By Dr. Richard Pankhurst:-
Maintenance of Independence
Ethiopia’s mountainous and largely inaccessible terrain tended from
early times to isolate the country, and contributed much towards the
preservation of its independence in the era of the Scramble for Africa.
One of the most interesting aspects of Ethiopian history, and one
which is most often commented upon, is the fact that the country
preserved its independence throughout the colonial period. Colonialism
thus occurred only on the seaboard, where the Italians established the
colony of Eritrea in the late nineteenth century, and for the five years
of Mussolini’s very temporary occupation from 1936 to 1941. A quarter
of a century ago Daniel Thwaite wrote in his African Melting Pot,
subtitled a “Study of Black Nationalism”:
“Ethiopia’s Prestige”
Ethiopia’s prestige in Africa consequent upon her triumphant success
in repelling invasion, and in having remained unconquered throughout the
centuries, is practically unfathomable. To the Africans in general, not
only to those who invoked her as a liberator, she stands as a granite
monument, a living exponent and testimony of the innate puissance of the
black race, the shrine enclosing the last sacred spark of African
political freedom, the impregnable rock of black resistance against
white invasion, a living symbol, an incarnation of African
independence.”
By preserving her national independence in a continent which was
largely conquered by foreign powers Ethiopia became something unique in
Africa. Ethiopian history was in many ways different from that of the
rest of the African continent, being characterised on the one hand by
isolation and conservatism, and on the other by limited development
carried out by the rulers of the land independently of the European or
colonial powers. The object of the present series of articles is to
examine the twin theme of conservatism and innovation in the country’s
long recorded history.
Ancient Aksum
Ethiopian history is often said, rightly or wrongly, to begin with
the founding of the Aksumite realm long before the opening of the
Christian era. That state, to judge from archaeological evidence, rose
from modest beginnings to a high level of attainment. It displayed a
degree of innovation not to be apparent again until modern times. The
achievements of this period included the construction of
well-proportioned buildings of various kinds, the fashioning and
erection of the unique monoliths of Aksum, the evolution of a new script
and language, and the issue of currency for several hundred years.
“Learning Solomon’s Wisdom”
The Aksumite realm appears to have been considerably responsive to
developments in the outside world. This isapparent even in the legendary
Ethiopian story of the Queen of Sheba, as stated in the Kebra Nagast,
of “Glory of Kings.” In it we are told that the Queen travelled all the
way to Jerusalem to learn of Solomon’s wisdom. As the Book of Kings says
: “When the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the
name of the Lord, she came to prove him with questions.” Her approach
was thus, to say the least, innovative.
A thousand years after the Queen’s supposed lifetime, the unknown
author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Graeco-Egyptian trade
manual of the first century or so A.D., says that King Zoscales of Aksum
was “acquainted with Greek literature,” and Greek influence is
abundantly corroborated by the issue of Aksumite coins with Greek
lettering, as well as by the erection of Aksumite monuments in Greek.
One of these paid homage to Zeus, the father of the Greek gods, Ares,
the Greek god of war, and Poseidon, the Greek sea god.
Acceptance of Christianity
The subsequent conversion of the Aksumite state to Christianity,
which is thought to have taken place around 330 A.D. by the Syrian
Frumentius, known in Ethiopia as Abba Salama, was both rapid and largely
complete. So was the introduction, a century or so later, of the
monastic system.
Asylum for Early Muslims
Later again, in the early seventh century, King Armah of Aksum is
said to have displayed remarkable statesmanship, and lack of animosity,
when confronted with the rise of yet a new religion, Islam. He afforded
asylum to the early followers of the Prophet Mohammed, when they were
persecuted in Arabia, and, according to Arab tradition, refused to
return them to their persecutors. He is said to have declared, ” If you
were to offer me a mountain of gold I would not give up these people who
have taken refuge with me.”
Armah later reportedly sent a dowry to Mohammed on the occasion of
the latter’s marriage to one of the women who had found refuge in
Ethiopia. The Prophet reciprocated by praying for Armah’s soul and
commanding his followers to “leave the Abyssinians in peace,” thereby
exempting them from the ravages of the Holy War.
Early Commercial Contacts
In the first half millennium of the Christian era the Aksumite realm
won itself a significant position in the Middle East. Aksum received
diplomatic attention from the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire, and
for a time occupied part of South Arabia. Commercial relations were also
forged with many areas of the Orient, including Egypt, Nubia, Arabia,
Persia and India, and Aksumite ships appear to have travelled widely, in
the Red Sea and lndian Ocean.
Aksumite Innovation
Though our knowledge of the Aksumites is fragmentary the general
picture which emerges is thus of a relatively dynamic society ready to
innovate in all fields, and thus to play no mean role on the
international stage of the day.
Medieval Times
Passing down the centuries we may argue that the Ethiopian Empire of
the Middle Ages appears in many ways to have been more static than its
Aksumite predecessor of ancient times. Medieval Ethiopia was thus a
largely rural civilisation, in many respects not unlike that of medieval
Europe, and covered an extensive area of the East African plateau which
was at least nominally subject to the Emperors. The latter, whose
authority received strong support in the Fetha Nagast, or “Law of the
Kings,” a book of law partially based on the Bible. Ethiopian monarchs
wielded immense power over persons and property alike. They were highly
revered by their subjects, and were able to move far and wide at the
head of huge armies, at times perhaps a hundred thousand or more strong.
Social Hierarchy
A well-developed social hierarchy existed, composed of nobles,
priests, peasants and slaves, as well as traders and craftsmen. The two
latter were relatively few in number, and often clearly differentiated
from the rest of the population on the basis of either religion or
taboo. The existence of this complex social hierarchy, the primarily
agricultural character of the economy, and the absence of a market
mechanism, necessitated a system of taxation very largely based on the
payment of tribute in kind or labour, as well as types of land tenure in
which the sovereign allocated land to his subjects in return for
services rendered by them in peace or war. Other types of tenure,
however, were also operative, land in many areas being for example
firmly vested in the community.
Self Sufficiency
Economic life tended to be self-sufficient whether regarded from the
point of view of the empire, the province, the village, or even the
individual household, which in many instances produced most of the goods
it required.
Geographically, the mountainous nature of the land and the existence
of several large rivers and innumerable torrent-beds, which were of no
use for navigation, but constituted a formidable obstacle to land
traffic, and seriously discouraged communications between one area and
another. This tendency was intensified by historic factors, such as
hostile foreign control of the coast, a high degree of local autonomy in
many of the provinces, and the consequent system of internal customs
posts, as well as the dangers of war and brigandage. The absence of
currency and the consequent reliance on various forms of “primitive
money” also militated against the development of commerce.
Trade in this period was regarded as an inferior pursuit by the
majority of the Christian population of the plateau. Commercial activity
was largely in the hands of Muslims, who often received preferential
treatment from the Ottoman rulers at Massawa, as well as in Arabia,
Egypt and the Sudan, the main areas of commerce, where a knowledge of
Arabic in many cases also stood them in good stead. The tendency of
Muslims to be traders was further accentuated by the fact that in the
mainly Christian areas of the plateau it was difficult for them to hold
land or to obtain advancement in either government service or the army. A
popular Tigrinya proverb declared, “The sky has no pillar and the
Muslim no land.” Other traders included various foreigners, notably
Egyptians, Syrians, Armenians and Greeks, most of whom were subjects of
the Ottoman Empire, and hence privileged when travelling through lands
subject to it. Emperors of Ethiopia in many cases employed persons of
these races, rather than their own people, who had no feeling for
commerce, as their trade agents.
Source: http://www.linkethiopia.org
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