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Aksum

city · earth

Capital of the Aksumite kingdom in the northern Ethiopian highlands, commanding the trade between the Red Sea port of Adulis and the African interior. Aksum adopted Christianity as a state religion in the mid-fourth century under King Ezana, a change legible in the material record because Aksumite coinage replaced earlier symbols with the cross — one of the earliest coin series anywhere to carry it. Aksum is important to this Journey because it shows Christianity arriving by sea trade, not by imperial conquest, and because it produced a durable tradition that outlasted its trade network.

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Evidence · 1
Timeline

No dated observations are stored for this object. Atlas shows what was observed and when — it does not infer a history.

Connections · 1
Assembled narrative · 1

Assembled from 22 blocks · 1 evidence · 35 related

  1. Story
  2. Capital of the Aksumite kingdom in the northern Ethiopian highlands, commanding the trade between the Red Sea port of Adulis and the African interior. Aksum adopted Christianity as a state religion in the mid-fourth century under King Ezana, a change legible in the material record because Aksumite coinage replaced earlier symbols with the cross — one of the earliest coin series anywhere to carry it. Aksum is important to this Journey because it shows Christianity arriving by sea trade, not by imperial conquest, and because it produced a durable tradition that outlasted its trade network.
  3. Knowledge
  4. Christianity
  5. Aksum
  6. Connections
  7. Indian Ocean maritime trade network
  8. Christianity
  9. Aksum adopts Christianity under King Ezana
  10. Church of the East (Nestorian Christianity)
  11. Alexandria
  12. Constantinople
  13. Judaism
  14. Jerusalem (Old City)
  15. Aksum
  16. Armenia's traditional adoption of Christianity as state religion
  17. The 'Edict of Milan' — toleration and restitution in the Roman Empire
  18. Aksum adopts Christianity under King Ezana
  19. Alopen received at the Tang court
  20. Measured global religious composition, 2010-2020
  21. Evidence
  22. After King Ezana's conversion, around 340-356 CE, Aksumite coinage replaced pre-Christian symbols with the cross; Aksumite coins are among the earliest anywhere to depict crosses, and Aksum adopted Christianity as a state religion in the mid-fourth century.
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Observed changes · 0

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/atlas?object=CITY_AKSUM&experience=CITY_AKSUM