Annales d’Éthiopie, 2010, 25, 139-156 139 The choice of Aksum as a metropolis

Tekle Hagos∗

Introduction

The term metropolis was used for the first time in the middle of the 1st century AD to refer to ancient Aksum by the author of the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea (Casson, 1989). In 77 AD, the Roman writer Pliny the Younger also mentioned Aksum, confirming its early antiquity. Archaeological evidence also seems to secure that the foundation of Aksum took place in the early 1st century AD (Phillipson, 1998: 50; 2000: 475). In the middle of the 2nd century AD, the Greek astronomer and geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus of Alexandria described Aksum as the seat of a king’s palace. The Persian religious leader Mani referred to Aksum as the court of one of the world’s largest centralized states in the 3rd century AD (Munro-Hay, 1991). Ancient Aksum spread over some seventy-five hectares and at its peak between the fourth and early 6th centuries AD included industrial centers, elite and royal palaces with at least two-story buildings and residences for ordinary people (Butzer, 1981). The term metropolis is therefore used in this article to refer to Aksum, a center of administration, religion and commerce, and the residence of kings, elites and commoners in the first millennium AD Phillipson (2000: 476) also agrees that such a term is appropriate for ancient Aksum as it had no defensive wall for its protection. In this article, environmental, geographical and historical contexts are discussed together with material culture, economy, population and territory to prepare the agenda for a presentation of multiple hypotheses as to why Aksum was selected as a metropolis of the Aksumites in the first millennium AD. Environmental, geographical, geological, floral and faunal factors are discussed as the prime determining factors for the choice of Aksum as a metropolis.