Roman Emperor Constantine embraced the faith in A. Other small Christian states were scattered around the eastern Mediterranean region. Along with the faith and the new currency came the establishment of a new language, Geez. It became the official language of Axum and included a written script. The usage of Geez today has declined. It is now utilized exclusively by the religious leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Axum began to experience a decline during the seventh century with the rise of Islam which spread west from the Arabian Peninsula. Aksum was previously thought to have been founded by Sabaeans, an ancient people speaking an Old South Arabian language who lived in what is today Yemen, in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. However, most scholars now agree that prior to the arrival of Sabaeans, an African settlement by the Agaw people and other Ethiopian groups had already existed in the territory.
Sabaean influence is now thought to have been minor, limited to a few localities, and disappearing after a few decades or a century, perhaps representing a trading or military colony. The capital city of the empire was Aksum, now in northern Ethiopia. Today a smaller community, the city of Aksum was once a bustling metropolis and cultural and economic center. By the reign of Endubis in the late 3rd century, the empire had begun minting its own currency.
It converted to Christianity in or under King Ezana, and was the first state ever to use the image of the cross on its coins. By , Aksum conquered the Kingdom of Kush.
After several years of military and political struggles, Yemen fell under the rule of Aksumite general Abreha, who continued to promote the Christian faith until his death, not long after which Yemen was conquered by the Persians.
It is also possible that Ethiopia was affected by the Plague of Justinian around this time, a disease thought to be the first recorded instance of bubonic plague. Covering parts of what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, Aksum was deeply involved in the trade network between India and the Mediterranean Rome, later Byzantium , exporting ivory, tortoise shell, gold, and emeralds, and importing silk and spices.
The empire traded with Roman traders as well as with Egyptian and Persian merchants. The economically important northern Silk Road and southern Spice Eastern trade routes. The main exports of Aksum were agricultural products. The land was fertile during the time of the Aksumites, and the principal crops were grains such as wheat and barley.
The people of Aksum also raised cattle, sheep, and camels. Wild animals were hunted for ivory and rhinoceros horns. Little or nothing is known about such things as the role of women and family life.
Aksum embraced the Orthodox tradition of Christianity in the 4th century c. The king had been converted by Frumentius, a former Syrian captive who was made Bishop of Aksum. This invasion saw the inclusion of the region into the Aksumite kingdom for the next seven decades. Although Christianity had a profound effect upon Aksum, Judaism also had a substantial impact on the kingdom. Between and almost the whole Beta Israel population of Ethiopia was moved to Israel.
Traditional accounts describe their meeting when Sheba, Queen of Aksum, went to Jerusalem, and their son Menelik I formed the Solomonic dynasty from which the rulers of Ethiopia up to the s are said to be descended. Political power shifted to a new group of elites, the Agau people, who instituted the Zagwe Dynasty based in the city of Lalibela. The city of Aksum remains inhabited in the 21 st century.
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