Classical Antiquity
Kingdom of Aksum
100 AD – 476 AD · peak 350 AD
The Kingdom of Aksum was a major maritime power centered in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century AD. Under King Ezana in approximately 330 AD, it became one of the first states to adopt Christianity and minted its own coinage to facilitate trade between Rome and India. The empire declined following the rise of the Islamic Caliphates, which disrupted its Red Sea trade routes and isolated its highland territories.
Capital: Aksum
Key figures
Battles in this period
Trade routes in use
- Amber Road (1500 BC – 500 AD)
- Incense Route (1000 BC – 400 AD)
- Alexandria–Rome Grain Route (30 BC – 400 AD)
- Silk Road (130 BC – 1450 AD)