The Iron Age Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum holds a special fascination for many of us: among other things, it is supposed to be the last resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. But Aksum's history as part of the Axumite kingdom was a powerful trading influence throughout the Red Sea Region.
Early information about Aksum is found in the 1st century AD document called the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and that and other historical references indicate that Aksum first came to power in the 1st century BC, and grew in importance so that by the 1st century AD it was trading its agricultural resources and its gold and ivory through the port of Adulis into the Red Sea trade network and thence to the Roman Empire. Trade through Adulis connected eastward to India as well, providing Aksum and its rulers a profitable connection between Rome and the east.
Read more about Aksum here:
Early information about Aksum is found in the 1st century AD document called the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and that and other historical references indicate that Aksum first came to power in the 1st century BC, and grew in importance so that by the 1st century AD it was trading its agricultural resources and its gold and ivory through the port of Adulis into the Red Sea trade network and thence to the Roman Empire. Trade through Adulis connected eastward to India as well, providing Aksum and its rulers a profitable connection between Rome and the east.
Read more about Aksum here:
- The Kingdom of Aksum: Ancient African Kingdom of the Axumites
- A Visit to Aksum, a detailed description of the site and it's importance by one of its directors, the late Stuart Munro-Hay
- Iron Age Archaeology
- Archaeology of Ethiopia
Comments