Ethiopia and the Horn History Practice Flashcards

Three hundred flashcards covering Ethiopian history from the language families and pre-Aksumite states to the Zemene Mesafint and mid-19th century.

How many languages are spoken in the Ethiopian region and the Horn of Africa?

About $85$ languages

Which country in Africa has its own written alphabet called the Ethio-Semitic script?

Ethiopia

What are the four super-families of languages spoken in Africa?

Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, and Khoisan

Which two language super-families are spoken in Ethiopia and the Horn?

Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan

What are the six families of the Afro-Asiatic super-family?

Cushitic, Omotic, Semitic, Berber, Chadic, and ancient Egyptian

Which three Afro-Asiatic families are spoken in Ethiopia and the Horn?

Cushitic, Omotic, and Semitic

Into which four branches is the Cushitic family divided?

North, Central, East, and Southern Cushitic

Which people represent the North Cushitic branch in north-western Eritrea?

The Beja people

What is the alternative name for the Central Cushitic family?

Agaw languages

List the groups that speak Central Cushitic/Agaw languages.

Bilen, Agaw, Hamtang, Qimant, and Awign

What is the largest and most diversified branch of the Cushitic family?

East Cushitic

Which groups belong to the Highland East Cushitic branch?

Hadiya, Kambata, Sidama, Gedeo, Halaba, Burji, Libido

Which groups belong to the Lowland East Cushitic branch?

Afan Oromo, Afar, Somali, Konso, Gidole, Erbore, Dassanach, Saho

In which country is the Omotic family spoken exclusively?

Ethiopia

Where do the main speakers of the Omotic family live?

Omo valley in Southern and South-western Ethiopia

List some main speakers of the Omotic family.

Wolaita, Gamo, Gofa, Dauwro, Konta, Dizi, Kafa, Maji, Ari, Sheko, Dorze, and Yem

Into which two branches is the Ethio-Semitic family divided?

North Ethio-Semitic and South Ethio-Semitic

Which languages constitute the North Ethio-Semitic branch?

Tigre, Tigrigna, and Ge'ez

Which languages constitute the South Ethio-Semitic branch?

Gurage, Amharic, Argoba, Harari, and Silti

Which language remains a literary language of the Orthodox Tewahido Church but is not spoken?

Ge'ez

Which Ethio-Semitic language is described as extinct?

Gafat

Where are Nilo-Saharan languages mainly spoken in Ethiopia?

Benishangul-Gumuz and Gambella

List the main Nilo-Saharan speakers in Ethiopia.

Anuak, Nuer, Majang, Mien, Berta, Gumuz, Komo, Ma'o, and Kunama

What is a common feature of indigenous religions in Ethiopia regarding a supreme being?

The existence of a supreme being identified with the sky and addressed through spirits

What is the name of the indigenous religion practiced by the Oromo people?

Waqefanna

What are the names for male and female priests in the Waqefanna religion?

Qallu (male) and Qalliti (female)

Who is the central deity in the Oromo religion?

Waqa

What is the title of the spiritual leader whose blessings held special importance in Oromo religion?

Abba Muda

What are the manifestations of Waqa's creative spirit called in Oromo religion?

Ayyana

What is the name of the ceremonial practice through which pilgrims received blessings from Abba Muda?

Jila

What was the name of the deity in the indigenous religion of the Hadya people?

Waa

How did the Hadya perceive the sun and moon in relation to Waa?

They were perceived as the eyes of Waa

When did Judaism enter Ethiopia according to historical introduction notes?

As early as the $8^{th}$ century B.C.

Who was the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba?

King Menelik I

From whom do the Bete-Israel of Ethiopia claim descent?

Companions of Menelik I and Jews who fled during the Babylonian Captivity

In which century was Christianity introduced into Ethiopia from the eastern Mediterranean?

$4^{th}$ century A.D.

Who was responsible for converting the Aksumite king Ezana to Christianity?

Frumentius

What was King Ezana's name after baptism?

Abreha

What evidence on coins and inscriptions confirms King Ezana's conversion?

The trilingual inscription and crosses on coins

Who consecrated Frumentius as the first bishop of Ethiopia?

Patriarch Athanasius of Alexandria

Who succeeded Frumentius as the head of the Ethiopian Church?

Minas of Egyptian origin

What was the result of the $42^{nd}$ Pseudo-Canon of the Council of Nicea for the Ethiopian Church?

It prohibited Ethiopians from occupying the position of patriarch/head of the church

Who was the first Ethiopian-born patriarch ordained in $1959$?

Abba Basilios

Who were the Nine Saints?

Abba Aregawi, Abba Penelewon, Abba Gerima, Abba Aftse, Abba Guba, Abba Alef, Abba Yem’ata, Abba Liqanos, and Abba Sehma

What contributions did the Nine Saints make to the church?

Studied Ge'ez, preached, introduced monastic institutions, and translated the Bible into Ge'ez

Who is credited with creating Ethiopian church liturgy and hymns?

Saint Yared

What is the oldest existing example of Christian architecture in Ethiopia?

Debre Damo

In what year did followers of Prophet Mohammed first seek asylum in Aksum?

$615$ A.D.

Who led the first group of Muslim refugees to the Kingdom of Aksum?

Jafar, the Prophet's cousin

How did the Prophet Mohammed characterize the relationship with Ethiopians?

He ordered they should not be attacked or forcibly converted

Through which two ports did Islam enter Ethiopia on a large scale?

Dahlak Islands and the port of Zeila

By the beginning of which century was Islam established in the Dahlak Islands?

$8^{th}$ century A.D.

What was the earliest historically known state in the Horn of Africa?

Punt

Which Egyptian Pharaoh sent an expedition to Punt to collect myrrh and ebony?

Pharaoh Sahure

Where is the best-described expedition to Punt documented?

The tomb of Queen Hatshepsut at Dier El Bahri

List some exports from Punt to Egypt.

Frank incense, cinnamon, sweet smelling woods, spices, ivory, and exotic animal products

What were some imports into Punt from Egypt?

Axes, daggers, swords, knives, sickles, clothes, and jewelry

Between which years did the state of Da'amat exist?

$980-400$ BC

What was the capital of Da'amat?

Yeha

Where was Yeha located relative to Aksum?

$30$ kms to the northeast

What was the period of greatest prosperity for Da'amat?

$750$ to $500$ B.C.

What crops did the people of Da'amat grow?

Millet

Which cities later thrived as stops on the trade route between Adulis and Aksum?

Qohaito and Matara

When did the nucleus of the Aksumite state form?

$200-100$ B.C.

Which city served as the major port of the Aksumite Empire?

Adulis

List some of Aksum's major exports.

Ivory, myrrh, emerald, gold, rhinoceros horns, and tortoise shells

From which regions did Aksum import garments and textiles?

Egypt, India, the Roman Empire, and Persia

Between the $3^{rd}$ and $7^{th}$ centuries, who were the four great powers of the world?

Rome, Persia, China, and Aksum

What metals were used to mint Aksumite coins?

Gold, silver, and bronze

During which years did King Kaleb reign?

$500-535$ A.D.

Which ruler of Himyar did King Kaleb defeat?

Dhu-Nuwas

Who did King Kaleb appoint as governor of overseas territories?

Abreha

Who succeeded King Kaleb and oversaw Yared's liturgical developments?

King Gebre Mesqel

What factor cut Aksum's economic artery in $702$ A.D.?

The destruction of the port of Adulis by the Arabs

Which groups led recurring rebellions against Aksum eventually causing its collapse?

The Beja, Agaw, and Queen Bani al Hamwiyah (Yodit)

How long is the longest Aksumite stele and what does it represent?

$33$ meters; it represents a $14$-storied building

By which century was the Ge'ez alphabet developed with $26$ consonant letters?

$1^{st}$ century A.D.

How many days are in each month of the Ethiopian calendar?

$30$ days

How many years behind the Gregorian calendar is the Ethiopian calendar?

$7-8$ years

When was the first ruler of the Sultanate of Shewa, Khalid ibn al-Walid, in power?

$896$ A.D.

What was the ruling dynasty of the Sultanate of Shewa?

Makhzumite dynasty

What was the capital of the Sultanate of Shewa?

Walele in northern Hararge

Which dynasty overthrew the Makhzumite dynasty in $1285$ A.D.?

The Walasma dynasty of Ifat

Who founded the Zagwe dynasty around the mid-$12^{th}$ century?

Mera Tekle Haymanot

Where was Mera Tekle Haymanot born?

Province of Lasta

Who was the last Aksumite king overthrown by his son-in-law?

Dil Na'od

Where was the center of the Zagwe Dynasty located?

District of Bugna at Adafa near Roha (Lalibela)

Which church in Lalibela is built in the shape of a perfect cross?

Bete Giyorgis

In which year were the Lalibela churches registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

$$1978$$

Who defeated and killed the last Zagwe king Yetbarek in $1270$?

Yekuno-Amlak

Where was the final battle between Yekuno-Amlak and Yetbarek fought?

Gaynt

Where was the medieval Kingdom of Damot located?

South of the Abay (Blue Nile) River

Which king eventually subdued the Kingdom of Damot in the $14^{th}$ century?

King Amda Tsiyon

In what occupations were the Bete-Israel people marginalized?

Pottery, blacksmithing, and leatherworking

Which king proclaimed that only those baptized in Christianity could inherit land as Rist?

King Yishaq

What did the term 'Felasha' come to mean based on the exile of the Bete-Israel?

Those forced into exile and deprived of land rights

Which text influential to Bete-Israel religious life dates from the period of Zera Ya'iqob?

Te'ezaza Senbet

Which king finally crushed the independence of the Bete-Israel?

King Suseneyos

Between which centuries did the 'restored' Solomonic Dynasty rule?

$$1270s-1550s$$

In which book were the Solomonic lineage claims of Yekuno Amlak enshrined?

Kibre Negest (Glory of Kings)