Aksum: Water and Urbanization in Northern Ethiopia

Aksum, located between modern northern Ethiopia and central Eritrea, exemplifies the intricate relationship between water resources and urbanization, a dynamic that has significantly shaped its history. This region, recognized for its early state societies in sub-Saharan Africa, saw the emergence of complex societies from the second millennium BC, culminating in the kingdom of Aksum (50 BC–AD 700/800). The study reveals how Aksum's strategic geographical and topographic position, coupled with abundant water and land resources, sustained its growth for a thousand years. It engaged in long-distance trade, developed literature and coinage, and played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity into Africa. The research integrates environmental, archaeological, and historical sources to elucidate how early societies interacted with their diversified environment and devised strategies to manage water and land resources effectively. These findings highlight the resilience of local subsistence systems, which persisted even after the collapse of temporal power towards the late first millennium AD.

Sulas, F. (2014). Aksum: Water and Urbanization in Northern Ethiopia. A History of Water: Series III, Volume 1. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755694310.ch-008