In this episode of pplpod, we explore the astonishing rise and collapse of the Kingdom of Axum, the ancient African superpower that once stood alongside Rome, Persia, and China as one of the great empires of the third-century world. Centered in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea, Axum controlled one of the most important trade choke points on Earth, built towering stone monuments that rivaled the engineering ambition of the pyramids, minted its own gold currency, and projected military power across the Red Sea into Arabia.

This episode traces how Axum transformed from a regional trading center into a global economic powerhouse by mastering the monsoon wind trade routes connecting the Mediterranean world to India. We examine the empire’s cosmopolitan culture, its massive stone stelae carved from single blocks of granite, its conversion to Chri ...