Ancient Axum, located in modern-day Ethiopia, was a prosperous civilization known for its strategic location along trade routes connecting Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean. The economy of Axum was primarily based on trade, facilitated by its access to the Red Sea and control over key ports such as Adulis. Axum traded goods such as ivory, gold, frankincense, and agricultural products with Egypt, Arabia, India, and the Roman Empire. The kingdom also minted its own currency, which further facilitated trade. Additionally, Axum's economy was supported by agriculture, with crops like millet, teff, and barley being cultivated in the region. The kingdom's wealth and trade networks played a significant role in its political and cultural influence in the ancient world.
Axumite was in modern-day Ethiopia and stretched out to southern Yemen. It commonly fought with territories like Carthage and other smaller eastern groups. In terms of terrain, the geography of Axumite would put them in a desert climate with some coastal territories near the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. There is some evidence to show that the many sea merchants might have stayed and interacted with the people in those other territories as far east as Indonesia and as far west as Spain.
The Axumite Kingdom thrived from the 1st to the 7th century AD, controlling parts of northern Ethiopia and the southern Arabian peninsula. Trade was crucial to its success, with control over the Red Sea and connections to trade routes from the Byzantine Empire to China. Trade with the Byzantine Empire introduced Christianity, and the empire became Christianized in the 4th century under King Ezana. The wealth from trade allowed Axum to create its own coins and build a powerful navy. However, the loss of trade due to Arab Muslim control of the Red Sea contributed to the empire's downfall.