Ezana of Aksum: Africa's First Christian King

Before Constantine, before the Council of Nicaea, an African king declared Christianity the official religion of his empire. This is the story of Emperor Ezana of Aksum, who turned the ancient trading empire into one of the world's first Christian states. We explore his inscriptions—pagan at first, then Christian—that chronicle his conquests of Kush and the Beja. Lucas and Luna discuss the mysterious gold coins that bear the cross, the geopolitical rivalry with the Sasanian Empire, and how Aksum's conversion reshaped the Red Sea world. We also examine the enigma of Ezana's name: why did his coins and inscriptions sometimes call him 'Sazana'? And what does his adoption of Ge'ez—the sacred language of Ethiopia—tell us about his cultural revolution? This episode uncovers a pivot point in African history that still echoes in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity today. #Ezana #Aksum #Christianity #Kush #Beja #Ge'ez #SasanianEmpire #RedSea #Numismatics #AxumiteCoinage #KingEzana #AncientAfrica #EthiopianOrthodox #Adulis #CosmasIndicopleustes #History #FexingoHistory #AfricaAncientCivilizations Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo