A very large number of stone tools are noted by various excavators at Aksum and other sites. They generally seem to be smallish scrapers, made of such materials as agate, chalcedony, and obsidian (Munro-Hay 1989; Anfray 1963: pl. CXIb). Probably they were used to treat some other material, such as skins, wood, or ivory. Paribeni […]
BY STUART MUNRO-HAY The period from the seventh to the twelfth century, though recognized here as postAksumite in the sense that Aksum was no longer the political center of the kingdom, has generally been included by previous writers on Ethiopian history as Aksumite; accordingly, a brief sketch of the few known events occurring during this time […]
15- 1. The Failure of Resources By Stuart Munro-Hay The long period of occupation of the city of Aksum evidently had a profound effect on the surrounding countryside, from which it drew the materials of subsistence. Some of the processes set in the train can be inferred from the present state of the land, and consideration […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay The most significant of the Portuguese accounts of Aksum is undoubtedly that of Francisco Alvares (or Alvarez), who came to Aksum in 1520. He was a careful and sympathetic observer who noted a good deal about the town, including details of many of the then extant monuments. His account has the special […]
11-1. The Inscriptional Record By Stuart Munro-Hay An important aspect of the Aksumite kings’ responsibilities was the conduct of military campaigns, the main theme of almost all the Aksumite royal inscriptions which have survived (see Ch. 11: 5). The significance of this element for the kings is emphasized by Ezana’s identification in the pagan period […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay The primary evidence for the conversion of Ethiopia in the reign of Ezana in the fourth century is found in the king’s own inscriptions and coins. In the former (Ch. 11: 5), the locations used to express his devotion to the gods are altered to Christian forms. The coins also abandon the […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay From the introduction of the `tremissis’, the Aksumite coinage denominations seem to have changed very little. The gold continued into the seventh century, stable in weight but more and more debased with silver, and increasingly degenerate in appearance, with often badly-written Greek legends. Probably, by this period, the internal decline of the […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay According to the Ethiopian traditional accounts of the conversion, Frumentius was captured during the reign of Ella Alada (Amida?), who was succeeded by two brothers, Abreha and Atsbeha, who were the first Christian kings. It has been suggested (Hahn 1983) that these names were constituent parts of the titulary of Ezana and his […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay The Aksumites belonging to the last three categories above are those for whom we can envisage burial in the main cemeteries at Aksum. Tomb architecture and the stelae have already been discussed (Ch. 5: 5 & 6); it can be assumed that only the upper echelons of society could have had a built […]
By Stuart Munro-Hay The military establishment was undoubtedly one of the key institutions of the Aksumite monarchy, and as such was closely associated with it. The king himself was the commander-in-chief, but royal brothers and sons, and perhaps other relatives, were frequently put in charge of campaigns when the king was occupied elsewhere. The semisacred […]
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