Ethiopia is home to the ancient city of Aksum, famous for its monumental stelae.
Aksum was the centre of the Aksumite Empire, a major power in the Red Sea region from late antiquity. The city’s carved stone obelisks, or stelae, marked elite burials and displayed the engineering and artistic abilities of the society that produced them.
The Aksumite kingdom controlled important trade routes linking the African interior with Arabia and the wider Indian Ocean world. It adopted Christianity in the fourth century under King Ezana, making it one of the earliest states to do so officially.
Aksum is sometimes confused with sites in neighbouring Eritrea because the ancient kingdom extended across parts of both modern countries. The famous archaeological city and principal stelae field are in northern Ethiopia.