Ethiopia, lying on the sea route between the great civilizations of the East and Egypt, played no mean role in the history and economic life of ancient times. Its relations with the Hellenic world—both cultural and economic—were particularly close. The importance of the Aksumite empire, which produced the famous stone obelisks of Northern Ethiopia, was recognized not only by the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire but by the prophet Mohamed, whose followers fled thither from the Arabian persecutions.

Converted to Christianity at a very early period, Ethiopia during the Middle Ages had much in common with the warring feudal kingdoms of Medieval Europe, though an examination of the economic and political structure of this ‘Land of Prester John’ reveals interesting contrasts.

Because of its long-established institutions, the chronicles of its kings, and the testimony of foreign visitors, Ethiopia offers fertile ground for the study of African history, which is receiving increasing attention throughout the world.

Dr. Pankhurst’s exhaustive study, the first attempt at a comprehensive economic history of the country, examines such topics as the system of government and taxation, the organization of the army, the mode of land tenure, the extent of urban development, the state of agriculture and farming, the utilization of forests and minerals, problems of communication, the direction of trade routes, the division of labor and the role of foreigners, health and medicine, the various types of currency and ‘primitive money’ employed, the character of internal and external trade, including the slave trade, and the question of access to the sea.

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION BY DR. K. M. PANIKKAR

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

The Red Sea and ‘the Land of Punt’ in Ancient Times… Indian Trade… The Periplus of the Eritrean Sea… The Adulis Inscriptions… The Inscriptions of Ezana… Aksumite Currency… The Conversion to Christianity… The Christian Topography… Aksumite Control of South Arabia… The Rise of Islam… The Decline of Aksum: Gudit and the Zagwe… The Solomonic Restoration… The Realm of Prester John in the Middle Ages… European Christendom and the Ottoman Turks… Ahmad Grañ and the Portuguese… The Galla Wars… The Later Portuguese… The Expulsion of the Jesuits… The Establishment of Gondar and the Decline of the Monarchy

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE 1300-1800

The Geography and Frontiers of the Realm

Government, Administration, and Justice

The Seclusion of the Royal Family

The Absence of a Fixed Capital and the Organization of the Court

Population and Towns

The Establishment of Gondar

The Army

The Effects of Warfare

State Revenues, Taxation, and Land Tenure

Church Property in Land

Church Schools

Agriculture

Livestock

Forestry

Mineral Wealth

The Peasant’s Difficulties

Diseases and Medicines

Food and Drink

Clothing

Currency

Nile Waters

Problems of Communication

The Division of Labour

‘Franks’ and Other Foreigners

Internal Trade and Trade Routes

Ethiopia’s Access to the Sea

The Ports and Foreign Trade

Trade in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean

Chinese Trade

The Slave Trade

Conclusion

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APPENDIX A. List of Aksumite Kings who issued Coins

APPENDIX B. Analysis of Aksumite Currency

APPENDIX C. Urban Population Estimates 1520- 1773

APPENDIX D. Chinese Coins Found in East Africa

APPENDIX E. The Habshis of India

APPENDIX F. Ibrahim Hannibal, Ancestor of Alexander Pushkin

APPENDIX G. Bibliography on Aksumite Currency

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

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Professor Richard Pankhurst is Sylvia Pankhurst's only child and was an adult throughout much of the period covered by this book. Using largely unpublished materials, he traces his mother's opposition to Italian Fascism and advocacy of Ethiopian independence.

The author, who bore witness to his mother's political activities on behalf of Ethiopia, and other victims of Fascism, is a historian of the country where he resides with his wife Rita. He has written extensively on many aspects of Ethiopian history, and is the author of a biography of his mother's earlier life, Sylvia Pankhurst: Artist.