Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History / The Aksumite Silver Trade: Coins, Kings, and Indian Ocean Commerce
Transcript
- Lucas: When we talk about ancient trade empires, Aksum doesn't always get the spotlight it deserves. We've covered the Swahili coast and the Nabataeans, but Aksum—in what's now Ethiopia and Eritrea—was a major economic force from about the first to the seventh century CE. Luna: Right, I remember we touched on Aksum in the silver episode. But what made their trade so distinctive? Lucas: One huge factor was their control over the port of Adulis, on the Red Sea. That was the gateway for goods coming from the interior of Africa—ivory, gold, frankincense, and myrrh—as well as for imports from the Roman world and India. But what I find most fascinating is their coinage. Aksum was one of the few ancient African states to mint its own coins, and they did so in gold, silver, and bronze. Lucas: The silver coins, in particular, tell a really interesting story. They were minted from the third century onward, and they've been found in hoards as far away as Yemen and even India. That suggests they were trusted as a medium of exchange across the Indian Ocean. Luna: So they were like a global currency? That's impressive for a kingdom that most people don't know much about. Lucas: Exactly. And the imagery on the coins evolved over time—early ones showed pagan symbols like the crescent and disc, but after King Ezana converted to Christianity around the mid-fourth century, the coins started featuring the cross. That conversion was a turning point, because it aligned Aksum with the Byzantine Empire and opened up diplomatic and trade ties. Lucas: Ezana himself is a key figure. He's one of the first rulers in history to mint coins with explicitly Christian iconography. There's also the Ezana Stone, an inscription in Ge'ez that records his victories and his conversion. It's a crucial source for understanding Aksumite history. Luna: What about the silver trade specifically? Was it as lucrative as the gold? Lucas: Silver wasn't as abundant as gold in Aksum, but it was important for smaller transactions and for trade with regions like South Arabia, where silver was scarce. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea—a first-century Greek guide to trade routes—mentions that Adulis exported ivory, tortoiseshell, and rhinoceros horn, but it also notes imports of silverware from the Roman world. Lucas: So Aksumites were importing silver objects and then reworking them into their own coinage. There's evidence that they melted down Roman silver denarii and Sasanian drachms to mint their own coins. That shows how interconnected the economies were. Luna: Interesting—so they were recycling foreign currency into their own brand. Lucas: Precisely. And the silver coinage helped facilitate trade with Himyar, in Yemen, which was a major hub for frankincense and myrrh. Aksum even intervened militarily in Himyar in the sixth century, partly to protect Christian communities and partly to secure trade routes. Lucas: But by the seventh century, Aksum's power began to decline. The rise of Islam shifted trade networks away from the Red Sea toward the Persian Gulf, and Aksum lost its monopoly on Red Sea commerce. The port of Adulis was eventually eclipsed by newer Islamic ports like Jeddah. Luna: So the silver trade faded along with the empire's political influence? Lucas: Pretty much. The last Aksumite coins were minted in the early seventh century, and after that, the region entered a long period of isolation. But for about six hundred years, Aksum was a major player in the global economy—and its silver coins are a tangible reminder of that. Luna: Are there any famous hoards of Aksumite silver coins that have been found? Lucas: Yes, several. One of the most important is the 'Adulis Hoard,' discovered in the 1860s near the port itself. It contained hundreds of Aksumite coins, mostly silver, spanning several centuries. Another notable hoard was found in Yemen, at a site called Raybun, which included Aksumite silver alongside Himyarite and Roman coins. Lucas: These hoards give us a chronological sequence of the coin types, which helps historians date the reigns of Aksumite kings. The silver coins often have the king's name and a portrait, so we can trace the stylistic changes over time. Luna: That's like a timeline in metal. Lucas: Exactly. And the fact that they're found in foreign contexts shows that Aksumite silver was accepted abroad. There's even a record of an Aksumite ambassador presenting silver coins as gifts to the Byzantine court. Lucas: So when we think about the Aksumite silver trade, it's not just about economics—it's about diplomacy, identity, and how a relatively small kingdom on the Horn of Africa projected its power through a carefully managed currency. Luna: It really puts Aksum on the map as a serious trade empire.