The rise of Aksum
One of the world's four great powers, said a contemporary
From the 1st century AD the kingdom of Aksum in northern Ethiopia controlled Red Sea trade through the port of Adulis. Its kings minted their own gold coins, a rarity in the ancient world, and in the 3rd century the prophet Mani named Aksum one of the four great kingdoms alongside Rome, Persia and China. Its granite stelae, up to 33 m tall, still recall its power.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 1st century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Asia
- 105 Cai Lun and the invention of paper — 5 years later
Alive at the time
- Claudius Ptolemy (aged 0)
- Ban Zhao (aged 55)
- Zhang Heng (aged 22)