Axum Empire

Government A- (Becca)

 

The Axum Empire lasted for about seven hundred to eight hundred years. Because of its strong military, they started interfering in south arabian affairs, controlling the western Tihama region. They also conquered empires on the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea, making them pay Axum regular payments. they also defeated the Kush, who were already beginning to decline.

The Axum government was open to change. One of the most important changes was the acceptance of Chirstianity. Ezana was the first king to adopt Christianity as Axum's main religion. They also changed and established a new currency and a new language. Since they had an open mind about change, the nation grew and developed.

The downfall of the Axum Empire can be attributed to the rising of Islam and the war between Byzantium and Persia empires. The rising of Islam isolated the Axum Empire, with the Islamic Empire taking over the Red Sea. Axum wasn't able to trade and was cut off from the rest of the Christian empires. The war between the Byzantium and Persia empires also badly hurt Axum's trade, effectively leading the Axum Empire to its downfall.

I gave the Axum government and A- because they had a very good army, were open to change, and were smart traders. They didn't, however, have much peace and stability or advancements and scholars.

Religion- A- (Becca Evey)

             In the beginning of the Axum Empire, they had a polytheistic religion. Their main god was Mahrem, and they also worshiped some Greek gods. They believed that their king was Mahrem’s son. The Axum Empire was also Animists and honored both nature and dead ancestors. They would make sacrifices to Mahrem and Greek gods.

 Around 320 A.D. King Ezana took the throne at a young age after his father died. Ezana’s mother ruled until he was able to. A Christian man had been captured and taken into the court. He educated Ezana, and when Ezana was old enough to rule Axum, he made Christianity the official religion. Changing the religion to Christianity was the Axum Empire’s longest lasting achievement, and many people who live in that region today are still Christians.

I gave them an A in religion because converting to Christianitly was their longest lasting achievement. The Axum Empire's religon also influenced the area today where Axum used to be.

Economy- B- (Bethany)

I would give them a B because the traded ivory, gold, elbony, ostrich feathers and slaves. I also would give them that grade because they had an advanced level of trade with civilizations that were more established than them like Rome, Persia, and India. the trade of products did improved the quality of its citizens.

Axum was ruled through a monarchy, with its political leaders growing rich through trading with foreign nations. Because of its superior trading and military, Axum ruled surrounding nations. Axum's political leader built monumnets throughout its reign and created elaborate burials for the royals.

Society- C - (Bethany)

in the Axum Empire there was slavery but not many had slaves they sold them to other countries. the slaves were treated like humans on there way there but when they were sold the got betten to make there socity look better. there was no social movement was aloud because they were ruled by monarchy and they did not beleve in equality tword slaves.

                                  Art and Architecture -C -(Andrew)

The axum empire did not develop a large amount of art or architecture. Most major architectural structures tend to be stelae and tombs. Stelae are large pillars of stone which were used as grave markers for royalty and local elites. Some stelae stood 33m high. They often had artistic carvings which would portray a building (right). This technique of having artistic carvings in the side of structures was also used on some tombs such as "The Mausoleum," which has a large door carved on it. Although several of these were constructed, very few of them naturally remained standing through modern times. The axumite empire did not have many signifigant aspects of creativity in there architecture, other than carving false buildings into the sides of stelae and tombs.

I gave the Axum empire a "C" in art and architecture because art was not highly developed based on some architecturally inclined empires throughout history such as the egyptian. But, they still showed some artistic qualities with the stone carvings. Also, the Axum empire's stelae were arguably the most signifigant structre but they did not have many architectural structures that were built well enough to remain standing or be used today.

  Technology B-(Connor Hawley) 

           

 The empire of Axum deserves a B- because they had advancements in technology but not enough to sustain a immense empire. They made advancements in their economics by creating a coin money system, terrace farming, and invention of dams. The economics of the coin system were fairly simple. Using a single coin structure to trade among the other civilizations. They used terrace farming in the hilly and mountainous areas to sustain a common food source among the empire. They aslo used the invention of dams to their advantage. The Axum used them by stopping the flow of the river to flood the plains to accomplish irrigation to the farming. The advanced system on the irrigation system layed the standards to modern day farming and agiriculture. They were advanced to the opposite empires compared to technological standards.

The Axum deserve a B- because they had one influential advance in the terrace farming, they also layed the walkway to the current economic systems with their feeble start. Their other achievements are just temporary improvements to life for the Axum citizens.

Overall grade -B

we gave the axum an overall grade of B because they had a good army and they have a economy that trades with well established  civilizations they had advances in technology but they had slaves and they sold slaves