# The Aksumite Empire An ancient kingdom located in modern-day Ethopia that existed from roughly 80 BCE to 825 CE. The polity was centered in the city of Axum and grew from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period around the 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD. Aksum became a major player on the commercial route between the [[Roman]] Empire and Classical India. The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite [[2021-01-11 Currency (DRAFT)|currency]], with the state establishing its hegemony over the declining Kingdom of [[Kush]]. Axum was one of the four great powers of its time, the others being [[Persia]], Rome and [[China]]. [^1] --- [^1]: [[The Civilizations of Africa by Christopher Ehret#ch05p215 Politics and Trade in the Kingdom of Aksum]]