Ancient site · Monument
Aksum (stelae fields)
Also known as Axum
The capital of the Kingdom of Aksum in northern Ethiopia, a trading power that issued its own coins and adopted Christianity under King Ezana in the 4th century. Its royal cemetery holds giant granite stelae carved like multi-storey towers with false doors and windows, marking tombs.
The Great Stele, 33 metres long, probably fell as it was being raised. The 24-metre Obelisk of Axum, taken to Rome by Fascist Italy in 1937, was returned to Ethiopia in 2005. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Dates
- capital from c. 1st century BCE–1st century CE; great stelae c. 300–400 CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 14.13° N, 38.72° E
How we know
Aksum is 'written': its kings left inscriptions in Geʽez, Sabaic and Greek and issued coins, and Greek and Roman writers describe it.
Nearby sites
- Yeha (Great Temple) temple c. 700 BCE
- Matara c. 8th century BCE – 7th century CE (approximate; pre-Aksumite to Aksumite)
- Meroë c. 800 BCE – 350 CE; royal pyramids c. 300 BCE – 350 CE
- Great Dam of Marib 8th century BCE – c. 570s CE
- Laas Geel c. 3500–2500 BCE (estimated)
- Kerma c. 2500–1500 BCE