Ethiopian Contact and Diversity.

     Ethiopia is a country whose history appears to stretch to the very beginning of time. Ethiopia, called Cush in the Bible, has always seemed to touch other nations. Yet, as it’s contact with other peoples grew over the millennia, the influence that others had on Ethiopia also grew. Ethiopia’s culture and nation has been changed and molded by outside contact and influence. This country had a particularly long history of trade and other involvement with many various parts of the world and for this reason it’s culture has been significantly impacted in unique ways. Ethiopia is located at major crossroads for both maritime trade and land trade. This combined with it’s rich fertile soil made it a valued trading partner from ancient times until the modern era. 

Source: Shaded relief map of Ethiopia, 1999, produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

The beginning of Ethiopian contact is often considered to be during biblical times. Job, the oldest book of the Bible, recorded a passage about the topaz of Ethiopia. From this reference alone it can be assumed that Ethiopia was known for it’s trade in valuables, but this is not the only biblical reference. In 1 King 10 and 2 Chronicles 9, there are two tellings of the story of the Queen of Sheba.(1) This great queen was said to have come to learn from King Solomon and to see his wealth. From this ancient meeting has come the tradition that Solomon and Sheba’s descendants are the true rulers in Ethiopia. (2) But this is not the only contact with a distant trade partner to be made by Ethiopia in ancient times. India was, from the earliest of times, a strong trade partner with Ethiopia. Ethiopia was ruled by the Axumite Empire when they first began

trade with the Indian sub-continent. “Established since ancient times, Indo-Pacific production(of beads) flourished from at least the seventh century AD.”(3)  

Source: By A. Davey from Where I Live Now: Pacific Northwest (Ancient Beads, Ethiopia) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

   Trade is thought to have also extended all the way to the Asian Pacific from the Horn of Africa. This trade is evidenced in small things such as beads, pottery, and scraps of silk, but later through Africa’s most well known commodity, slaves. “African slaves, like those from Europe, were used in the households, fields, mines, and armies of Mediterranean and Asian empires.” Evidence of the slaving trade goes as far back as a carving from 2900 BC. (4) This early slave trade would shape Ethiopia by laying the foundation for the astounding number of slaves later relocated from the country. 

Two other outside contacts made an indelible mark upon this ancient world. These two influences were Christianity and Islam, and they have been more influential than any other ancient contact for Ethiopia. Christianity found a home here first. “The Ethiopian Orthodox dates its beginning to Ezana's conversion to Christianity in c. 330 (under) the influence of Frumentius, a Syrian Christian captive who rose to prominence in Aksum.”(5) Christianity flourished in this corner of Africa. The growth of this new faith can be seen through the many relics and churches that have been left in and around Ethiopia. These physical changes are not the only evidence, but the spiritual evidence is also telling. This can be seen in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which still practices it’s ancient faith. 

Source: By A. Davey from Where I Live Now: Pacific Northwest [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 

Wall painting in the old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum, Ethiopia.

          Islam made it’s appearance in the land in 615 AD. A small group of refugees came to Ethiopia, sent by the Prophet Muhammad, following persecution at their home in Mecca. (6) These were the beginnings of Ethiopian connections to the world beyond it’s boarders. These trade connections and religious affiliations of the ancient past influenced contacts that Ethiopia would gain in the Middle Ages.

Islam and Christianity seem to have grown separately, each in their specified regions within Ethiopia. Islam grew slowly and did not begin to challenge Christian centers of power until the 11th and 12th centuries.(7) This conflict stemmed from the Islamic Sultanates who did not want to pay tributes to the stronger Christian kings. The struggle between these two powers was at it’s height when Ethiopia began to reach out to other foreign powers. 

Although Ethiopia had been connected to Ancient Rome through an alliance with Justin I in 523, there was a quiet period between that ancient contact and the visits that were made in 1306. (8) By 1306, the delegation sent to Spain by the Ethiopian king were not the first to travel to Europe. This European connection was a precursor to the exchange of ideas and support between Ethiopia and Italy, Spain, and later Portugal.(9) It was in the early 12th century that the fabled Prester John first appears. “From its inception in the twelfth century, the Prester John legend linked the impulse to explore a global landscape with the desire for this landscape to be revealed as a continuation of, rather than a departure from, the known: as already Christian.” (10) This legend in some ways inspired the pursuit of European nations to gain Ethiopian contact and support. 

Source:Image of Prester John, enthroned, in a map of East Africa in Queen Mary's Atlas, Diogo Homem, 1558 [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

     This persona, real or false, was quite influential in global trade and communications expansion which came about following the journey of Vasco da Gama in 1497-1499. Spurred on by the legend of the fabled Christian king of Ethiopia, trade routes were opened up, and contact made with many other regions of Africa. The influence of the earliest Portuguese visitors can be seen in the architecture of some of the regions towns.(11) These Portuguese would also become influential in the conflict between Muslim and Christian Ethiopians. 

Source: Map by Vincenzo Coronelli [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

When Muslims of Ethiopia united to confront the Christian kingdom, around the year 1525, they waged a war against their enemies and pushed them out of their traditional territories. The outside contact made with Europe proved vital to the Christian side of the conflict. In 1542, Ethiopian Christians joined by Portuguese soldiers, who had come to their aid, pushed back against their Muslim opponents.(12) These Portuguese forces may have been able to turn the tide in the Christians favor, and this influence can still be seen today as Ethiopia is often thought of by many as a Christian nation. Yet the negative effects of the stronger contact with Europe cannot be overlooked. The Portuguese had discovered a passage to the Indian Ocean. This opened up a whole new world of possible trade, from salt and gold, to a new breed of slaves. 

Slavery has existed since time immortal, but would unfortunately become what Africa was best known for. Portuguese are said to have first traded for slaves from Africa around the year 1442. (13) Following their support of Ethiopian Christians against their Muslim counterparts, the Portuguese trade of slaves increased. Ethiopian authority decentralized during this period of time and slavery became a free for all. “During the first half of the nineteenth century the Ethiopian Red Sea trade peaked at 6,000 to 7,000 slaves each year numbering an estimated 175,000 exported in the second quarter of that century.” (14-4) Ethiopia was again being shaped by trade contacts, and Ethiopians themselves were the highest valued commodity. 

Source: By Unknown but obviously died 70 years ago [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

By the 19th century Ethiopia was a well known trade partner for many areas of the world. It had it’s own branch of Christianity, a long heritage of Islamic faith, and “a realm which has lived steadfast in her independence for more than three millennia.” (15) As Ethiopia moved into the modern age the connections and contacts made from the ancient times and middle ages would once again be influential. 

  Africa was quickly becoming colonies controlled by European powers. And yet, even at this time, Ethiopia distinguished itself by rebuffing initial Italian interest in conquest in 1896, when colonialism was at the height of it’s momentum. Perhaps because of it’s extensive history, it’s new constitution, or simply it’s mainly Christian heritage, Ethiopia was recognized as a part of the League of Nations in 1923. Following this tremendous accomplishment for an African nation, Ethiopian’s felt a level of security, which turned out to be false when Italy confronted them again in 1935. The League of Nations failed to follow through with it’s duty to provide aid and support for Ethiopia when Italy invaded. This invasion was formative to the country of Ethiopia. Ethiopia had already become a land locked country in 1885, when Italians had annexed Eritrea to the north.(16)  The war was not ended by brilliant strategies or outwitting of one opponent over the other. Rather, the end of World War II ended the Italian occupation of Ethiopia. Yet, the mark that the occupation left on the Ethiopian people was a sever one, with the human losses calculated by some to be near 700,000, there can be no doubt that this effected an entire generation of Ethiopians. 

Source: By Nicola Romani (Own work) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

This is but a brief summary of the influence that foreign contact has had on the country of Ethiopia. From faith to trade to politics and slaves, Ethiopia’s history and culture have been transformed. Benefits came from the introduction of Christianity, which later brought trade with other Christian nations and military support simply because they were united in their Christianity. Negative effects came from the Italian conquest who wanted a broader base in Africa in combination with their Somalian colony. Ethiopia reached out for contact in ancient times and welcomed into it’s country many different ideas and religions and peoples. Today it is a very diverse culture and with this diversity continues internal conflict. 

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