Ezana of Axum

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ezana-of-axum

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ezana of Axum born?Circa 300 AD
2. Where was Ezana of Axum born?Axum, Kingdom of Axum (modern-day Ethiopia)
3. When did Ezana of Axum die?Circa 350 AD
4. Who was Ezana of Axum?Ezana was a king of the ancient Kingdom of Axum in what is now Ethiopia. He ruled around 320 to 360 AD and made his kingdom very powerful. He is famous for turning Axum into a Christian country.
5. Why did Ezana conquer the Himyarite Kingdom?Ezana conquered the Himyarite Kingdom in southern Arabia to expand his land and control important trade routes across the Red Sea. This victory helped Axum trade with the Roman Empire and other places. It also showed how strong his army was.

Kingdom of Axum: A powerful ancient trading empire in Northeast Africa, renowned for its advanced civilization, maritime trade, and monumental architecture from the 1st to 8th centuries AD.
Himyarite Kingdom: An ancient South Arabian kingdom located in present-day Yemen, which was conquered by Ezana of Axum, extending Axumite influence into Arabia.
Ge'ez Script: An ancient South Semitic script originating in the Horn of Africa, used for inscriptions and liturgical purposes in Axum and still used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Byzantine Empire: The continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during late antiquity and the Middle Ages, with its capital at Constantinople.