Axum's King Zoskales and the Roots of Empire

Long before Ezana or Kaleb, there was Zoskales—the first named king of the Aksumite region, mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea around the first century AD. This episode delves into what little we know about Zoskales and what his reign reveals about early Aksumite state formation, trade with the Roman world, and the transition from the port of Adulis to the highland capital. We explore the geography of power, the goods that flowed through Adulis—ivory, tortoiseshell, obsidian—and how Zoskales likely controlled both the coast and the interior. Lucas and Luna discuss the challenges of reconstructing history from fragmentary Greek texts and local traditions, and how Zoskales set the stage for the empire that would rival Rome. #Zoskales #AksumiteEmpire #Adulis #PeriplusOfTheErythraeanSea #EastAfrica #RedSeaTrade #RomanWorld #AncientTrade #IvoryTrade #Obsidian #Tortoiseshell #GeographicalKnowledge #StateFormation #AncientHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #AfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo