Abstract
From as early as 3000 BC Egyptian Pharaohs referred to northern Ethiopia as the Land of Punt, rich in precious resources including gold, myrrh and ivory. Its inhabitants are thought to have been predominantly Cushitic speakers. The region was in contact with southern Arabia by around 2000 BC, with settlers bringing Semitic languages and stone-building techniques. Early in the 1st century AD a prosperous and advanced civilization arose in the northern highlands, centred on Aksum. Christianity reached Aksum in the 4th century AD when King Ezana was converted by Frumentius of Tyre. At its height in the 6th century AD the Aksumite empire controlled much of the Red Sea coast and traded with the Mediterranean powers, as well as Persia and India.
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Further Reading
Araia, G., Ethiopia: the Political Economy of Transition. 1995
Bigsten, Arne, Shimeles, Adebe and Kebede, Bereket, (eds.) Poverty, Income Distribution and Labour Markets in Ethiopia. 2005
Crummey, Donald, Land and Society in the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia: From the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century. 2000
Dejene, Alemneh, Environment, Famine and Politics in Ethiopia: a View from the Village. 1991
Henze, Paul B., Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia. 2000
Marcus, H. G., A History of Ethiopia. 1994
Negash, Tekeste and Tronvoll, Kjetil, Brothers at War: Making Sense of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. 2001
Pankhurst, Richard, The Ethiopians. 1999
Woodward, Peter, The Horn of Africa: Politics and International Relations. 2002
National Statistical Office: Central Statistical Office, Addis Ababa.
Website: http://www.csa.gov.et
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© 2011 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Turner, B. (2011). Ethiopia. In: Turner, B. (eds) The Statesman’s Yearbook. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-59051-3_214
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-59051-3_214
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