AXUM. 
191 
wine, and beer ; which is in exact conformity to the mode of treat- 
ing strangers, so long kept up and still practised in the country, as 
may be seen in every page of Poncet*s journal, as well as my own. 
But the parts which are most valuable in this inscription, are the 
beginning and the end, which establish the fact of Axum hav- 
ing been the capital of a people called the Axomites ; and gives 
great credibility to numerous accounts handed down by several 
authors of that people, and of different embassies sent to them 
by the Romans ; all of which had before been very dubious, from 
the want of any known fact or monument existing in Abyssinia in 
confirmation. 
" It proves the existence of a king called Aeizana, King of the 
Axomites, who had a brother called Saiazana ; which in the most 
decided way, establishes the authenticity of a letter addressed by the 
Emperor Constantius to these brothers, under the title of Tvpoiwi^sg 
Afojtfc/Twj/.* Now, on this letter, the fact of the introduction of 
Christianity at that period into Abyssinia in a great measure rests. 
It farther establishes, that the empire of Abyssinia was even at 
this early period very powerful, and that their king had already, 
at least, assumed the sovereignty over a great part of Arabia, 
which makes the duration of their power in that country, and 
consequently in the Red Sea, much longer than had ever been before 
suspected. 
" By being found so far in the interior, we may deduce from it, 
that the Greek language had become very familiar in the country; 
and herein it confirms the account given in the Periplus of the 
learning of Zoskales. This inscription contains, moreover, the first 
