Chapter II · c. 100 BC – 940 AD

The Kingdom of Aksum

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Aksum grew into a trading empire linking Rome, Persia and India. The 3rd-century Persian prophet Mani counted it among the four great kingdoms of the world.

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Aksumite kings minted their own gold, silver and bronze coins from the late 3rd century — among the first African states to do so.

The port of Adulis shipped ivory, gold and incense; the giant stelae marked royal tombs.

From its capital in the northern highlands, Aksum controlled trade between the Roman Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea port of Adulis.

Its rulers carved huge single-stone stelae to mark their tombs. The Great Stele, around 33 metres long, is believed to have fallen during erection. The 24-metre Obelisk of Aksum was taken to Rome by Italy in 1937 and returned in 2005.

In the 6th century King Kaleb crossed the Red Sea to campaign in Himyar (Yemen). Around 615, an Aksumite king — remembered as the Najashi — gave shelter to early followers of the Prophet Muhammad fleeing Mecca, the First Hijra.

Shifting trade routes, environmental strain and the rise of new powers around the Red Sea led to Aksum's slow decline by the 10th century.