The African
Exception:
Ethiopia, the
Christian
Kingdom of
Aksum
World History
December 2016
So far, we’ve heard that
Medieval Africa is built around 3
4 things:
Gold
Slaves
Islam
Salt
(Camels)
The Exception: The Kingdom
of Aksum
Early Ethiopia
Follows a different religious
path
Differences in climate
 People settled on fertile, wet plateaus
 Not arid plains or river valleys
 Good rainfall – 2 crops per year
 Early cultivation of wheat, barley
 Scratch plow pulled by oxen
Social differences
 Large amount of tillable land  lots of small,
independent farming households
 Abundant crops  lots of food  large population
 Monogamy, married young
 Need for farmland  expansionism  warriors
 Warrior class given grants of land – not to own, but to
collect taxes/tribute (kinda sorta feudalism)
Religious differences
 This is where it gets a little weird…
 Kebra Negast – “the Glory of Kings” – national epic of
Ethiopia
 Written down in 1300s CE
 Compiles ancient stories from Jewish, Christian, Islamic
sources
 So, here’s the story….
Solomon, King of Israel, 961 Visited by the Queen of
922 BCE
Sheba who wanted his
wisdom
 She got more than she
bargained for
 Converted to Judaism
 Menelik I, Emperor of
Ethiopia
 Ethiopia becomes outpost
of Judaism
 Jewish advisors to Menelik
 Ethiopian rulers claim to be
descended from Solomon
until at least the 1950s
Reportedly stole the Ark of
the Covenant
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
in Axum, Ethiopia
Early conversion to
Christianity
 Bishop Frumentius, 340 AD
 King Ezana – tutored by Frumentius, converts to
Christianity
 Ethiopia strongly tied to Christianity – more than any
other African country
 Written documents back to 300s – earliest black
African culture that can be studied
 Official state religion
 Crusaders and Prester John
Stone of
Ezana
Emperor Haile Selassie 18921975