Episodes

  • Axum's King Kaleb and the Invasion of Himyar

    Axum's King Kaleb and the Invasion of Himyar
    Jul 4 2026
    In 518 CE, the Jewish king Dhu Nuwas of Himyar massacred Christians in Najran, provoking a response from the Christian Negus of Axum, Kaleb. This episode follows Kaleb's invasion of Yemen, the war that made Axum a regional superpower, and the controversies surrounding the massacre and its aftermath. We discuss Dhu Nuwas's motives, the role of Byzantium, and the enigmatic figure of Abreha who later ruled as a viceroy. Fresh ground: the Himyarite inscriptions and the Martyrdom of Arethas provide our sources, alongside Procopius of Caesarea. This is the climax of Axum's Red Sea hegemony before the Sasanian intervention. #Axum #Kaleb #Himyar #DhuNuwas #Najran #Yemen #RedSea #Byzantium #Abreha #Procopius #6thCentury #Christianity #Judaism #Massacre #MartyrdomOfArethas #AxumiteEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Axum's King Gadarat and the War for South Arabia

    Axum's King Gadarat and the War for South Arabia
    Jul 4 2026
    In this episode of The Kingdom of Axum: Rome's Forgotten African Rival, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of King Gadarat, an early Axumite ruler who launched a military campaign into South Arabia around 200 CE. Drawing on Sabaean inscriptions and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, they piece together how Gadarat conquered parts of Himyar and Sabaean territory, leaving behind monumental inscriptions in Ge'ez and Sabaean. The episode examines the geopolitical context—Axum's rivalry with the Sabaean kingdom, control of the incense trade, and early alliances with Himyarite tribes. They also discuss the controversy over whether Gadarat is the same king as 'GDRT' mentioned in South Arabian texts, and how his campaigns set the stage for later Axumite dominance in Arabia under Kaleb and Ezana. A fascinating look at the shadowy early centuries of Axumite expansion. #Axum #Gadarat #GDRT #SouthArabia #Himyar #Sabaean #PeriplusErythraeanSea #RedSea #IncenseTrade #Ge'ez #Adulis #AncientAfrica #RomanEra #Kaleb #Ezana #Epigraphy #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Axum's Trade Empire: Spices, Silk, and the Red Sea Monopoly

    Axum's Trade Empire: Spices, Silk, and the Red Sea Monopoly
    Jul 3 2026
    While Axum is often remembered for its towering stelae and early Christian kings, its economic engine was something far more subtle and far-reaching: control of the Red Sea spice routes. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Axum's port of Adulis became the hinge of a vast trading network linking the Roman Empire, India, and East Africa. They trace the journey of cinnamon, frankincense, and myrrh from source to market, examine the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as a historical source, and discuss how Axum leveraged its geographic position to become a middleman empire. The episode also covers the kingdom's diplomatic and military efforts to protect its commercial interests against rival powers like Himyar and the Sasanians, and the eventual decline of its trade dominance as new powers emerged. Lucas explains the role of ivory, tortoiseshell, and obsidian in Axum's exports, and how the kingdom's coinage facilitated long-distance transactions. This is a story of merchants, sailors, and the invisible infrastructure that made Axum one of the ancient world's great commercial powers. #Axum #Adulis #RedSeaTrade #PeriplusErythraeanSea #SpiceRoute #AncientTrade #EastAfrica #RomanEmpire #IndiaTrade #Frankincense #Myrrh #Cinnamon #Ivory #Himyar #Sasanian #FexingoHistory #History #AncientEconomy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • Axum's Lost Metropolis: The Discovery of Adulis

    Axum's Lost Metropolis: The Discovery of Adulis
    Jul 3 2026
    Adulis was the port that made Axum rich — a gateway for ivory, gold, and slaves, and a melting pot of Greek, Egyptian, Indian, and African cultures. But for centuries, its exact location was lost. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the rediscovery of Adulis in the 19th century, the rival expeditions that fought over its ruins, and what the site tells us about Axum's role in the Indian Ocean trade network. They discuss the Peripleus of the Erythraean Sea, the frescoes of the Adulis palace, the mysterious Monumentum Adulitanum, and the ethical questions around colonial archaeology. A story of sand, ships, and stolen history. #Adulis #Axum #RedSea #IndianOceanTrade #MonumentumAdulitanum #PeriplusErythraeanSea #CosmasIndicopleustes #GiuseppeBrocchi #HenrySalt #EthiopianHistory #EastAfrica #Archaeology #MaritimeTrade #IvoryTrade #ClassicalWorld #AncientHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Axum's Obelisks: Engineering, Meaning, and Legacy

    Axum's Obelisks: Engineering, Meaning, and Legacy
    Jul 2 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the monumental obelisks of Aksum, focusing on the engineering feats, religious symbolism, and cultural legacy of these towering stelae. They discuss the Great Stele, the largest monolithic obelisk ever attempted, its probable weight of 517 tons, and the quarry at Wuchate Golo where it was carved. The conversation covers the stelae's role as markers for underground tombs, the mystery of why the Great Stele fell during construction, and how later obelisks like King Ezana's were inscribed with Christian crosses. Lucas explains the use of a single iron chisel and wooden wedges to shape granite, the transportation challenge, and the theories about raising the obelisks using earthen ramps. They also touch on the Italian removal of the Axum Obelisk in 1937 and its eventual return in 2005. The hosts tie the obelisks to Aksumite identity, showing how they evolved from pagan symbols to Christian monuments, reflecting the empire's religious transformation. #Aksum #Axum #Obelisks #GreatStele #WuchateGolo #Ezana #Ge'ez #Mahrem #Negus #Stelae #Monolith #Quarry #Engineering #Christianity #Pagan #ItalianOccupation #Repatriation #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • Axum's Lost King: The Mystery of Sembrouthes

    Axum's Lost King: The Mystery of Sembrouthes
    Jul 2 2026
    Lucas and Luna dive into the enigma of King Sembrouthes — an Aksumite ruler who left behind the longest royal inscription in the region, the Monumentum Adulitanum, yet remains nearly unknown outside scholarly circles. They explore what the inscription actually says: campaigns against the Beja and Sabaeans, claims over vast Red Sea trade networks, and a fourth-century war that reshaped the Horn of Africa. The episode also examines how the inscription survived only through the copy made by the Byzantine merchant Cosmas Indicopleustes, why its original location is still debated, and what Sembrouthes' reign reveals about Axum's peak as a Mediterranean and Indian Ocean power. Along the way, Lucas explains Sembrouthes' unusual title 'King of the Four Quarters' — a phrase that echoes Persian and Indian imperial rhetoric — and what it says about Axum's ambitions. Luna asks sharp questions about the Beja threat, the reliability of Cosmas' transcription, and why Sembrouthes vanished from later Ethiopian chronicles. A short pitch for listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo keeps the show ad-free. #Sembrouthes #MonumentumAdulitanum #AxumiteKingdom #Kush #Beja #Himyar #Sabaean #CosmasIndicopleustes #Adulis #RedSea #Negus #Basileus #KingOfTheFourQuarters #Esarhaddon #ShapurI #EastAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Axum's King Endubis and the First African Coinage

    Axum's King Endubis and the First African Coinage
    Jul 1 2026
    Long before Axum rivaled Rome, a king named Endubis minted the first indigenous coins in sub-Saharan Africa. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Endubis used gold and silver not just for trade, but to project power and declare his kingdom's sovereignty. They discuss the blend of Ge'ez inscriptions with Greek and South Arabian motifs, the discovery of his coins in early 20th-century excavations, and what these tiny artifacts reveal about Axum's place in the ancient world economy. From the weight standards borrowed from Rome to the iconography of the bucranium and the crescent-and-disc, they trace how a single coin could signal wealth, religion, and ambition. They also touch on the challenge of dating Endubis's reign—debated between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD—and why his coinage marks a turning point in African history. No prior knowledge of numismatics needed, just curiosity about how empires advertise themselves. #Axum #Endubis #Coinage #Numismatics #Ge'ez #Adulis #RedSea #AncientEconomy #Bucranium #CrescentAndDisc #GoldCoin #SilverCoin #RomanEmpire #Sassanid #Meroe #EthiopianHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    11 mins
  • Axum's Golden Age: King Ezana's Conquest of Kush

    Axum's Golden Age: King Ezana's Conquest of Kush
    Jul 1 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the reign of King Ezana, the fourth-century Axumite ruler who conquered the Kingdom of Kush (Meroe) and declared Christianity the state religion. They explore the archaeological evidence—the Ge'ez inscriptions on the Ezana Stone and the Monumentum Adulitanum—that record his campaigns against the Noba and Kushites, culminating in the sacking of Meroe. Lucas explains how Ezana's conversion reshaped Axumite ideology from polytheistic war-god worship to a Christian kingdom, and how his coins tell the story of that transition. The hosts also touch on the mysterious 'Beja' tribes and the decline of Kush, and reflect on why Axum's Christianization was unique—not imposed by a foreign power but chosen by a king. If you've been following the Axum series, this episode fills a critical gap: how the empire reached its territorial peak and set the stage for its later conflicts with Himyar and Sassanid Persia. #Axum #Ezana #Kush #Meroe #Noba #Beja #MonumentumAdulitanum #EzanaStone #Ge'ez #Adulis #Christianity #RomanEmpire #RedSea #EastAfrica #AncientHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 mins