Endubis
Encyclopedia
Endubis was a king of Axum, a city in Ethiopia
. He was among the earliest rulers of Aksum, and Africa
for that matter, to mint coins
. These coins were issued in gold
and silver
.
On the coins of Endubis so far recovered, either of two mottos were engraved. On some coins he described himself as "BACIΛEYC AΧWMITW", "king of Axum". On others appeared the motto "BICI ΔAXY", "bisi Dakhu"; this is the first appearance of the title "bisi", which S. C. Munro-Hay believes is related to the Ge'ez
word "be'esya", "man of".
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He was among the earliest rulers of Aksum, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
for that matter, to mint coins
Aksumite currency
Aksumite currency was the first native currency to be issued in Africa without direct control by an outside culture like the Romans or Greeks. It was issued and circulated from the middle of the height of the Kingdom of Aksum under King Endubis around AD 270 until it began its decline in the first...
. These coins were issued in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
.
On the coins of Endubis so far recovered, either of two mottos were engraved. On some coins he described himself as "BACIΛEYC AΧWMITW", "king of Axum". On others appeared the motto "BICI ΔAXY", "bisi Dakhu"; this is the first appearance of the title "bisi", which S. C. Munro-Hay believes is related to the Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
word "be'esya", "man of".