A Unique Mixed Culture
St. Frumentius (Abba Salama) preaching before Aksumite kings.
What exactly gave the Axumites their strong grounds for a successful society? Why did these people thrive as they did? How was Christianity able to be a resilient force in the formerly polytheistic kingdom? These questions and others will be answered on this page.
Settlers found the Ethiopian highlands to be an attractive region as they had relatively agreeable climates, were located on the border of the Red Sea, contained various types of vegetation, and were well positioned for contact with the outside world. Close to Southern Arabia and accessible from the Red Sea, this region appealed to a mix of Kushite speaking Africans and Semitic speaking South Arabians. These first settlers arrived circa 500 BCE. These two very different peoples merged cultures, intermarrying and exchanging customs. Thus was formed the Axumite people, along with the unique written and spoken language of Ge’ez. Within Axum was now a distinct civilization, the only one formed as a mix of Semitic and African groups.
Previous to the conversion to Christianity, Axum was a land of pagan religion (refer to Daily Life for more information).
Post-conversion, Axum was a state in which the king “exercised most direct power” (History of Africa, page 71) in a central region near the capital. Beyond him were regional rulers who paid him tribute. These regional rulers were probably based on earlier chiefdoms from the region’s pagan times.
Within the Ethiopian Church were a number of features that had been carried over from other Eastern churches. The dual efforts of village priests and monks made up the clergy. Priests had to be married, and bishops were chosen from among the monks. As well as this structure, some Jewish customs such as circumcision and the observance of the Sabbath (in addition to Sundays) were also kept.
*Above is a depiction of the Axumite political authority.
*Below is a map of Axum, Ethiopia. (Alternative spelling to Axum is 'Aksum'.)
Settlers found the Ethiopian highlands to be an attractive region as they had relatively agreeable climates, were located on the border of the Red Sea, contained various types of vegetation, and were well positioned for contact with the outside world. Close to Southern Arabia and accessible from the Red Sea, this region appealed to a mix of Kushite speaking Africans and Semitic speaking South Arabians. These first settlers arrived circa 500 BCE. These two very different peoples merged cultures, intermarrying and exchanging customs. Thus was formed the Axumite people, along with the unique written and spoken language of Ge’ez. Within Axum was now a distinct civilization, the only one formed as a mix of Semitic and African groups.
Previous to the conversion to Christianity, Axum was a land of pagan religion (refer to Daily Life for more information).
Post-conversion, Axum was a state in which the king “exercised most direct power” (History of Africa, page 71) in a central region near the capital. Beyond him were regional rulers who paid him tribute. These regional rulers were probably based on earlier chiefdoms from the region’s pagan times.
Within the Ethiopian Church were a number of features that had been carried over from other Eastern churches. The dual efforts of village priests and monks made up the clergy. Priests had to be married, and bishops were chosen from among the monks. As well as this structure, some Jewish customs such as circumcision and the observance of the Sabbath (in addition to Sundays) were also kept.
*Above is a depiction of the Axumite political authority.
*Below is a map of Axum, Ethiopia. (Alternative spelling to Axum is 'Aksum'.)