One of the oldest Christian churches of the Aksumites discovered in Ethiopia

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many believe that they know everything about Christianity and its spread. Ethiopian Christians claim that their church is one of the oldest. The Christian faith in this area, as they believe, was brought by the first companions of the faith in ancient apostolic times. A recent archaeological find in northern Ethiopia may surprise some Christians, as well as people who have nothing to do with Christianity.

The area where archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient Christian church was once part of the mighty Aksumite Empire. During its heyday, this empire covered the territories of modern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and part of the Arabian Peninsula, the researchers note.

Historians managed to unearth the remains of a very important site of the Aksumite Empire: a large commercial and religious center. This ancient city was located north of the Sahara. Between the capital of the empire - Aksum, on the one hand, and the Red Sea, which the then inhabitants of this land called Yeha, on the other hand. The remains of a settlement unearthed during excavations may help uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the rise and fall of this oldest African empire.

Archaeologist Michael Harrower of Johns Hopkins University says that the Axum Empire was a very influential and powerful civilization in the ancient world. He also adds that it is a pity that the Western world is completely unaware of this. But, apart from Egypt and Sudan, which everyone knows about, the Aksumites are the earliest civilization with a complex structure on the African continent.

On the territory of the city of Beta Samati, the researchers found a whole group of commercial buildings, many residential buildings. The most important discovery was the discovery of one of the oldest Christian temples in Africa. Archaeologists attributed this structure to the 4th century AD. It is believed that it was built some time after Christianity was adopted in Aksum. On the territory of the temple, archaeologists have found a well-preserved pendant, coins, figurines and vessels for transporting wine.

The most interesting find was a black stone pendant with an inscription in the shape of a cross. The inscriptions on the pendant are made with the letters of the Ethiopian alphabet. This alphabet is still used in the region. Harrower also said the pendant was the size to hang around the neck and was likely worn by a local priest. The archaeological team also found the ring. The ring is forged from copper. It was covered with gold leaf on top. The jeweler who made the ring adorned it with carnelian, a red gem. The stone is engraved in the form of a bull's head with a wreath or a vine above its head.

The researchers determined the time of the construction of the discovered Christian temple as the same period of time when Christianity was first legalized by the Roman emperor Constantine. Rome was about 3000 miles from Axum.

The Axumite Empire connected Rome and Byzantium. It was an extremely large network of trade routes. Despite all this, little is known about the Aksumites.

There is a version that the king of Ezena converted the empire to Christianity in the middle of the fourth century, and soon after that this church was built. The building is quite large, very similar in style to the ancient Roman basilicas.

Inside the structure, researchers discovered a large number of artifacts of both secular and religious nature, including crosses, animal figurines, seals and tokens, which were most likely used for trade. Overall, the items they found suggested a mix of Christian and pre-Christian beliefs, as would be expected at the beginning of the spread of the faith.

The Aksum Empire was very powerful and influential until the 8-9 centuries, when its decline began. Islam came to the region. Muslims seized control of trade in the Red Sea. And the once mighty empire simply disappeared over time.

It is very interesting that despite the spread of Islam, the Christian faith remained strong and predominant in this region. Even when in the 16th century the area was captured by Muslims from Somalia and the Ottoman Empire. Despite this, the inhabitants of the region have preserved the Christian faith. Even now, almost half of the country considers itself to be members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

There are many other ancient Christian churches in Ethiopia. Many of them were built during the Middle Ages - not as venerable as the one that archaeologists have discovered today. Their construction is very curious. They are built underground! The depth of the square pits where these temples were built reaches 50 meters. This is the height of two nine-story buildings!

These buildings have a roof and cross-shaped windows. Everything was built of stone. These churches are significantly younger than the one found at Beta Sameti. There are several theories about who might have built these churches. Some say that the temples were built by order of King Lalibela. He visited Jerusalem, was very upset that the temple in the holy land was destroyed and the king decided to build his "new Jerusalem". Other historians claim that the temples were built by the Templars. And there is a fantastic version that churches were erected by angels overnight. There is not much concrete evidence to support any of the theories, but one thing is clear: Ethiopia's claim that it is the oldest "official" Christian country in the world has a very concrete ground.

Continuing the topic, interesting facts on the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, which will make you look at it differently.