The Aksumite people (or Axumites) represent the Kingdom of Aksum, an Antiquity Age civilization in Civilization VII.
The Aksumites' civilization ability is Kingdom of Natural Wealth, which grants 
Gold on 
Resources in Coastal 
Settlements. Their associated 
Wonder is the Great Stele, and their unique assets are as follows:
| Asset | Description |
|---|---|
 Dhow
|
+4  Combat Strength on Coast.Has 1 charge to create a naval  Trade Route.
|
 Tankwa
|
+2 Gold. +10 Trade Range.Cannot be plundered. |
 Hawilt
|
+2 Gold. +1  Culture for each adjacent Hawilt or Wonder.
|
 Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
|
+1 Resource Capacity in Settlements adjacent to Coast.
|
 Periplus of the Erythraean Sea II
|
+1 Gold on  Districts adjacent to Coast.
|
| Monumentum Adulitanum
|
Culture and  Happiness Buildings gain +1 Culture adjacency bonuses with Hawilts.
|
| Book of the Himyarites
|
Dhows gain +1  Movement and ignore Zone of Control.
|
 Port of Nations
|
+2 Culture and +2 Gold for every active Trade Route.
|
| Throne Of My Fathers
|
+15% Gold in Cities adjacent to Coast.
|
| May This Please The People
|
+2 Culture on Resources on or adjacent to Coast.
|
Intro[]
Triangle-rigged dhows cut the waves, as Aksum ventures in search of new horizons and new markets. In their walled cities, the rulers of Aksum carve their legacy in stone and raise it to the heavens. Take the rudder and hoist the sails of Aksum, and steer your crew to luxury or conquest. Raise the hawilti and herald Aksum as the lords of the age.
Tips and hints[]
The Dhow unique Naval Unit can create Trade Routes if you have Open Borders, saving you a Merchant. With the Port of Nations Tradition, you can also receive extra Culture and Gold on all your Trade Routes.
Strategy[]
|
Share your wisdom!
How do you use Aksum? |
Civilopedia entry[]
The ancient Mediterranean world featured arteries of trade extending from Rome to China (in later years, and through different routes, this would become the Silk Road). On the southern end of this route was the kingdom of Aksum, cited by the prophet Mani as one of the great powers of the world, alongside Rome, China, and Persia. Aksum believed it was the inheritor of Kush, or Nubia, which was called Ethiopia by the Greeks. This was the upper part of the Nile River (now known as the southern part, which is confusing if you’re looking at a map but makes sense if you’re sailing the river). This kingdom had its own language, culture, and identity that was linked deeply with Egypt. Kush traded with Egypt and was subjugated by them, but at times ruled over the entire Nile. Aksum bridged the Red Sea and controlled trade routes linking Africa to India, leaving the Mediterranean proper to Greek and Roman powers.
Life at either end of this trade route had its advantages. If Aksum and Rome kept their frontiers fortified, they could profit from trade without being trampled by the armies that crossed over Persia and India. The list of goods Aksum traded is impressive: rhino horn, ivory, and all manner of products from the African interior. Given its position at the mouth of the Red Sea, Aksum was well poised to capitalize on trade between India and Roman-controlled Egypt, especially when merchants wanted to bypass Syria and other potential Persian possessions.
This kingdom also anticipated later Christian Ethiopian realms. While the Aksumites originally practiced their own polytheistic religion, one king captured a Christian boy from Tyre called Frumentius. Frumentius remained in Aksum to educate the imperial heir, Ezana, whom he later converted to Christianity. Ezana’s conversion was likely motivated by the promise of stronger trading ties with the Mediterranean, particularly the Roman Empire, through shared religion. In addition to Christianity, modern-day Ethiopians trace their script, Ge’ez, back to Aksum, although it is debated how much of Aksumite culture was Arabic in origin and how much was from sub-Saharan Africa.
Aksum’s days were numbered as Muslim caliphates rose in the seventh century CE. The expanding Arab powers not only threatened Aksumite possessions in Yemen, but the Muslim conquest of Egypt and the establishment of trade empires based on religious connections meant that Aksum’s culture-defining trade routes went nowhere under Ethiopian rule. Unwilling to convert this time, the Aksumite kings faded into the introverted Ethiopian dynasties of the medieval period.
While Aksum laid the foundations for modern-day Ethiopia, one wonders about an Ethiopia that could have been. If Aksum had maintained an open link with Byzantium, the fortunes of the eastern Mediterranean and general Orthodoxy might be different. One could imagine an Orthodox sphere of power extending south to the Swahili coast, stretching from Constantinople to present-day Kenya. But that was not to be, and once Aksum was cut off, it faded.
But “faded” might not be the best term as historical records cite a 10th century invasion of Aksum, either by a Jewish queen named Gudit or by a queen from southern lands (i.e. Kenya). Some kind of military action occurred in the region, but allegations pointing to non-Christians should be taken a grain of salt, given the prejudices of that era. Other sources suggest that a brief centuries-long rainy period ended, reverting Ethiopia to its drier roots and hurting the Aksumite food base. As a power in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia would rise again, but this time as the master of the highlands and not the Red Sea. Still, this is a story of another time, a time of the Battle of Adwa, the rock-hewn churches of the hills, of resistance to colonialism (and internal colonization).
Cities[]
Age Transition Quotes[]
When age progress reaches 100% or player gets eliminated/retires, one of these quotes will be read depending on the last legacy path completed:
- Culture: "Aksum distinguished its lands with many wonders--in commemoration of its dead, as a reminder of who lived and flourished here."
- Economic: "Aksum was a strict gatekeeper, and only admitted the finest goods. When its markets prospered, so did its people."
- Military: "The coldest tempests, steepest mountains, vastest seas--nothing could slow the march of Aksum's conquering armies, nor delay the submission of its neighbors."
- Science: "Knowledge was as precious a resource as gold or silk. Aksum filled their vaults with it, and amassed wealth beyond measure."
- Defeat: "When the scales of victory were finally weighed, Aksum fell short. Still, its scions could wish for no better inheritance."
Trivia[]
- The Aksumite civilization's symbol is a stylized Ethiopian Coptic cross, a Christian symbol in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
- The Aksumite civilization ability references the region's vast natural resources, including salt, gold, iron, ivory and incense, a factor which led to Aksumite dominance in the intercontinental trade networks of the Ancient world.
- The Aksumite background art depicts travelers under a starry night sky passing by a ḥawält (Aksumite stele) and obelisks.
Soundtrack[]
| Original Track | № | Based on | Credits | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Kingdom of Aksum (Antiquity Age)" | 7 | Composed by Roland Rizzo Performed by Geoff Knorr & Sandro Friedrich |
4:19 |
Gallery[]
.png "Aksumite city in-game (Civ7).png (6.78 MB)")
.png "Dhow in-game (Civ7).png (926 KB)")
.png "Hawilt in-game (Civ7).png (985 KB)")
.png "Great Stele in-game (Civ7).png (3.76 MB)")
.jpg "Aksumite Background (Civ7).jpg (67 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- Aksumite in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Civilizations [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Antiquity |
|
| Exploration | |
| Modern | |
| 1 Requires DLC | |