Abyssinia (also known as Abyssinie, Abissinia, Habessinien or Al-Habash) was an ancient region in the Horn of Africa situated in the northern highlands of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.[1] The term was widely used as a synonym for Ethiopia until the mid 20th century and primarily designates the Amhara, Tigrayan and Tigrinya inhabited highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea.[2][3]
The origin of the term might be found in Egyptian hieroglyphic as the designation of a southern region near the Red Sea that produced incense, known as ḫbś.tj.w, "the bearded ones" (i.e Punt). This etymological connection was first pointed out by Wilhelm Max Müller and Eduard Glaser in 1893.[2][3]
In Epigraphic South Arabian texts the name ḤBS²T in various inscriptions.[2][3] One of the earliest known local uses of the term dates to the second or third century Sabaean inscription recounting the nəgus ("king") GDRT, another Sabaean inscription mentions mlky hhst dtwns wzqrns (kings of Habashat DTWNS and ZQRNS) Aksum and ḤBŠT. The Ezana Stone also names King Ezana as "king of the Ethiopians", which appears in other Sabaean texts as ḤBS²TM or "Habessinien". The Hellenized name of Habessinien, ABACIIN appears in an Aksumite coin of c.400 AD, shortly after the first attestation of late Latin Abissensis is from the 6th-century author Stephanus of Byzantium later used the term "Αβασηγοί" (i.e. Abasēnoi) to refer to "an Arabian people living next to the Sabaeans together with the Ḥaḍramites." The region of the Abasēnoi produce[d] myrrh, incense and cotton and they cultivate[d] a plant which yields a purple dye (probably wars, i.e. Fleminga Grahamiana). It lay on a route from Zabīd on the coastal plain to the Ḥimyarite capital Ẓafār.[2] Abasēnoi was located by Hermann von Wissman as a region in the Jabal Ḥubayshmountain in Ibb Governorate,[4] perhaps related in etymology with the ḥbš Semitic root).[5] Modern Western European languages, including English, appear to borrow this term from the post-classical form Abissini in the mid-sixteenth century. (English Abyssin is attested from 1576, and Abissinia and Abyssinia from the 1620s.)[6]
Al-Habash was known in Islamic literature as being rulers of a Christian kingdom, guaranteeing its a historical exonym for the Aksumites of antiquity. In the modern day, variations of the term are used in Turkey, Iran, and the Arab World in reference to Ethiopia and as a pan-ethnic word in the west by the Amhara, Tigray, and Biher-Tigrinya of Eritrea and Ethiopia (see: Habesha peoples). The Turks created the province of Habesh when the Ottoman Empire conquered parts of the coastline of present-day Eritrea starting in 1557. During this, Özdemir Pasha took the port city of Massawa and the adjacent city of Arqiqo. Along with the neighboring Barbaroi (Berbers) of Barbara, the Habash are recorded in the 1st century Greek travelogue the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as engaging in extensive commercial trade with Egypt, among other areas. The document also relates a strong connection with the "Frankincense Country" in the Mahra region of modern Yemen and a symbiotic relationship with the ancient Sabaeans, with whom the Habash were allied.[7]
abyssinia, other, uses, disambiguation, modern, country, ethiopia, ethiopia, also, known, abyssinie, abissinia, habessinien, habash, ancient, region, horn, africa, situated, northern, highlands, modern, ethiopia, eritrea, term, widely, used, synonym, ethiopia,. For other uses see Abyssinia disambiguation For the modern country of Ethiopia see Ethiopia Abyssinia also known as Abyssinie Abissinia Habessinien or Al Habash was an ancient region in the Horn of Africa situated in the northern highlands of modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea 1 The term was widely used as a synonym for Ethiopia until the mid 20th century and primarily designates the Amhara Tigrayan and Tigrinya inhabited highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2 3 Abyssinia አቢሲኒያ Ge ez الحبشة Arabic Historical region1887 Italian map of AbyssiniaCountry Ethiopia EritreaHistory editThe origin of the term might be found in Egyptian hieroglyphic as the designation of a southern region near the Red Sea that produced incense known as ḫbs tj w the bearded ones i e Punt This etymological connection was first pointed out by Wilhelm Max Muller and Eduard Glaser in 1893 2 3 In Epigraphic South Arabian texts the name ḤBS T in various inscriptions 2 3 One of the earliest known local uses of the term dates to the second or third century Sabaean inscription recounting the negus king GDRT another Sabaean inscription mentions mlky hhst dtwns wzqrns kings of Habashat DTWNS and ZQRNS Aksum and ḤBST The Ezana Stone also names King Ezana as king of the Ethiopians which appears in other Sabaean texts as ḤBS TM or Habessinien The Hellenized name of Habessinien ABACIIN appears in an Aksumite coin of c 400 AD shortly after the first attestation of late Latin Abissensis is from the 6th century author Stephanus of Byzantium later used the term Abashgoi i e Abasenoi to refer to an Arabian people living next to the Sabaeans together with the Ḥaḍramites The region of the Abasenoi produce d myrrh incense and cotton and they cultivate d a plant which yields a purple dye probably wars i e Fleminga Grahamiana It lay on a route from Zabid on the coastal plain to the Ḥimyarite capital Ẓafar 2 Abasenoi was located by Hermann von Wissman as a region in the Jabal Ḥubaysh mountain in Ibb Governorate 4 perhaps related in etymology with the ḥbs Semitic root 5 Modern Western European languages including English appear to borrow this term from the post classical form Abissini in the mid sixteenth century English Abyssin is attested from 1576 and Abissinia and Abyssinia from the 1620s 6 Al Habash was known in Islamic literature as being rulers of a Christian kingdom guaranteeing its a historical exonym for the Aksumites of antiquity In the modern day variations of the term are used in Turkey Iran and the Arab World in reference to Ethiopia and as a pan ethnic word in the west by the Amhara Tigray and Biher Tigrinya of Eritrea and Ethiopia see Habesha peoples The Turks created the province of Habesh when the Ottoman Empire conquered parts of the coastline of present day Eritrea starting in 1557 During this Ozdemir Pasha took the port city of Massawa and the adjacent city of Arqiqo Along with the neighboring Barbaroi Berbers of Barbara the Habash are recorded in the 1st century Greek travelogue the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as engaging in extensive commercial trade with Egypt among other areas The document also relates a strong connection with the Frankincense Country in the Mahra region of modern Yemen and a symbiotic relationship with the ancient Sabaeans with whom the Habash were allied 7 See also editEthiopian Empire Ethiopian Highlands Habesha people Horn of AfricaReferences edit Sven Rubenson The survival of Ethiopian independence Tsehai 2003 p 30 a b c d Uhlig Siegbert ed Encyclopaedia Aethiopica D Ha Wiesbaden Harrassowitz Verlag 2005 p 948 a b c Breyer Francis 2016 The Ancient Egyptian Etymology of Ḥabasat Abessinia Ityop is Extra Issue II 8 18 Jabal Ḩubaysh Geoview info retrieved 2018 01 11 Uhlig Siegbert ed Encyclopaedia Aethiopica D Ha Wiesbaden Harrassowitz Verlag 2005 pp 949 Abyssin n and adj Oxford English Dictionary Oxford University Press Retrieved 25 September 2020 Wilfred Harvey Schoff The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea travel and trade in the Indian Ocean Longmans Green and Co 1912 p 62 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Abyssinia amp oldid 1204232845, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
