recording the history of ethiopia, including both native and foreign sources. The site is known for its 11 rockhewn churches, designated a unesco world heritage site in 1978. See more ideas about ethiopia, history and horn of africa. It lies at an elevation of about 7,000 feet 2,100 metres, just west of adwa. He was the first monarch of axum to embrace christianity, and the.
Kushites ruled egypt as the 25th dynasty from 734 to 664 bc. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading axum. Ethiopian treasures queen of sheba, aksumite kingdom aksum. Mar 21, 2019 in the mid4th century ce, nubia formerly known as kush and located in modern sudan, with its capital at meroe, attacked axum from the north or viceversa, perhaps because of a dispute over control of the regions ivory trade. Israel, as detailed in the thirteenthcentury kebra negast, the book of the glory of kings. Jan 15, 2014 axum is a city in northern ethiopia that is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in africa.
Jan 15, 2014 axum is a city in northern ethiopia that is one of the oldest continuously. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in axum, ethiopia on tripadvisor. The exploitation of plant resources in ancient africa pp 7147 cite as. The history and legacy of the kingdom of aksums capital and one of the.
Lalibela, religious and pilgrimage center, northcentral ethiopia. See more ideas about ethiopia, african history and bible. Very little is known of the time period between the midfirst millennium bc to the beginning of aksums flourish, thought to. It existed approximately 100940 ad, growing from the iron age protoaksumite period c. The empire of aksum at its height extended across most of presentday eritrea, northern ethiopia, yemen, southern saudi arabia and northern sudan. According to the book of aksum, aksums first capital, mazaber, was built by itiyopis, son of cush. The agricultural foundation of the aksumite empire, ethiopia. Did the queen of sheba really call the towns dusty streets home. On sundays, several cities, including aksum sometimes spelled axum and lalibela see thousandstrong crowds of nuns and monks, hermits and families, energetic children and shuffling grandmothers. A history of ethiopiahardcover foundations of an african civilisation. The history and legacy of the kingdom of aksums capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in africa kindle edition by charles river editors. At the height of its power, between the 4th and 7th centuries ad, the axumite kingdom controlled most of presentday ethiopia, including territories. Recent excavations at aksum, ethiopia, have produced a substantial assemblage of.
Unlike other african countries, ethiopia stayed together during the scramble for africa, except for 5 years when it was ruled by italians. But there is a tranquility about axum that settles the spirit and opens the soul, and its a wonderful place to encounter ethiopia. Mysterious megalithic towering obelisks in ethiopia. Axum dates back some 2,000 years to when it was the hub of the axumite empire.
The origins of the axumite state are now dated to the middle of the 2nd century bc. According to the book of aksum itiyoppis built mazaber, the kingdom of aksums first capital. Focuses on the aksumite state of the first millennium ad in northern ethiopia and. Axum is considered to be the holiest city in ethiopia and is an important destination of pilgrimages. Aksums foundation is suggested to be as early as 300 bc. What is the best book on the ancient history of ethiopia to. The history of the axum empire and ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church. The 15 best things to do in axum for travel after quarantine. Marys cathedral of aksum providing information on ethiopian history. Aksum travel northern ethiopia, ethiopia lonely planet. Aksum and the northern horn, bc ad 0 eastern africa seriespaperback axum. Aksum also spelled axum or aksoum is the name of a powerful urban iron age kingdom in ethiopia that flourished between the first century bc and the 7th8th centuries ad. Situated in the horn of africa, ethiopia is bordered by eritrea to the north, sudan to the west, kenya to the south, somalia to the east and djibouti to the northeast.
Ethiopias history is synonymous with the kingdom of axum whose origin is traced to the middle of the 2nd century bc. Among axums treasures, aside from dozens of obelisks. The queen of sheba made it her capital years before christ. Unesco international scientific committee for the drafting of a general history of africa. Kingdom of aksum guinness book, roman empire, diagram, culture, education, world guinness. The capital is addis ababa new flower, located almost at the center of the country. Once the seat of the kingdom of aksum, it is now a tourist town and religious centre best known for its antiquities.
A good example of this is the former settlement of yeha which is believed to have been built around 800 bc. The history and legacy of the kingdom of aksum s capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in africapaperback. It borders on eritrea in the north, on djibouti in the northeast, on somalia in the east and southeast, on kenya in the south, and on south sudan and sudan in the west. Ancient and medieval ethiopian history to 1270 addis ababa. Rating is available when the video has been rented. History amharic amharic amharic language in ethiopia. Beyond history and the ark of the covenant ethiopia is a country that throbs with religious fervor. The history and legacy of the kingdom of aksums capital. Jan 26, 2018 axum, an african civilisation of late antiquity, by stuart munrohay very specifically looks at ancient ethiopian history. Yeha, the countrys preaksumite foundation of ethiopian civilisation, is situated between aksum and adwa in the province of tigray. Indeed, coins minted under king ezana were the first in the world to feature the image of a cross. The exploitation of plant resources in ancient africa pp 7 147 cite as. History of northern ethiopia and the establishment of the italian colony or eritrea.
See more ideas about ethiopia, africa and ethiopia travel. The history of axum is interesting since it was in existence at the same time as the egyptian. The early history of ethiopia also called abyssinia begins with the glorious but little known kingdom of axum. Elucidating the linguistic history of the aksumite kingdom during the first. There is no shortage of general books of history on ethiopia, and they nearly invariably cover ancient history as well. The kingdom of axum went in decline from the late 6th century ce, perhaps due to overuse of agricultural land or the incursion of western bedja herders who, forming themselves into small kingdoms, grabbed parts of aksum territory for grazing their cattle and who persistently attacked axums camel caravans. It relates african to world history with the conquest of egypt by cambysis in 525bc. However the first well known kingdom in ethiopia rose in the first century ad.
At the height of its power, between the 4th and 7th centuries ad. People have lived in ethiopia for thousands of years. He traced his ancestry through his father, tasfa iyasus, to dil naod, the last king of axum. The history and legacy of the kingdom of aksums capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in africa examines the amazing history and legacy of one of the most interesting places in the world. The roots of ethiopian historical writing can be traced back to the ancient kingdom of aksum c. It covers relations with egypt, persia and later rome.
The medieval kingdom of abyssinia was founded by the solomonid dynasty c. Around the 4th and 7th centuries ad, the axumite kingdom controlled most of what is ethiopia today, including territories in the southern parts of the arabian peninsula. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about axum like never before. The article covers the prehistory and history of ethiopia from its emergence as an empire under the aksumites to its current form as the federal democratic republic of ethiopia as well as the history of other areas in what is now ethiopia such as the afar triangle. The local agaw people of northern ethiopia first began to populate and expand the city of axum around 400 bc. Around 356 ce, its ruler was converted to christianity by frumentius. List of books and articles about ethiopian history. Axumite emperors were powerful sovereigns, styling themselves king of kings, king of aksum, himyar, raydan, saba, salhen, tsiyamo, beja and of kush. Very little is known of the time period between the midfirst millennium bc to the beginning of aksums flourish, thought to be around the first century ce. Aksum was the name of a city and a kingdom which is essentially modernday northern ethiopia tigray province and eritrea. Sutherland the kingdom of aksum axum also widely known as the aksumite empire, was an ancient civilization, which developed in one of the oldest continuously inhabited parts of the world ethiopia, to which ancient references can be found in the famous works of homer and herodotus.
Stuart munrohay is among the foremost western authorities on ethiopian history and culture. Does the ark of the covenant that holds moses 10 commandments reside in a small aksum chapel. It has one of the most well known histories as a country in africa and the world. The kingdom of aksum or axum, also known as the aksumite empire was an important trading nation in northeastern africa, ruled from approximately 100940 ad. This golden age began with the famed king ezana who converted his country to christianity in 324 ad. The aksumite empire at its height extended across most of presentday eritrea, northern ethiopia, western yemen, southern saudi arabia, and sudan. Ezana also placed much importance on written documents. Foundations of aksumite civilization and its christian legacy. Once the capital of the zagwe dynasty, it was renamed from roha to lalibela after a distinguished monarch from the dynasty. Ethiopian civilization with the axumite kingdom, tour of axum that includ es. The book derives the name ethiopia from itiyoppis, an otherwise unmentioned son of the biblical cush. Later, under the reign of the empreror kaleb, axum was a quasially of byzantium against the sasanian empire which had adopted zoroastrianism. What is the best book on the ancient history of ethiopia. Tall granite obelisks, 126 inches all, stand or lie broken.
Axum, sometimes spelt as aksum refers to the capital city of an ancient and powerful kingdom that existed during the early christian era in northern ethiopia and is also one of the first major empires that were christian converts after their ruler converted to christianity in around 356a. Axum was the centre of the marine trading power known as the aksumite empire, which predated the earliest mentions in romanera writings. The writing of the kebra nagast, sacred book of the. Sacred sites of ethiopia and the arc of the covenant. Research shows that aksum was a major naval and trading power from the 1st to the 7th centuries c. These early texts were written in either the ethiopian geez script or the greek alphabet, and included a.
By the midsecond century bc, axum had developed into a regionally dominant kingdom. List of books and articles about ethiopian history online. Reflections on the history of the abyssinian orthodox tewahdo church and hearts like birds. Axum the next kingdom, which gradually took over from daamat, was the kingdom of axum aksum, from which modern ethiopia traces its origins. This gives the history its weak on legacy of ancient sudan and ethiopia starting with menelek reputed son of solomon and the queen of sheba. The aim of this book is to present a critical outline of current knowledge about the. The kebra nagast, the ethiopic national epic written sometime between the sixth and thirteenth centuries, tells a romanticized version of the history of axum from the time of the queen of sheba and her love affair with solomon and the taking of the ark to axum, down to the victories of king kaleb, who reigned in the sixth century ce. When the power base of ethiopia shifted from axum to amhara between the 10th century a.
How the iron age kingdom of aksum flourished in ethiopia. The kingdom of aksum article ethiopia khan academy. Apr, 2019 the kingdom of axum reached its zenith in the third to fifth centuries ad. Foundations of aksumite civilization and its christian legacy 1st. It lies about 150 km south of asmara and a similar distance from the red sea coast. A history of early twentieth century ethiopia, richard pankhurst, 1997. The kingdom of aksum was a trading empire centered in eritrea and northern ethiopia. This book is the story of a ancient city and state centered in ethiopia. Ethiopias rich and unique artistic heritage is the product of a series of. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Marcus, harold a history of ethiopia, berkeley 1994. Ancient as axum and dmt were they are empires, federations and confederations of smaller kingdomsstates that surged and waned in their turn ruling their. Foundations of aksumite civilization and its christian.
1448 1494 1147 483 769 13 120 895 1181 1409 49 1303 488 1116 845 1308 699 1170 1318 1199 1132 1260 181 1480 956 26 771 1406 892 223 694 529 605 1407 1487 449 1198 218 1124 1211 354 374 1170