Axum አክሱም
—  City  —
Street in Axum
Axum
Coordinates: 14°7′N 38°44′E / 14.117°N 38.733°E / 14.117; 38.733Coordinates: 14°7′N 38°44′E / 14.117°N 38.733°E / 14.117; 38.733
Country	Ethiopia
Region	Tigray
Zone	Mehakelegnaw

Near East in 565 AD, showing the kingdom of Aksum and its neighbors

Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 (2010). Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century. The kingdom was also arbitrarily identified as Abyssinia, Ethiopia, and India in medieval writings.

Overview[link]

Located in the Mehakelegnaw Zone of the Tigray Region near the base of the Adwa mountains, Axum has an elevation of 2,131 meters. It is the administrative center of La'ilay Maychew woreda.

Aksum is served by an airport (ICAO code HAAX, IATA AXU).

Due to their historical value, in 1980 UNESCO added Aksum's archaeological sites to its list of World Heritage Sites.

History[link]

Axum was the center of the marine trading power known as the Aksumite Kingdom, which predated the earliest mentions in Roman era writings. Around 356, its ruler was converted to Christianity by Frumentius. Later, under the reign of Kaleb, Axum was a quasi-ally of Byzantium against the Persian Empire. The historical record is unclear, primary sources limited mainly to ancient church records.

It is believed it began a long slow decline after the 7th century due partly to Islamic groups contesting trade routes. Eventually Aksum was cut off from its principal markets in Alexandria, Byzantium and Southern Europe and its trade share was captured by Arab traders of the era. The Kingdom of Aksum was finally destroyed by Gudit, and eventually the people of Aksum were forced south and their civilization declined. As the kingdom's power declined so did the influence of the city, which is believed to have lost population in the decline similar to Rome and other cities thrust away from the flow of world events. The last known (nominal) king to reign was crowned ca. 10th century, but the kingdom's influence and power ended long before that.

Its decline in population and trade then contributed to the shift of the power center of the Ethiopian Empire so that it moved further inland and bequeathed its alternative place name (Ethiopia) to the region, and eventually, the modern state.^[1]

The King Azana, also helped with the rise of the Islam religion. During the times of the Axum empire, Azana also help his own against war with the Persia and Byzantine empires.

Aksum kingdom and Ethiopian Church[link]

Dome and Belltower of the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

The Chapel of the Tablet

The Kingdom of Aksum had its own written language called Ge'ez, and also developed a distinctive architecture exemplified by giant obelisks, the oldest of which (though much smaller) date from 5000–2000 BC.^[2] This kingdom was at its height under King Ezana, baptized as Abreha, in the 4th century (which was also when it officially embraced Christianity).^[3]

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum houses the Biblical Ark of the Covenant in which lie the Tablets of Law upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.^[4] This same church was the site where Ethiopian emperors were crowned for centuries until the reign of Fasilides, then again beginning with Yohannes IV until the end of the empire. Axum is considered to be the holiest city in Ethiopia and is an important destination of pilgrimages.^{[4] [5]}Significant religious festivals are the T'imk'et Festival (known as the Epiphany in western Christianity) on 7 January and the Festival of Maryam Zion in late November.

In 1937, a 24-metre tall, 1,700-year-old Obelisk of Axum broken into five parts and lying on the ground, was found and shipped by Italian soldiers to Rome to be erected. The obelisk is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of engineering from the height of the Axumite empire. Despite a 1947 United Nations agreement that the obelisk would be shipped back, Italy balked, resulting in a long-standing diplomatic dispute with the Ethiopian government, which views the obelisk as a symbol of national identity. In April 2005, Italy finally returned the obelisk pieces to Axum amidst much official and public rejoicing; Italy also covered the $4 million costs of the transfer. UNESCO has assumed responsibility for the re-installation of this stele in Axum, and as of the end of July 2008 the obelisk has been reinstalled (see panographic photos in external links below). Rededication of the obelisk took place on 4 September 2008 in Paris, France with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dedicating the obelisk to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano for his kind efforts in returning the obelisk.

Axum and Islam[link]

The Axumite Empire has a longstanding relationship with Islam. According to ibn Hisham,^[6] when Prophet Muhammad faced oppression from the Quraish clan, he sent a small group that included his daughter Ruqayya and her husband Uthman ibn Affan to Axum. Ashama ibn Abjar, the King of Axum, gave them refuge and protection and refused the requests of the Quraish clan to send these refugees back to Arabia. These refugees did not return until the sixth year of the Hijra (628), and even then many remained in Ethiopia, eventually settling at Negash in eastern Tigray.

There are different traditions concerning the effect these early Muslims had on the ruler of Axum. The Muslim tradition is that the ruler of Axum was so impressed by these refugees that he became a secret convert.^[7] On the other hand, Arabic historians and Ethiopian tradition state that some of the Muslim refugees who lived in Ethiopia during this time converted to Orthodox Christianity. There is also a second Ethiopian tradition that, on the death of Ashama ibn Abjar, Muhammed is reported to have prayed for the king's soul, and told his followers, "Leave the Abyssinians in peace, as long as they do not take the offensive."^[8]

Main sights[link]

Northern Stelae park, with a neighborhood in the background

The major Aksumite monuments in the town are stelae; the largest number lie in the Northern Stelae Park, ranging up to the 33-metre (33 metres high 3.84 metres wide 2.35 metres deep, weighing 520 tonnes) Great Stele, believed to have fallen and broken during construction. The tallest standing is the 24-metre (20.6 metres high 2.65 metres wide 1.18 metres deep, weighing 160 tonnes) King Ezana's Stele. Another stele (24.6 metres high 2.32 metres wide 1.36 metres deep, weighing 170 tonnes) removed by the Italian army was returned to Ethiopia in 2005 and reinstalled July 31, 2008.^[9] This stele was already broken into pieces before being shipped. Three more stelae measure 18.2 metres high 1.56 metres wide 0.76 metres deep, weighing 56 tonnes; 15.8 metres high 2.35 metres wide 1 metres deep, weighing 75 tonnes; 15.3 metres high 1.47 metres wide 0.78 metres deep, weighing 43 tonnes.^[10] The stelae are believed to mark graves and would have had cast metal discs affixed to their sides, which are also carved with architectural designs. The Gudit Stelae to the west of town, unlike the northern area, are interspersed with mostly 4th century tombs.

Other features of the town include St Mary of Zion church, built in 1665 and said to contain the Ark of the Covenant (a prominent twentieth-century church of the same name neighbours it), archaeological and ethnographic museums, the Ezana Stone written in Sabaean, Ge'ez and Ancient Greek in a similar manner to the Rosetta Stone, King Bazen's Tomb (a megalith considered to be one of the earliest structures), the so-called Queen of Sheba's Bath (actually a reservoir), the fourth-century Ta'akha Maryam and 6th-century Dungur palaces, the monasteries of Abba Pentalewon and Abba Liqanos and the Lioness of Gobedra rock art.

Local legend claims the Queen of Sheba lived in the town.

Demographics[link]

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Axum has an estimated total population of 47,320 of whom 20,774 are men and 21,898 women.^[11] The 1994 national census reported a total population for this city of 27,148, of whom 12,536 were men and 14,612 were women. The largest ethnic group reported was the Tigrayan (98.54%) and Tigrinya was spoken as a first language by 98.68%. The majority of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 85.08% reported as embracing that religion, while 14.81% were Muslim.^[12]

Aksum University[link]

Axum University was established in Axum in May 2006 on a green field site, four kilometers from the town center; the inauguration ceremony was held on 16 February 2007. The current area of the campus is 107 hectares, with ample room for potential expansion.^{[citation needed]}

The establishment of a university in Axum is expected to contribute much to the ongoing development of the country in general and of the region in particular.

See also[link]

• List of megalithic sites

The university of Axum is also said to have a lot of books, these books were lost history books during the war against Axum and the byzantine empire.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Francis Anfray. Les anciens ethiopiens. Paris: Armand Colin, 1991.
• Yuri M. Kobishchanov. Axum (Joseph W. Michels, editor; Lorraine T. Kapitanoff, translator). University Park, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 1979. ISBN 0-271-00531-9
• David W. Phillipson. Ancient Ethiopia. Aksum: Its antecedents and successors. London: The British Brisith Museum, 1998.
• David W. Phillipson. Archaeology at Aksum, Ethiopia, 1993–7. London: British Institute in Eastern Africa, 2000. ISBN 1-872566-13-8
• Stuart Munro-Hay. Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: University Press. 1991. ISBN 0-7486-0106-6 online edition
• Stuart Munro-Hay. Excavations at Aksum: An account of research at the ancient Ethiopian capital directed in 1972-74 by the late Dr Nevill Chittick London: British Institute in Eastern Africa, 1989 ISBN 0-500-97008-4
• Sergew Hable Sellassie. Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270 Addis Ababa: United Printers, 1972.
• African Zion, the Sacred Art of Ethiopia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aksum

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Axum.

• Ethiopian Treasures — Queen of Sheba, Aksumite Kingdom — Aksum
• Kingdom of Aksum article from "About Archaeology"
• UNESCO – World Heritage Sites — Aksum
• The Metropolitam Museum of Art — "Foundations of Aksumite Civilization and Its Christian Legacy (1st–7th century)"
• On Axum
• More on Axum
• Axum from Catholic Encyclopedia
• Final obelisk section in Ethiopia, BBC, 25 April 2005
• Axum Heritage Site on Aluka digital library
• Aksum World Heritage Site in panographies – 360 degree interactive imaging

v t e World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia Aksum · Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region · Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town · Lower Valley of the Awash · Lower Valley of the Omo · Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela · Simien National Park · Tiya

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2008)

Lyrics Born (born Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura, 1972), is a Japanese American rapper, record producer, songwriter, and voice over announcer. He is also one half of the group Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.^[1]

History[link]

Through his childhood, Shimura lived in Tokyo, Japan, Salt Lake City, Utah,^[2] and Berkeley, California.^[3] He is the son of Japanese author, Takao Shimura, and an Italian/Jewish-American union organizer, Charlotte Arzio-Shimura. Shimura's parents were divorced by age 2, at which point he moved with his mother from Tokyo to Salt Lake City, Utah, and then finally to Berkeley California.

Shimura attended Berkeley public schools from the time he was 6 yrs old, often excelling in creative writing. "I think I got my gift from my father. Not only the talent, but the work ethic and lifestyle. Being an author and all, I saw how hard he worked, the hours he kept, and how much focus it required." He began dabbling in Hip-Hop and rapping when he entered Berkeley High School. He left after one year, and entered Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland. He left again after his sophomore year, and graduated from St. Mary's High School, located in Berkeley, California in 1990.^[4] Shimura began his hip hop career while at college at University of California, Davis, where he was a DJ at the college station KDVS. He is a founding member of the seminal, independent record label, Quannum Projects. He came up with fellow Bay Area and UC Davis companions Gift of Gab, and Chief Xcel of Blackalicious, Lateef the Truthspeaker, DJ Shadow, Joseph Patel, and Jeff Chang (formerly known as DJ Zen).

He changed his stage name from Asia Born to Lyrics Born in 1995 citing the desire to have his career based on his merits as opposed to his ethnicity.^[5]

Career[link]

In 1993, Lyrics Born released his first single "Send Them", under the moniker "Asia Born", on the independent record label Solesides. In 1996 he formed the group "Latyrx", with Solesides label mate and fellow Bay-Area native, Lateef The Truthspeaker. Latyrx is a combination of the names, "Lateef" and "Lyrics". In 1997 Latyrx released the seminal album, "Latyrx-The Album". The album was well received and is often regarded as a classic within underground circles. 1 year later Solesides was disbanded and reformed as the current Quannum Projects label. In 1999, to commemorate the transformation of Solesides to Quannum, the label released "Quannum Spectrum", a label compilation executive-produced by Lyrics Born. The album spawned the international hit single and video, "I Changed My Mind". This would also signify Lyrics Born's first collaboration with German Funk group, The Poets of Rhythm, whom he would later executive produce for the Quannum label.

Lyrics Born released his first solo LP on Quannum Projects, Later That Day, in October 2003, which spawned the hit single, "Callin' Out". The album features guests such as Cut Chemist of Jurassic 5, Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker and Born's wife Joyo Velarde. In April 2005, he released a remix album, Same !@#$ Different Day which was again released on his own Quannum Projects label. The album features remixes of five songs from Later That Day along with a number of new tracks which feature guests such as Bay Area legend E-40, hip-hop icon KRS-One, Stereo MCs, Casual of Hieroglyphics, Evidence of Dilated Peoples, DJ Shadow and Joyo Velarde. Also in 2005, Born released The Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season One CD, which was essentially an old-school mix tape vibe with remixes and blends of his studio albums as well as guest appearances on other artist's songs in addition to exclusive tracks.

He has toured relentlessly for years in North America, South America, Australia, Europe and Japan and averages 150 shows per year.

Early in 2005, Lyrics Born replaced his usual DJ, D-Sharp with a live band. The original band consisted of versed Bay Area musicians Kevin Choice (keys, vox), B'nai Rebelfront (guitar, vox), Darius Minaee (drums) and Uriah Duffy (bass, vox). Over the years the line-up has also consisted of other various musicians including bassist Marcus Phillips, drummer Thomas McCree and keyboardists Mike Blankenship (Lauryn Hill) and Kat Ouano of fellow Bay Area group Crown City Rockers.

In 2006, he released The Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season Two CD mixed by DJ Enki, comprised once again of remixes, guest appearances, collaborations and exclusive material.

Lyrics Born's first live album Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born LIVE was released on October 31, 2006. It was recorded in Australia and features half of the album from Sydney and the other half from Melbourne. The album is a live set featuring his backing band, as well as three new bonus studio tracks including the hit song "Knock Knock" produced by Hallway Productionz^{[citation needed]}. The album received a 3.5 out of 4 star review in Rolling Stone magazine and featured artists such as Mistah F.A.B., Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Pigeon John and Tim "Herb" Alexander of Primus. The CD was the first live album to be released by Quannum Projects.

His third mixtape, "The Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Three", featuring guest appearances by Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, The Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Joyo Velarde, Jake One, Pigeon John and more, was released in February 2008. The album was first released as a limited edition download available only on his website for $1.99. The mixtape featured exclusive tracks from his then upcoming new album, "Everywhere at Once", as well as previously unreleased studio tracks.

Lyrics Born in April 2008

Lyrics Born released his 2nd full length studio album, "Everywhere at Once" on April 22, 2008 on Epitaph/Anti- Records. The album is the MC/Producer's first studio release to integrate members of his live band instead of primarily sample-based loops. The record also features Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Joyo Velarde, C-Holiday, DJ D-Sharp, Myron Glasper and hip-hop producers Jake One and Trackademicks who co-produced some of the album's tracks.

The album spawned a video for the hit single, "I Like It, I Love It" which features the MC in various character costumes including Merlin the Wizard, Army Soldiers, Mr. T and more. The video was directed by Neon and was featured on MtvU, Australia's Rage and MySpace. The song itself was featured in the 2009 reboot of the movie, Friday the 13th, which was #1 at the box office its first week out.

Other singles off the album that followed were "Hott 2 Deff", "Differences", "Top Shelf" and "Whispers", the latter of which also spawned a music video showcasing images of the MC's late friend and one-time Solesides alum, Benjamin "Mack B-Dog" Davis (whom the song was written about) intercut with performance footage of Lyrics Born. The video was directed by HKL Films and included in Pitchfork.com's top videos of 2008.

Everywhere at Once was the most downloaded hip-hop album of the week on iTunes in its second week out.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2009 Lyrics Born released "Funky Hit Records", the first single off of his forthcoming new album, 'As U Were'. The track was released on the internet as a free download to fans and was quickly picked up by Australia's Triple J Radio who began to play the song on air. Similar instances happened in the US when KEXP in Seattle began playing the track as well. The Lyrics Born/Trackademicks-produced song's launch included a music video which was featured on YouTube, gaining nearly 250,000 views to date. Riding the momentum of the song's buzz, the track was worked to college radio where it ended up at #1 on both RapAttack and RapNetwork charts.

Lyrics Born released a fourth mixtape in his hit franchise, 'The Lyrics Born Variety Show', featuring collaborations, remixes, exclusives and special guests. The mixtape is released via Born's own Mobile Home Recordings in conjunction with VTech. The mixtape's release date was July 7, 2009 and features artists such as Kasabian, Soulico, Dosmoccos, Joyo Velarde, J-Boogie and more. Coinciding with the mixtape release was a new single and music video for the Latyrx reunion track, "Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart". The track features Lateef the Truthspeaker while the video was directed by Ra LaMotta from ApSci.^[6]

Lyrics Born released a second proper single from his album As U Were titled "Lies X 3" with a video directed by Yoram Benz in the summer of 2010. The album As U Were was released on Decon Records and Born's own Mobile Home Recordings on October 26, 2010.

Voiceover[link]

In the fall of 2008 Lyrics Born became the voice over announcer for Cartoon Network's new Friday night franchise, 'You Are Here'. The MC currently voices bumpers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Batman, The Secret Saturdays, Ben 10: Alien Force and more.

In 2009 the vocalist was featured as part of an exclusive radio ad campaign for the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA.

Style[link]

Lyrics Born's rhymes showcase a large vocabulary, and often complex rhythmic patterns, deployed via regular use of various rhyming techniques, such as alliteration, internal rhyme, and double entendres. His style also frequently blends such techniques with melody, for which he has coined the term "Em-singing". His style is influenced by groups and artists such as James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Syl Johnson, KRS-One, John Hendricks, Rakim, Kool G. Rap, The Sugarhill Gang and Ice Cube is often conversational, observant, and melodious. His signature, sandy baritone speaking/rapping voice and "Bay Area drawl" has drawn comparisons to Barry White, Tone-Loc, and Tom Waits. Songs such as "Before and After" explore the subtleties of day-to-day human relations while "The Last Trumpet" (with Lateef) features a very politically charged and globally conscious mindset.

His collaborations with Lateef on Latyrx records often see them trading lyrics back and forth in quick succession - Lyrics Born and Lateef's methodology for writing this type of lyric is described by Lateef in the book How to Rap: "With Latyrx stuff, when we have parts that we’re writing that we’re both going to be trading off, we write them together for the most part. I’ll sit there and write a rhyme, like I’ll write a line or two and then we’ll break up who’s gonna say what, and he’ll write a line or two and we’ll break up who’s gonna say what. It’s a very organic process."^[7]

Collaborations[link]

Lyrics Born has collaborated with many artists including Kasabian, Galactic, DJ Shadow, The Bamboos, Soulico, Dosmoccos, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, DJ Z-Trip (on the 2005 song "The Get Down"), Diverse (on the song "Explosive"), Tommy Guerrero, R. L. Burnside (on the song "Someday Baby"), Morcheeba, Zion I, Mistah F.A.B., Pigeon John, and Suburban Legends (on the song "Can't Stop It").

He was instrumental in the signing of Pigeon John to Quannum in 2005 and executive produced and A&R'd the first album from the Los Angeles-based rapper on Quannum Projects, Pigeon John and the Summertime Pool Party, which was released in 2006. He executive-produced the debut EP and album from Joyo Velarde and is currently working on his forthcoming record, 'As U Were', due in the fourth quarter of 2010.^[8]

Discography[link]

LPs[link]

• Latyrx (The Album) (1997, Solesides)
• Latyrx - The Muzapper's Remixes (1998, Solesides)
• Later That Day (2003, Quannum Projects)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season One (2005, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Same !@#$ Different Day (2005, Quannum Projects)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Two (2006, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live (2006, Quannum Projects)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Three (2008, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Everywhere at Once (2008, Epitaph Records)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Four (2009 Mobile Home Recordings)
• As U Were (2010 Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Media)

Singles[link]

• "Send Them", 1993, Solesides
• "Latyrx", 1995, Solesides
• "Burnt Pride", 1996, Solesides
• "Balcony Beach", 1996, Solesides
• "Lady Don't Tek No", 1998, Solesides
• "I Changed My Mind", 1999, Quannum Projects
• "Hello" b/w "One Session", 2003, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Callin' Out", 2003, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Callin' Out Remix" b/w "Do That There Remix", 2004, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "I'm Just Raw" b/w "Pack Up Remix", 2005, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Big Money Talk", 2006, Decon Recordings
• "I Like It, I Love It", 2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records
• "Differences", 2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records
• "Top Shelf", 2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti-Records
• "Hott 2 Deff", 2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records
• "Whispers", 2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records
• "Funky Hit Records", 2009, Mobile Home Recordings
• "Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart", 2009, Mobile Home Recordings
• "Oh Baby", 2009, Mobile Home Recordings
• "Lies X 3", 2010, Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Recordings

Production credits[link]

• "Latyrx: The Album", Solesides/Quannum Projects
• "Latyrx 'The Muzapper's Remixes EP'", Quannum Projects
• "Quannum Spectrum", Quannum Projects
• "Poets of Rhythm 'Discern/Define'", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Later That Day", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Same !@#$ Different Day", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "R.L. Burnside 'A Bothered Mind'", Fat Possum
• "Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born LIVE!", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Pigeon John 'and the Summertime Pool Party'", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Everywhere At Once", Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records
• "Joyo Velarde 'Joyo Velarde EP'", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects
• "Joyo Velarde 'Love and Understanding'", Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lyrics Born

• Official website
• Lyrics Born at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Lyrics Born at MTV.com
• Nichi Bei Times Interview
• Lyrics Born interview with AsiaXpress.com