Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2000-1500 BC
Ge'ez, the precursor to the Amharic and Arabic languages, is developed somewhere in
the vicinity of northern Ethiopia. Amazingly it is still spoken by priests in Ethiopia and
Eritrea today.
1500-400 BC
An Arabian-influenced civilisation rises in northern Ethiopia; the country's first capit-
al, Yeha, is founded, but by whom? Historians remain uncertain whether Yeha and
Africa ruled Arabia or Arabia ruled Yeha.
955-587 BC
The Ark of the Covenant, the sacred chest built by Moses containing the Ten Com-
mandments, vanishes from Jerusalem at some point in this period.
400 BC-AD 200
The great Aksumite kingdom is formed and thrives on Red Sea trade and rich natural
resources. It is first mentioned in the 1st-century-AD book
Periplus of the Erythraean
Sea.
200-500
The Aksumite kingdom reaches its apogee. At its height the kingdom controls lands
from the Nile to Arabia and is counted among the most powerful kingdoms of the an-
cient world.
300-325
Aksum's Great Stele collapses; the catastrophic event signals the end of paganism and
the birth of Christianity in Ethiopia.
400-500
The famous Nine Saints, a group of Greek-speaking missionaries, arrive in northern
Ethiopia. Christianity is solidified as the main religion of the region.
615
