The Kingdom of Aksum
A major trading power connecting Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean, Aksum minted its own currency, raised towering stone stelae, and became one of the first states in the world to adopt Christianity.
Centered in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Kingdom of Aksum grew wealthy trading ivory, gold, and other goods through Red Sea ports, connecting Sub-Saharan Africa with Rome, Arabia, Persia, and India.
Aksum minted its own gold, silver, and bronze coinage — a sign of its economic importance rare among ancient states — and constructed massive carved granite stelae, some over 20 meters tall, believed to mark royal tombs.
Under King Ezana in the 4th century CE, Aksum adopted Christianity as a state religion, making it one of the earliest nations in the world to do so, a tradition continued today in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.