Lot 2098
Kings of Axum. King "AGD", c. 525-550 AD. AR 15 mm. (0.90 g). Rare. Crowned and draped facing bust.; Ge'ez inscription around: "AGD King of Axum." Reverse: Cross beneath aedicula; Ge'ez inscription: "The King who exalts the Saviour." Munro-Hay 126; BMC Aksum 444. The crown on the obverse, and the cross' center on the reverse both gilt, or with central inset gold plug. Metal with fine, light even porosity; some light scratches at gold inlay on obverse. Very Fine.
Estimated Value $300 - 400.
The early Ethiopian kingdom of Axum arose as a coalition of commerical towns near the Red Sea. Its cultural traditions derive from the old Semitic civilization of Saba, which spanned southern Arabia and the coastal areas of the Horn of Africa, with the population being a mix of Kushitic and Semitic races. Dwelling in the area of the Ethiopian highlands near the Red Sea, the Axumites enjoyed an especially strategic position in the trade routes between Yemen and the cities of Nubia, plus the kingdom lay dead in the path of the growing commercial trade routes between Africa, Arabia, and India. Thus it enjoyed immense prosperity, and its major cities, Adulis (frequently referenced in ancient sources), Aksum, and Matara, ranked among the most important cosmopolitan centers in the ancient world (even though they were far off the beaten path as far as European history is concerned). In the fourth century, Axum's Ezana declared Axum to be a Christian state, thus making it the first Christian state in the history of the world, and began actively converting the population to Christianity.
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| Realized $312 |
