阿克苏姆是公元前或公元初在东北非洲的国家，首都为阿克苏姆城（今属埃塞俄比亚的提格雷省）。公元1世纪，一位古希腊商人写的《红海环航记》里首次提到它。国王埃扎纳在位时（320年－360年），征服埃塞俄比亚高原、麦罗埃和南阿拉伯，与罗马帝国皇帝君士坦丁缔结同盟条约，国势极盛，被称为“众王之王”。埃扎纳还皈依基督教，推行新拼音文本，使阿克苏姆成为世界上第一个以基督教为国教的国家。

阿杜利斯是阿克苏姆最重要的贸易中心：它地近曼德海峡，控制红海的航运；西距阿特巴拉河不远，沿河北上可至尼罗河中游，所以又是内陆贸易的集散地。来自意大利、埃及、拜占廷、印度的铁器、棉布、酒和装饰品，源源运进阿杜利斯，运出的是黄金、象牙、香料、犀角和玳瑁。使用铸有国王头像的金、银、铜币。阿克苏姆人民修建梯田和灌溉工程，种植小麦、葡萄、或放牧牛羊，驯猎野象。技术高超的匠人在山巅开凿（不是砌造）教堂和碉堡，堪称一绝。

The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was a trading nation in the area of Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia. It existed from approximately 100–940 CE. It grew from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period c. 4th century BCE to achieve prominence by the 1st century CE, and was a major player in the commercial route between the Roman Empire and Ancient India. The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency, the state established its hegemony over the declining Kingdom of Kush and regularly entered the politics of the kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, eventually extending its rule over the region with the conquest of the Himyarite Kingdom.