UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Pre-Aksumite culture
They merely tell us that, in the middle of the third century before our
era, Ptolemy II founded Philadelphus, the port of Adulis, which was enlarged
by his successor Ptolemy III Euergetes, and which Pliny, around
+75, said he considered one of the most important ports of call on the Red
Sea {maximum hie emporium Troglodytarum, etiam Aethiopum). He also
mentions the numerous Asachae tribes who lived by elephant-hunting in
the mountains which were a five-day journey away from the sea {Inter
montes autem et Nilum Simbarri sunt, Palugges, in ipsis veri montibus asachae
multis nationibus; abesse a mari dicuntur diem V itinere: vivunt elephantorum
venatu).* The association that is frequently suggested between this ethnic
term and the name of Aksum is highly conjectural.
The other written sources of the period, particularly the south Arabian
texts which have come to light, make no mention whatever, as far as one
can judge, of events on the African side of the Red Sea at this period.
Apart from legendary accounts, which are not dealt with in this chapter,
information must therefore be sought in the series of archaeological discoveries
that have been made since the beginning of the twentieth century.
They enable us to reconstruct the pre-Aksumite period, which, as we know
from the studies of F. Anfray, consists of a south Arabian period and a
transitional period. 5
The south Arabian period
This is the period when 'South Arabian influence was strong in northern
Ethiopia'. The chief sign of this influence is the existence in Eritrea and
Tigre of monuments and inscriptions which are akin to those current in
south Arabia during the supremacy of the kingdom of Saba. Thanks to the
palaeographic and stylistic studies of J. Pirenne, the parallel examples found
in south Arabia can be dated from the fifth and fourth centuries before
our era. This chronology has been accepted by all the specialists in this field
of research. 6 It is generally agreed that the same dates apply to the finds
made in Ethiopia, although the hypothesis put forward by C. Conti-Rossini
of a time-lag between the two shores of the Red Sea cannot be definitely
ruled out; 7 according to F. Anfray, 'there is reason to think that in
future it will be necessary to reduce the time-span, and perhaps to advance
the dates of the south Arabian period'.
The only remaining architectural monument of this period is the temple
of Yeha, which was later converted into a Christian church. The temple is
built of large blocks, carefully fittedtogether, with bossage and cornerstones,
and consists of a rectangular celia about 186 metres by 15 metres
resting on an eight-tiered pyramidal base. As J. Pirenne points out, the
4. Pliny; H. de Contenson, i960, pp. 77, 78, Fig. 1.
5. F. Anfray, 1967, pp. 48-50; 1968, pp. 353-6.
6. J. Pirenne, 1955, 1956.
7. C. Conti-Rossini, 1928, pp. 110-11.
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