gems, ancient history, Ethiopia, Red Sea, Axum, archaeology

Around 316 AD, Ethiopian history recounts that a shipwreck—or possibly a pirate attack—left a man named Meropius stranded at a Red Sea port; with him were two young Christian brothers, Frumentius and Aesedius, from Tyre or Sidon in Lebanon, and after Meropius and his companions were killed, the youths were taken to the royal court in Axum, where they taught the Words of Jesus to the royal children; later, between 328 and 346 AD, Frumentius journeyed from Axum to Alexandria via Tyre and requested a bishop from Patriarch Athanasius, who appointed Frumentius himself as the first Bishop of Axum, thus making the city predominantly Christian, much to Athanasius’ satisfaction—he is often depicted arguing with a pagan; by the sixth century, Axum was sending Christian missionaries into Africa and Arabia, though the kingdom declined shortly thereafter due to Arab incursions and a shift in trade routes, yet Christianity persisted among the Axumites, and despite poor communication, the Church of Axum remained under the Patriarchate of Alexandria until 1951.