NMC Lecture: Aaron Butts

Ezānā of Aksum: The First Christian African King

This lecture reinterprets the fourth-century Aksumite king Ezana’s adoption of Christianity through contemporaneous coins and inscriptions, challenging the dominant scholarly narrative derived from church historians. It argues that Ezana—like Constantine a few decades earlier—used Christianity strategically, projecting his faith differently to distinct audiences for political effect. By reframing Ezana’s conversion and its context, the lecture offers a fresh view of both the king and Late Antique Aksum, suggesting that Christianity in the Horn of Africa spread from the bottom up rather than being imposed from above. This reassessment sets the stage for a new, longue durée history of Ethiopia.

* See the event poster: NMC Lecture-Dec 2-Aaron Butts.pdf

* This is a hybrid event.
Please use the following link to register for online participation. Meeting Registration - Zoom