When Was Ethiopia Officially Founded?

Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest nations with continuous statehood, and the oldest independent country in Africa, as its history of organized civilization spans thousands of years. Nevertheless, it is hard to identify a specific date of foundation as it has ancient origins. This is a list of the major historical milestones:

1. Pre-1st Millennium BCE Ancient Origins (Pre-1st Millennium BCE)

One of the first known organized states in Yeha, and today northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, was the Kingdom of Dʿmt (Da’amat) (c. 980–400 BCE). This kingdom was the foundation of the later Ethiopian civilizations, and these civilizations had advanced agriculture and trade.

The smaller city-states and kingdoms appeared after the fall of Damt.

2. The Aksumite Empire (c. 100 - 940 CE)

Ethiopia (Aksumite Empire, c. 100 CE, 940 CE) was the first Ethiopian kingdom to be internationally recognized. It was regarded as one of the powerful nations of the ancient world, together with Rome, Persia, and China.
This makes Ethiopia one of the earliest countries to formally accept Christianity as one of the state religions, circa the  4th century, by King Ezana of Aksum. The culture and identity of Ethiopia today were built on this legacy.

Aksum fell because of the emergence of Islam and environmental change.

3. The Zagwe Dynasty (c. 900 - 1270)

The Zagwe Dynasty followed after the fall of Aksum, and its capital was Lalibela (home of the rock-hewn churches).

4. Solomonic Dynasty (12701974)

Emperor Yekuno Amlak re-established the Solomonic Dynasty in 1270 CE. It styled itself the descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba of the Bible. This was the dynasty that ruled Ethiopia in the past centuries.

One of the most important figures of modern Ethiopian history is the Emperor Menelik II (reigned 1889- 1913). He extended Ethiopian boundaries, defeated Italy in the battle of Adwa (1896), and maintained the independence of Ethiopia in an era when most of Africa was colonized.

Menelik II is regarded as the founder of modern Ethiopia in a lot of aspects. Menelik II reigned when the modern Ethiopian state was created, even though Ethiopia existed much earlier. He unified power, increased the borders, improved the administration, and cemented the political system of Ethiopia.

5. The 20th Century to the present (Modern Ethiopia)

• 1930-1974: Period of the last Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie I.
• 1974: Ousted by a military Marxist junta (Derg regime).
• 1991: Fall of the Derg into a federal republic.
• It is now the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

When did Ethiopia come into existence?

Ethiopia’s statehood is ancient, but the modern Ethiopian state with today’s borders was largely consolidated under Menelik II in the late 19th century.

Ethiopia boasts over 3,000 years of written history and has survived as a single identity in the form of ancient kingdoms, Christian empires, and contemporary political rule. It was never completely colonized, as in most of the African countries, which further affirms its position as the oldest independent nation in Africa.