Publication of the dissertation "Studies on the history and religious history of Aksum" by Niklas Bend

In the first centuries after the turn of the millennium, the kingdom of the kings of Aksum, located in the highlands of present-day Ethiopia, was a significant power factor in the Red Sea region. Economic contacts linked it with the Roman-dominated Mediterranean region, while the military radius of action of its rulers extended as far as southern Arabia and Sudan. The expansion to the coast also led to access to one of the main trade routes to India. The kings of Aksum set inscriptions, some of which were in Greek, issued coins with Greek legends and converted to Christianity around the middle of the fourth century. Often regarded as a peripheral area in classical studies, this study focuses on this unique culture of late antiquity, examining and analyzing historical, cultural, social and religious developments in detail.