The kings of Axum ruled an important trading state in the area which is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, from 400 BC to 960 AD.

Sources

Various regnal lists of Axumite monarchs have survived to the present day via manuscripts or oral tradition. However, the lists often contradict each other and many lists contain incomplete or scattered information. The lists were likely compiled over a long period at several different monasteries. Some historians consider these lists to be untrustworthy. There are a number of legendary figures at the beginning of some lists whose historicity is difficult to confirm or trace. Axumite kings may have used multiple names similar to the later Emperors of the Ethiopian Empire (1270–1974), resulting in different names for the same ruler on different lists. Aksumite coins have proven useful for constructing a chronology of Axumite kings. Around 98 percent of the city of Axum has not yet been excavated. At least 18 kings have been identified with coinage covering the period from the late third century to the early seventh century.

List

The following table contains names from both traditional regnal lists and names that are archeologically verified. German August Dillmann grouped the regnal lists into three types and the order of names will be based on his lists. The spelling of certain names are taken from lists recorded by E. A. Wallis Budge. The overall order of monarchs is partially based on the 1922 regnal list of Ethiopia, which is the only official Ethiopian regnal list that attempted to combine names from different lists into a longer chronological order.

Legendary period

Monarchs who reigned before Menelik I.

BCE era

Monarchs who reigned from Menelik I to Bazen.

CE Era (Pre-Christian)

Monarchs who reigned after Bazen and before the Christianisation of Ethiopia. {{legend|#cfc|Monarchs who are attested via archaeology and/or external written sources outside the traditional regnal lists.}}

Christian Monarchs (4th–10th centuries)

Monarchs who were Christian, beginning with the reign of Ezana of Axum (historical) and/or Abreha and Atsbeha (traditional). {{legend|#cfc|Monarchs who are attested via archaeology and/or external written sources outside the traditional regnal lists.}}