The coin-legends of the earlier kings were in Greek, changing later to Ethiopic, though Greek is retained for the gold---an indication of the international commercial status of the greek language in the trade of the region. The coins made excellent propaganda media; early Christian examples show a cross surrounded by the phrase 'May this please the People', a form of conversion-manifesto. Others declare 'By the Grace of God', or 'By this Cross he will conquer', or, later, 'Joy and Peace to the People', 'Christ is with us', 'Mercy and Peace'.
Text copyright Stuart Munro-Hay 1998
Text copyright Stuart Munro-Hay 1998
More Information
- Royal Kingdom of Aksum
- Aksum a bit on the site
- Aksum trivia quiz
