Aksum: The African Empire That Rivalled Rome

Around 270 AD, the Persian prophet Mani named the four great kingdoms of the world: Persia, Rome, China — and Aksum. This documentary tells the story of the Kingdom of Aksum, the African empire in the highlands of northern Ethiopia that rivalled Rome. We follow how Aksum controlled the Red Sea port of Adulis, minted its own gold coins, raised the giant stelae, converted to Christianity under King Ezana, ruled across the sea in Yemen, sheltered the first Muslim refugees in the First Hijra — and why it stopped minting coins in the seventh century. 📚 Sources Stuart Munro-Hay, Aksum: An African Civilisation of Late Antiquity (1991) David W. Phillipson, Foundations of an African Civilisation (2012) The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea; Mani, Kephalaia; Rufinus, Ecclesiastical History; Procopius, History of the Wars; Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah 🗺️ Kingdoms Before Maps tells the stories of the empires history forgot — Africa, the Islamic world and the Indian Ocean before the colonial maps were drawn. 🔔 Subscribe for more forgotten kingdoms:    / @kingdomsbeforemaps   #AfricanHistory #Aksum #Documentary