Images

A silver coin of Ezana I (r. c. 303-350 CE), king of the African kingdom of Axum (1st-8th century CE) on the coast of the Red Sea (modern Ethiopia & Eritrea). Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com

A model of a palace/fortress structure at Axum, capital of the African kingdom of Axum (1st-8th century CE) on the coast of the Red Sea (modern Ethiopia & Eritrea). (Archaeological Museum of Axum, Ethiopia)

A map indicating the area controlled by the African kingdom of Axum (1st-8th century CE) on the coast of the Red Sea.

A modern representation of Saint Frumentius who is credited with introducing the African kingdom of Axum to Christianity in the mid-4th century CE.

Deities of the Padmakula Mandala; Dunhuang, China; period of Tibetan rule (781–848 CE); pigments on silk; 35 1/4 x 23 5/8 in. (89.6 x 60 cm); Musée des arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris; Mission of Paul Pelliot, 1906–1908 CE; EO1131; photograph...

Vase; Central Asia or Tibet; early 8th century CE; silver with gilding; overall:9 in. (22.9 cm); The Cleveland Museum of Art; purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund; 1988.67.1. Beaker; Central Asia or Tibet; early 8th century CE; silver with...

Dante Alighieri, detail from Luca Signorelli's fresco, Chapel of San Brizio, Orvieto Cathedral.

Dante, poised between the mountain of Purgatory and the city of Florence, displays the famous incipit Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita in a detail of Domenico di Michelino's painting, 1465 CE. Florence Cathedral.

Opening page of The Wife of Bath's Prologue Tale, from the Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, c. 1400-1410 CE, Huntington Library

A stone monolithic obelisk marking the tomb of King Ezanas of the kingdom of Axum (aka Aksum, modern Ethiopia), c. 400 CE. The carvings imitate the architectural features of dry-stone and timber housing.