The kingdom of Aksum primarily spoke Ge’ez, an ancient Semitic language that was the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Ge’ez served as the official language of the Aksumite Empire, which flourished from about the 1st to the 7th centuries CE in what is now modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Ge’ez is a fascinating language because it has evolved over centuries but is still used in religious contexts today. Although the common people eventually began to speak other languages, such as Amharic and Tigrinya, Ge’ez remains a crucial part of Ethiopian heritage, encapsulating the history and culture of one of the great ancient civilizations.