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Aksumite Empire (7th Century)

Type Event Region East Africa Time 600–700

Between 600 and 700 CE, the East African Aksumite Empire went through a critical period of transition from prosperity to decline.

Timeline

  1. 600–615Aksum · EthiopiaIn the early 7th century Aksum was still the strongest polity in East Africa, with Christianity as the state religion; obelisks and church architecture attested to its cultural achievements. The empire maintained trade with the Roman–Persian world through the Red Sea port of Adulis and had intervened in Yemen's Christian–Jewish conflict.
  2. 570–630Red Sea · East AfricaAfter Sasanian Persia conquered Yemen, it cut off Aksum's traditional influence in southern Arabia, changing the Red Sea trade pattern. The port of Adulis declined due to siltation and shifting trade, depriving Aksum of an important source of revenue and external access and shaking the empire's economic foundations.
  3. 630–700Ethiopian Highlands · EthiopiaAfter Islamic powers controlled both shores of the Red Sea, Aksum maintained limited contact with the Arab world and is said to have sheltered the first Muslim refugees. The empire's political center shifted inland to the highlands, local aristocratic power rose, laying the groundwork for the later Zagwe dynasty and the evolution of the Ethiopian kingdom form.

Sources