Axum, located in modern-day Ethiopia was one of the greatest trading powers of the ancient world, during its height, between the 5th and 7th centuries AD.
Have you ever heard of the Ancient Kingdom of Axum? I hadn’t, and I’m a reasonably well-educated person. There aren’t enough good documentaries about African history. This independent documentary is beautifully-filmed, informative and well-presented by Harvard University Professor, Henry Louis Gates.
Founded around 400 BC, the original capital of Axum is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited places in Africa. Axum was a Christian empire – one of the first polities to officially embrace Christianity and it became the locus of a confluence of the two great world religions, which were growing in power at the time. Today, Ethiopia is roughly 63% Christian (Coptic) and 34% Muslim (Sunni).
