An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia

Description

Ethiopia, lying on the sea route between the great civilizations of the East and Egypt, played no mean role in the history and economic life of ancient times. Its relations with the Hellenic world— both cultural and economic— were particularly close. The importance of the Aksumite empire, which produced the famous stone obelisks of Northern Ethiopia, was recognized not only by the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire but by the prophet Mohamed, whose followers fled thither from the Arabian persecutions.

Converted to Christianity at a very early period, Ethiopia during the Middle Ages had much in common with the warring feudal kingdoms of Medieval Europe, though an examination of the economic and political structure of this ‘Land of Prester John’ reveals interesting contrasts.

Because of its long-established institutions, the chronicles of its kings, and the testimony of foreign visitors, Ethiopia offers fertile ground for the study of African history, which is receiving increasing attention throughout the world.

Dr. Pankhurst’s exhaustive study, the first attempt at a comprehensive economic history of the country, examines such topics as the system of government and taxation, the organization of the army, the mode of land tenure, the extent of urban development, the state of agriculture and farming, the utilization of forests and minerals, problems of communication, the direction of trade routes, the division of labor and the role of foreigners, health and medicine, the various types of currency and ‘primitive money’ employed, the character of internal and external trade, including the slave trade, and the question of access to the sea.