Parts of Old Ethiopia

Given the breadth of the area they identified as ‘Ethiopia’ prior to the 19th century, Europeans had to separate it into portions in order to reduce the ambiguity caused by their liberal usage of the term. In line with the divisions of the earth, Europeans split old Ethiopia into African and Asiatic.¹ ‘African Ethiopia’ referred to areas of the continent of Africa inhabited by black peoples while Asiatic Ethiopia denoted regions of the Asian continent where dark-skinned peoples dwelt.

Based on relative direction, Europeans classified ancient Ethiopia into oriental and occidental.² ‘Oriental Ethiopia’ began from the Eastern shore of the Red Sea, and contained provinces of Arabia,³ Midian,⁴ etc as far as Palestine, all of it in Asia.⁵ it was termed ‘Oriental’ because the region is located more to the East relative to African Ethiopia. ‘Occidental Ethiopia’ started from the Western shore of the Red Sea and stretched as far as the West African coast on the Atlantic Ocean, thus enclosing all of ‘African Ethiopia’.⁶ It was called ‘Occidental’ because it lies more to the West relative to Asiatic Ethiopia. ‘African Ethiopia’ was also sometimes called ‘Southern Ethiopia’ since it was more to the south than the Asiatic portion.⁷

By the end of the 17th century A.D, European explorations that began in the 15th century led to improved understanding of world geography. As a result, Europeans began to confine old Ethiopia only to the continent of Africa.⁸ Geographical descriptions and maps of the period categorized ‘Ethiopia’ into Eastern and Western, into Upper and Lower, as well as into Inner and Outer. ‘Eastern Ethiopia’ meant the Eastern and Southeastern part of Africa above Egypt where today we find the states of Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Malawi, etc.⁹ ‘Western Ethiopia’ signified the Western and South-Western portion of Africa which today is home to the states of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the two Congos, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, all the Guineas, Niger, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Botswana, etc.¹⁰

‘Upper Ethiopia’ referred to the part of ancient Ethiopia around the Red Sea. It was called the ‘Upper’ for two reasons.¹¹ First, because the Nile river comes down from this area to water the plains of Egypt. This fact also led to the appellation ‘Ethiopia above Egypt’. Second, this portion is nearer to the North or Arctic pole¹² than ‘lower Ethiopia’. These two same reasons also led to its receiving the designation ‘Higher Ethiopia’.¹³

On the other hand, ‘Lower Ethiopia’ indicated the part of old Ethiopia in the vicinity of the Atlantick Ocean. It was called ‘Lower’ due to its lower position relative to the ‘Upper Ethiopia’.¹⁴ I should note here that Upper Ethiopia was better known to Europeans than Lower Ethiopia since its inhabitants maintained close trade links with the kingdom of Egypt from antiquity.¹⁵

It was also common to divide ancient Ethiopia into Inward or Inner, and Outward or Outer relative to the Nile valley.¹⁶ ‘Inward Ethiopia’ referred to the territories between the Nile and the Red Sea while Outward Ethiopia denoted the portion of ancient Ethiopia between the Nile and the Atlantic Ocean. ‘Inward Ethiopia’ was better known to Europeans than ‘Outward Ethiopia as it was nearer to Egypt.

Reference Notes

1. Ludolf, Hiob. 1684. A New History of Ethiopia. 2nd edition. Translated into English by J. P. (Gent.). London: Printed for Samuel Smith. ↩︎
2. C.F. Beckingham and G.W. B. Huntingford (2016) Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593–1646. Being Extracts from The History of High Ethiopia or Abassia by Manoel de Almeida Together with Bahrey’s History of the Galla. Routledge: Oxford. ↩︎
3. Prior to the 20th century A.D, the three parts of the Arabian Peninsula that Europeans termed “Arabia” were Arabia Felix (containing present-day Yemen and Asir, a southwestern region of Saudi Arabia), Arabia Deserta (the barren central and northern portion of the Arabian Peninsula), and Arabia Petraea (northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula). ↩︎
4. Midian was in modern-day northwestern Saudi Arabia. ↩︎
5. Tellez, Balthazar (translated into English 1710). The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia. London : Printed for J. Knapton, in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, etc. ↩︎
6. C.F. Beckingham and G.W. B. Huntingford (2016) Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593–1646. Being Extracts from The History of High Ethiopia or Abassia by Manoel de Almeida Together with Bahrey’s History of the Galla. Routledge: Oxford. ↩︎
7. Telez p.6. ↩︎
8. Ludolf p.8. ↩︎
9. Nutt, John (1714) Atlas Geographus: Or, A Compleat System of Geography, Ancient and Modern, For Africa. Volume IV. Illustrated by Herman Moll. John Nutt: London. ↩︎
10. Ibid: p.30. ↩︎
11. Tellez p.7. ↩︎
12. The North Pole is the northern end of Earth’s axis, lying in the Arctic Ocean. It is simply the north end of the axis around which our planet turns in its daily rotation. The North Pole itself is not a place; it has no lateral dimension; but as a mathematical or observational construct it is essential for map-makers and modellers and has been a powerful symbol in philosophy and the public mind for centuries. For more information, read this essay by the renowned geologist and geophysicist Fred Roots. ↩︎
13. Tellez p.7. ↩︎
14. Ibid: pp.6-7. ↩︎
15. Nutt p.30. ↩︎
16. Moryson, Fynes (1617) An Itinerary Written by Fynes Moryson gent. first in the Latine tongue, and then translated by him into English. London, Printed by J. Beale. ↩︎