木鲁 Kirubel 18103110172

HISTORY OF ETHIOPIA
The article covers the prehistory and history of Ethiopia from its emergence as an empire under
the Aksumites to its current form as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia as well as the
history of other areas in what is now Ethiopia such as the Afar Triangle. The Ethiopian
Empire (Abyssinia) was first founded by Ethiopian people in the Ethiopian Highlands. Due to
migration and imperial expansion, it grew to include many other primarily Afro-Asiatic-speaking
communities,
including Oromos, Amhara, Somalis, Tigray, Afars, Sidama, Gurage, Agaw and Harari, among
others.
One of the early kingdoms to rise to power in the territory was the kingdom of D'mt in the 10th
century BC, which established its capital at Yeha. In the first century AD the Aksumite
Kingdom rose to power in the Tigray Region with its capital at Aksum and grew into a major
power on the Red Sea, subjugating Yemen and Meroe and converting to Christianity in the early
fourth century. The Aksumite empire fell into decline with the rise of Islam in the Arabian
peninsula, which slowly shifted trade away from the Christian Aksum. It eventually became
isolated, then economy slumped and Aksum's commercial domination of the region was over.
[1] The Aksumites gave way to the Zagwe Dynasty, who established a new capital
at Lalibela before giving way to the Solomonic Dynasty in the 13th century. During the early
Solomonic period, Ethiopia went through military reforms and imperial expansion that made it
dominate the Horn of Africa. Portuguese missionaries arrived at this time.
In 1529, the Adal Sultanate attempted to conquer Abyssinia and met initial success; the Adal
were supplied by the Ottomans while Abyssinia received Portuguese reinforcements. By 1543,
Abyssinia had recaptured lost territory but the war had weakened both sides. The Oromo
people were able to expand into the highlands, conquering both the Adal Sultanate and
Abyssinia. The Portuguese presence also increased, while the Ottomans began to push into what
is now Eritrea, creating the Habesh Eyalet. The Portuguese brought modern weapons
and baroque architecture to Ethiopia, and in 1622 converted the emperor Susenyos I to
Catholicism, sparking a civil war which ended in his abdication and expulsion of all Catholics
from Ethiopia. A new capital was established at Gondar in 1632, and a period of peace and
prosperity ensued until the country was split apart by warlords in the 18th century during
the Zemene Mesafint.
Ethiopia was reunified in 1855 under Tewodros II, beginning Ethiopia's modern history and his
reign was followed by Yohannes IV who was killed in action in 1889. Under Menelik IIEthiopia
started its transformation to well organized technological advancement and the structure that the
country has now. Ethiopia also expanded to the south and east, through the conquest of the
western Oromo (now Shoan Oromo), Sidama, Gurage, Wolayta and other groups, resulting in the
borders of modern Ethiopia. Ethiopia defeated an Egyptian invasion in 1876 and an Italian
invasion in 1896 which killed 17,000 Ethiopians,[2] and came to be recognised as a legitimate
state by European powers. A more rapid modernisation took place under Menelik II and Haile
Selassie. Italy launched a second invasion in 1935. From 1935–1941, Ethiopia was under Italian
occupation as part of Italian East Africa. A joint force of British and Ethiopian rebels managed to
drive the Italians out of the country in 1941, and Haile Selassie was returned to the throne.
Ethiopia and Eritrea united in a federation, but when Haile Selassie ended the federation in 1961
and made Eritrea a province of Ethiopia, the 30-year Eritrean War of Independence broke out.
Eritrea regained its independence after a referendum in 1993.
Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 and the militaristic Derg Regime came to power. In
1977 Somalia invaded, trying to annex the Ogaden region, but were pushed back by Ethiopian,
Soviet, and Cuban forces. In 1977 and 1978 the government tortured or killed hundreds of
thousands of suspected enemies in the Red Terror. Ethiopia experienced famine in 1984 that
killed one million people and civil war that resulted in the fall of the Derg in 1991. This resulted
in the establishment of the Federal Democratic Republic under Meles Zenawi. Ethiopia remains
impoverished, but its economy has become one of the world's fastest-growing.

The area now known as Ethiopia is thought by many scholars to be the region where
early Homo sapiens first emerged in the middle Palaeolithic period about 150 – 200,000 years
ago.The oldest hominid fossils ever discovered were found in Ethiopia in 1994 and date from
4.2m years ago and are known as “Ardi” (Ardipithicus ramidus). The more well-known fossil
remains of “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) date from 3.2 m years ago and were discovered
in 1974.The oldest stone tools ever discovered anywhere in the world were found in 2010 and
dated at 3 m years old. Fossilised animal bones with stone tool inflicted marks have also been
found in Ethiopia dating from 3.4 m years ago.