ABRAHA

PIANKHY

KING OF ETHIOPIA AND CONQUEROR OF EGYPT

(c. 720 B.C.)

King Piankhy of Nubia watched his tribute of gold, cattle, slaves, and fighting men floating down the Nile to his overlord, Osorkon III, king of Egypt. For more than 1800 years his country had been dominated by Egypt, which drew from it much of her gold and most of her fighting men. Now he decided that when tribute was next due he was going to be the receiver not the giver.

During his twenty-five years on the throne, he had been strengthening his power. With his renowned warriors, who had won most of Egypt's battles for her, he was going to march until he reached the mouth of the Nile. King Osorkon and his viceroy, the High Priest of Thebes, would both lick the dust from his feet, and he would return to his capital, Napata, loaded with wealth as no Nubian ruler had ever possessed before. This was in the eighth century B.C.

His plans ready, King Piankhy started out on the conquest of the world's then mightiest power. His fleet and transports were so numerous that they stretched for miles down the river. As he advanced, he captured all the small towns, sacrificing to the gods of Nubia on their altars, until at last he arrived at the first fortress, Hermopolis.

This he besieged and pressed so vigorously that the city was soon at his mercy. The ruler, Namlot, offered to surrender and sent many gifts including even his crown to win Piankhy's favor; but nothing availed until Namlot sent his queen to plead with Piankhy's women. Piankhy then consented to listen.

Throwing himself prostrate at the conqueror's feet, Namlot cried, "Be appeased, Horus, lord of the palace, it is thy might which has done it. I am one of the king's slaves, paying impost into the treasury."

To Piankhy he presented silver, gold, lapis lazuli, malachite, bronze, and costly stones. He filled Piankhy's treasury with the tribute, and gave him a magnificent horse and a sistrum of gold and lapis lazuli.

Namlot's example was followed by his people. Piankhy's inscription says: "Hermopolis threw herself upon her belly and pleaded before the king. Messengers came forth and descended bearing everything beautiful to behold; gold, every splendid costly stone, clothing in a chest, and the diadem which was upon his head; the uraeus, which inspireth fear of him, without ceasing during many days."

Piankhy spared their lives. Later when he visited the stables of Namlot and saw that the horses were famished, he expressed his pity.

With his mighty fleet, Piankhy captured every city until he came to Memphis, which was strongly fortified with high walls, a large garrison, and an abundance of food and supplies.

Landing on the north side of the city, Piankhy, though surprised at the strength of the place, devised a clever plan of assault. Seeing that the high walls on the west of the city had been recently raised still higher, he reasoned that the east side, naturally protected by waters, was probably being neglected. In the harbor ships floated so high that their bow ropes were fastened to the houses of the city. Piankhy, therefore, sent his fleet against the harbor and speedily captured all shipping; then, taking command in person, he rapidly ranged the captured craft together with his own fleet along the eastern walls. This furnished a footing for his assaulting lines, which he immediately sent over the ramparts, capturing the city before the western defenses could get into action. Tefnakhte, the commander, surrendered humbly.

Thus Piankhy won mastery of all the region around Memphis and continued his triumphant march toward Heliopolis; toward the temple of the great god Amen-Ra: toward the palace of Osorkon.

When he reached Heliopolis, King Osorkon and all the lords of the Delta, fifteen in number, surrendered without resistance. An inscription reads:

He came into the house of Ra and entered into the temple with great praise. The chief ritual prayed to the god that the rebels might be repelled from the king. The Dewat chamber was visited that the sedat-garment might be fastened on; he was purified with incense and libations; garlands from the pyramidon-house were presented to him; and flowers were brought to him. He ascended the steps of the front window to behold Ra in the pyramidon-house. The king himself stood alone, he broke through the bolts, opened the double doors, applied the clay and sealed them with the king's own seal. He charged the priests: "I have proved the seal, no other shall enter therein of all the kings who shall arise." They threw themselves upon their bellies before his majesty saying: "To abide, to endure without perishing, O Horus, Beloved of Heliopolis."

By thus entering the holy of holies of the Sun-God, Piankhy symbolized his mastery of Egypt. Ethiopia had become mistress of the then known world!

This done, Piankhy sailed for his home in the south, his ships "laden with silver, gold, copper, clothing, and everything of the Northland; every product of Syria and all the sweet woods of God's Land. His Majesty sailed up-stream with glad heart, the shores on either side were jubilating. West and East...singing: 'Oh, mighty ruler Piankhi, thou comest having gained the dominion of the North.... Thou art unto eternity, thy might endureth, O Ruler, beloved of Egypt.'"1

1. WORLD'S GREAT MEN OF COLOR, VOLUME 1 BY J.A. ROGERS, MACMILLAN PUBLISHING COMPANY, NEW YORK AND LONDON, 1972. PGS.89-92

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A LESSON ON ABRAHA (EMPEROR OF ETHIOPIA A.D. 350) WRITTEN BY J.A. ROGERS (WORLD'S GREAT MEN OF COLOR, VOLUME 1)

ABRAHA

EMPEROR OF ETHIOPIA WHOSE ADOPTION OF CHRISTIANITY CHANGED THE FACE OF THE WORLD (c. A.D.350)

FEW MEN have had greater influence on world history than Abraha, Emperor of Ethiopia, even though he lived 1600 years ago. His decision to change the religion of his country from paganism to Christianity probably changed the fate of white Western civilization. But for this, Europe might now be Moslem instead of Christian. When Islam was sweeping through all North Africa and southern Asia, Ethiopia held firmly against it--for more than a thousand years Ethiopia was the Verdun, so to speak, of Christianity in the East. Had Islam been able to conquer her, it would have swept over all of East Africa and effected a junction with the Islamic powers in Central and West Africa, and the Christian powers, which were European and white, might not have been able to get a foothold in Africa at all. Furthermore, had there been no Ethiopian opposition, Islam in its invasion of Europe in the eighth century--it reached almost to the gates of Paris--would undoubtedly have been more powerful and might have been able to conquer all of Western Europe. In any case, had not Ethiopia been Christian, the conquest of Africa by the white Christian powers would have been enormously more difficult.

Abraha's conversion came as the result of an accident. In A.D. 330 a number of Phoenicians who were en route to India were shipwrecked off the coast of Ethiopia, among them the two young sons of the leader, Merobius. The Ethiopians, who were then at war with Rome, killed all and saved the two lads. These were presented to the king, Ameda, who took them into his household.

One of them, Frumentius, became tutor to Abraha, the crown prince, whom he won over to Christianity. After making other converts, Frumentius returned to Constantinople where he was received by the emperor, Constantine the Great, who was so impressed by his story that he aided him. St. Athanasius, head of the church, made him a bishop. Returning to Ethiopia with his aides, Frumentius established the church, with Abraha, who was now king, giving him full support. Abraha also adopted for his empire the name "Ethiopia" from the Bible. Previously his titles had been: "King of the Axumites, Homerites, and Sabaens; ruler of Raiden, Zeilah, Tigre, Belljas, Kaens, King of Kings; Son of the Invincible God, Mars." His sway extended from the Nile eastwards to the Red Sea, and from the southern borders of Egypt to Zeilah on the Indian Ocean.

One of Abraha's first steps was the erection of a magnificent temple which became a center for Christian pilgrimage until its destruction by the Mohammedans 1200 years later.

Having established Christianity in his own land, Abraha became eager for its dissemination through Arabia and especially Yemen, the traditional land of his forebears, one of whom had been the famed Queen of Sheba.

Yemen at that time included much of what is now the Hedjaz. Its inhabitants, who claimed descent from Ishmael, son of Abraham and the Egyptian slave woman Hagar, were of mixed black and white ancestry, and were pagans and fire worshippers. Their holy city was Mecca, where there was a splendid kaaba, or temple, which, it is said, was built by Abraham and Ishmael. The other inhabitants of Yemen were Jews who had migrated there after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70.

Invading Yemen with a large army, Abraha defeated the Arabians and captured Mecca after a two months' siege. In this conquest of southern Arabia he succeeded where Rome had failed. Having sown the seeds of Christianity there, Abraha returned to his capital, Axum, laden with plunder. The cause of his departure is unknown, but his planting of Christianity there was later to cause worldwide repercussions.

Associated with Abraha in the government was his brother Eisebaha. L.J. Morie calls Abraha "the Clovis of Ethiopia, achieving less glory than Clovis but possessing more goodness and gentleness." "Chroniclers," he adds, "celebrate with high praise the grandeur and the virtues of the two beloved brothers who were always friends and equals without being rivals."

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