UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
The hellenized Syrians, Aedesius and Frumentius, who had been made
royal slaves, were later promoted, one to the office of wine-pourer, the other
to the position of secretary and treasurer to the Aksum king. ' s
Far too little is known about the history of this kingdom to enable
us to trace the development of its political system. It may be assumed,
however, that at the time when the Aksum monarchy flourished, something
like a centralizing process took place in its structure. In the fourth century
Ezana's activities were concentrated on subjugating or taking captive
rebellious vassals who were the hereditary rulers of separate principalities.
But by the sixth century an Aksum king was already appointing the south
Arabian kings: Ma'dikarib and Sumayia' Aswa' at Himyar, Ibn Harith
(St Aretha's son) at Nagran. Furthermore, by founding warriors' settlements
in vassal kingdoms, the king of kings secured their commanders'
direct submission to Aksum.
The common norms of law that prevailed in the kingdom may be
studied in the firstjuridical records of Aksum: in the four laws from the
Säfrä (Drewes, p. 73).
Commerce and commercial policy
The position held by the Aksum kingdom in world commerce was that of
a first-ratetrading power, as evidenced by the minting of its own gold,
silver and copper coinage. It was the first state in tropical Africa to
introduce a coinage; none existed in any of the vassal states, not even those
of Himyar and 'Alva. The minting of coin, especially gold, was not only an
economic but also a political measure, proclaiming to the whole world the
independence and prosperity of the Aksum state, the names of its monarchs
and the mottoes of their reign. The first Aksumite king to put his own
coinage into circulation was Endybis (in the second half of the third
century). The Aksumites' monetary system was similar to the Byzantine
system; in weight, standard and form, Aksumite coins bore a basic
resemblance to Byzantine coins of the same period.
Although natural domestic production predominated, a certain connection
existed between the productive and the commercial importance of
Aksum. This connection tended to be indirect rather than direct, and was
maintained by means of the political superstructure. An idea of export items
from Aksumite Ethiopia may be gained from the accounts of Roman-
Byzantine authors. Pliny refers to shipments from Ethiopia's Red Sea ports
of obsidian, ivory, rhinoceros horns, hippopotamus hides, monkeys
(sphingia) and also slaves. The Periplus contains an enumeration of exports
from Adulis which includes turtle, obsidian, ivory and rhinoceros horns.
Nonnosius alludes to gold dust as one of Aksumite Ethiopia's exports.
Cosmas Indicopleustes writes of perfumes, gold, ivory and live animals sent
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15. T. Mommsen, pp. 972-3.