The new civilisation which filled the void left by Meroe was based on the city of Axum in the highlands of Abyssinia, 80 miles south of modern Asmara. Historical material is scanty, but it is clear that as Meroe declined in importance Axum grew in strength and influence. Like Meroe, Axum was less isolated from the mainstream of civilisation than is often thought and than Abyssinia subsequently became. The Horn of Africa was at the crossroads of traffic between the Mediterranean world and the Indian Ocean. Under the rule of the Hellenised Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt the culture of the Mediterranean penetrated far to the south by land and sea. By the middle of the third century BC Ptolemy III Euergetes (247-221) had extended his influence as far as Axumite territory. The Jewish religion, which at this period was becoming well known in the Greek- and Latin-speaking world, was caught up in this process and 'it seems reasonable to suppose that Jews had penetrated as far as Upper Egypt, Nubia and possibly beyond' in pre-Christian times.(2)

It is against the background of the history of the ancient Near East that the story of both Ethiopian Judaism and Christianity has to be considered. And in that context the Solomon-Sheba legend occupies a unique place for it is basic to the history of the royal house around which the structure of the state developed in a manner which was remarkable even by feudal standards. No other royal dynasty has seriously claimed descent from the ancient kings oflsrael nor, by inference, to a blood relationship with the founder of Christianity.

King Solomon reigned from about BC 961 to 922, or perhaps ten years earlier, while the first Book of Kings, which records the events of his reign, was probably edited shortly before the Babylonian exile. This leaves between the events themselves and their commitment to writing a gap of some three hundred years, which would allow ample scope for the development of tradition and legend. Moreover, the writings would doubtless reflect 'the later age in which they were composed as much as they mirror the time in which the principal subject lived'.(3 )

While Solomon was an historical figure, the same cannot be said

(1) Adams, Nubia, p. 295.
(2) Ethiopia and the Bible, p. 16.
(3) Solomon and Sheba, ed. J. B. Pritchard, p. 31.