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100c. AD 100–940; conversion c. 330s · Aksum

Kingdom of Aksum and its conversion to Christianity

The Great Obelisk, a carved granite stele at Aksum, Ethiopia
Photo: A. Davey from Where I Live Now: Pacific Northwest. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From its highland capital, the Aksumite kingdom traded ivory and gold between Rome, Arabia and India, minted its own coins and raised carved granite stelae over royal tombs. King Ezana adopted Christianity around the 330s, making Aksum one of the first Christian states. Ethiopian tradition holds that the Ark of the Covenant is kept in a chapel in the town.

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Sites

  1. Site 1: Northern Stelae FieldCarved granite stelae, including one returned from Rome in 2005.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Church of Our Lady Mary of ZionChurch compound with the chapel said to hold the Ark.Map ↗
  3. Site 3: Ezana StoneTrilingual inscription recording the king's campaigns and faith.Map ↗

More from the Ancient World

Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.