Surprising fact: In the 300s CE, Aksum placed the cross on gold coins—among the earliest anywhere.
At the center is King Ezana, a boy-king who became an empire-maker.
Raised amid Red Sea trade, tutored by Frumentius, he ruled a crossroads of Africa, Arabia, and India.
His victories were carved in Ge'ez and Greek on the Ezana Stone.
Then the pivot: Ezana embraced Christianity, with a bishop from Alexandria.
Coins dropped the disc-and-crescent for the cross.
Temples turned to churches; incense and chant in Ge'ez filled Aksum.
Result: one of the earliest Christian states on the Red Sea.
Art and diplomacy shifted—carved crosses, basilicas, royal decrees.
Beneath the stelae, Ezana’s legacy still speaks.