History and Archaelogy - Kirs
In 1949 J.J.L. Duyvendak had pointed out to Zheng-He travels, in his "The Chinese Discovery of Africa", Richard Pankhurst cites a number of Axumite coins recovered betweend India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"There
was a road that went through Eritrea and to the port of Azab and
Adule conducted trade with the Far East,
Greece, Egypt and
India.
This trade consisted of commodities such as ivory, gold, rhino horn,
hippo hides and teeth, wild animals, frankincense, Nubian emeralds and
slaves. The trade was wide and varied and skills employed in the
manufacture of these goods were
extensive. There were imports of silk, cotton, swords, wine glasses, silver
and gold which were manufactured into plates as well as the creation of
large gold and bronze statues. Trade links existed with Kush, Egypt, the
Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Basin, Arabia, India, Sri Lanka and
China. Again the skills and knowledge employed to make these links
possible was enormous. This was a world which was connected and which
carved out and developed trade routes some of which still are in existence
today. The Straits of Bab al-Mandeb was one of the three major shipping
routes of the ancient world. Ethiopia was the first country in the world to
mint a coin with a Christian symbol and the second country in the world to
adopt Christianity as its state religion."
Richard Pankhurst in R. Hopkins, "Trade".
It
is no novelty that by the year one thousand the world power, China,
had little or no interest in Europe. Three centuries before the
celebrated Marco Polo voyages, China was instead, it would now appear,
extensively trading with the African oriental coast. Much as it is
today.
A 'treasure' including 105 pieces of gold coins from inner India was found, specularly, in the Debre Damo Monastry mountain fortress grounds.
Sada
Mire, archaeologist, head of antiquities in the Somaliland Government,
Hargeysa and a lecturer at the London SoAS, has found around seventy
towns and trade posts that cover the north Somalia coast and point
inland to eastern Ethiopia. Interestingly, she has also found beautiful
Ming blue pottery shards and more ancient Chinese pottery in a sea port
excavation.
