Item number: A3598

Year: circa AD 440-500

Material: Gold

Size: 17.1 x 17.4 x 0.3 mm

Weight: 1.65 g

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This coin is a chrysos gold piece, probably issued by King Ebana of the Kingdom of Aksum.

The obverse likely depicts the right-facing half-length bust of King Ebana. The king is shown wearing a long robe with a V-shaped neckline bordered by a circular collar. His crown is of multi-tiered construction, low in height and square in form. The right arm extends beyond the robe, adorned with an armlet and bracelet, and holding a short sceptre. Ears of wheat encircle the bust on both sides (i.e. before and behind the figure). The portrait is framed by a double beaded border, between which runs the legend “+ CIN + CAX + ACA + CAC,” arranged clockwise from the top. The meaning of this inscription remains uncertain, but it had already appeared on coins struck under King Eon.

The reverse design is similar to the obverse, though the king here wears a headcloth and holds a fly-whisk or ceremonial flabellum. Ears of wheat again surround the bust, and the figure is enclosed by a double beaded border. Between the borders runs the legend “+ ANA + BAC + ACA + CEB,” typically read from the nine o’clock position. Within this sequence, the royal name “EBANA” can be identified. The remaining letters are unclear, and may represent a corrupted or substituted form of “ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ” (Basileus), the Greek term meaning “king” or “emperor.”

The Kingdom of Aksum emerged around the first century BC and flourished between the third and seventh centuries AD. Its territories encompassed the northern highlands of present-day Ethiopia and the coastal regions of modern Eritrea. Owing to its strategic position along the Red Sea, Aksum became a crucial hub linking the Roman, Byzantine, Arabian, and Indian Ocean worlds. From the African interior, ivory, gold, spices, and slaves were exported in exchange for Mediterranean and Indian luxury goods, forming a dynamic network of maritime and overland trade. The capital, Aksum—located in what is now northern Ethiopia—served not only as the political centre but was also renowned for its monumental stelae, palaces, and royal tombs, attesting to both architectural sophistication and royal authority.

In its early period, the kingdom practised polytheism with close cultural and religious ties to the South Arabian kingdom of Saba. Under King Ezana’s reign, however, Aksum officially adopted Christianity, becoming the first Christian state south of the Sahara and maintaining diplomatic and ecclesiastical relations with Byzantium. The royal chancery employed both Greek and Geʽez scripts, developing a distinctive written tradition. Aksum was also among the first African polities to mint its own coinage.

From the sixth to seventh centuries AD, climate change, the shifting of Red Sea trade routes, and the rise of Islamic powers gradually eroded Aksum’s maritime dominance. The capital was eventually relocated inland, marking the kingdom’s decline. Nevertheless, its cultural and religious heritage persisted, profoundly shaping the later Ethiopian Empire.

物件編號: A3598

年代: 約公元 440-500 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 17.1 x 17.4 x 0.3 mm

重量: 1.65 g

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚可能為阿克蘇姆王國的國王埃巴納所鑄行的克律索斯金幣。

金幣正面可能為國王埃巴納的右側半身像，身著長袍，胸前領口為「V」字形領，飾以圓帶。王冠為多層結構，整體低矮方正。右臂伸出袍外，可見臂環及手鐲，手持短杖。王像前後(即幣圖左右)環繞麥穗。幣圖外嵌套雙層繩紋環，其間環列幣銘，自正上方順時針依序為「+ CIN + CAX + ACA + CAC」，涵義不明，自埃翁王(Eon)期間便已出現。

背面與正面相似，但王像佩戴頭巾，手持拂塵或蠅拂。王像前後同樣環繞麥穗，幣圖外並嵌套雙層繩紋環，其間環列幣銘，自正上方順時針依序為「+ ANA + BAC + ACA + CEB」，常由九點鐘方向起讀，因此「EBANA」王名可辨。其餘不明，有可能是「ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ」(Basileus)的誤寫或字母替換，意為國王或皇帝。

阿克蘇姆王國(Kingdom of Aksum)，約興起於西元前一世紀，興盛於三至七世紀，疆域涵蓋今日衣索比亞北部、高原地區及厄利垂亞沿海地帶。憑藉紅海的地理優勢，阿克蘇姆成為連結羅馬、拜占庭、阿拉伯與印度洋世界的重要貿易樞紐。象牙、黃金、香料與奴隸自非洲內陸運出，換取地中海與印度的奢侈品，形成活躍的海陸貿易網絡。首都阿克蘇姆城(約今衣索比亞北部提格雷地區)不僅是政治中心，也以宏偉的石碑、宮殿與陵墓聞名。

王國早期信奉多神教，信仰與南阿拉伯薩巴王國有密切關聯，後期在君主埃札那(Ezana)統治下正式接受基督教，成為撒哈拉以南非洲首個基督教國家，並與拜占庭保持外交與宗教聯繫。王室以希臘文與吉茲文(Geʽez)並用，發展出自有的書寫傳統。阿克蘇姆王國亦是非洲最早發行鑄幣的政權之一。

六至七世紀後，隨著氣候變遷、紅海貿易路線轉移及伊斯蘭勢力興起，阿克蘇姆的海上優勢逐漸喪失。首都最終內遷，王國進入衰退，但其文化與宗教傳統延續於後來的衣索比亞帝國。