Erchana, King of Aksum (reigned 320-360). During the forty years of Erchana's rule, the kingdom's territory remained like an expanding cake, and the desert could not stop its expansion. After firmly controlling the interior of the Ethiopian plateau, heading west and north, they conquered the ancient Egyptian cultural byproducts of Kush, the White Nile, and the Blue Nile, all of which became spoils of war for Echana. To the east, they continued to expand their sphere of influence on the Arabian Peninsula and successively conquered small countries such as Himyaarit and Ledanet. In its heyday, the Aksum Kingdom extended its territory from the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula in the east, to Somalia in the south, to the upper reaches of the Nile River in the west, and to the southern end of Egypt in the north. The Red Sea has almost become the inner lake of the kingdom.

Echana went on a four sided expedition. Crossing the Nile River to the west, he conquered another famous ancient country in East Africa, Meroe, and crossing the Red Sea to the east, he conquered countries such as Shebaa and Himyar in South Arabia. The territory stretches from the southern border of Egypt in the north to Somalia in the south, from the upper reaches of the Nile River in the west to the eastern coast of Yemen on the Red Sea in the east. It has a vast territory, and King Echana calls himself the "King of Kings". Echana promoted Christianity, reformed writing, and laid the foundation of Christian civilization. Aksum State has a powerful army, including elephant cavalry and navy, controlling the waters of the Red Sea and monopolizing Red Sea trade. In terms of diplomacy, Aksum formed an alliance with Byzantium to jointly oppose Persia and ensure control over the Red Sea and Yemen.

In the minds of many people, Africa south of the Sahara Desert was a little-known "mysterious zone" until its colonization in the 19th century. Such a closed and isolated area naturally did not develop any civilization. In fact, not to mention other regions, the East African region has nurtured many kingdoms in history and has repeatedly participated in the political and military balance of the Middle East. Among them, the most representative is the Kingdom of Aksum, whose former ruler Echana is revered as the "King of Kings". His country is considered one of the four major powers in the world in the 4th century, alongside Rome, Persia, and China. The ruling center of the Aksum Kingdom was located in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, which had long been influenced by advanced Egyptian civilization to the north and faced the sea to the east. It had a tradition of maritime trade with the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and even India. The royal family of this country also has an indescribable relationship with various civilizations in the Middle East. They claim to be descendants of the Jewish king Solomon, hence their dynasty is called the "Solomon Dynasty". Their palace is said to be the palace of the legendary Queen of Sheba. Historians' research suggests that they are descendants of a group of people who migrated across the sea from the southern Arabian Peninsula and integrated with the local indigenous people.
In the 3rd century, taking advantage of favorable international conditions, the giant claws of expansion began to extend to all sides, crossing the narrow Red Sea and capturing the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, turning the natural barrier of the Red Sea into a passageway. Just as Aksum's power was thriving, a creative hero emerged, and he was Erchana.

Expand territory externally
During the reign of Echana, he continuously expanded his territory and launched multiple wars. In addition to continuing to rule the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and expanding large territories into the hinterland of Ethiopia, he also led his troops westward and crossed the Nile River, destroying the ancient civilization of Kush, which has a long history in present-day Sudan, and plundering a large amount of wealth. He established a very vast country, stretching from the southern border of Egypt at that time in the north to the spice producing areas of Somalia in the south, to the upper and middle reaches of the Nile River in the west, and to the eastern coast of the Red Sea, including the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula, including the former territories of Himyaarit, Ledanet, and Saba. Under the conditions at that time, establishing such a massive country was truly a feat. The powerful Aksum state controlled the Mandeb Strait, guarded the Red Sea passage, and gained an extremely important position in the ancient world's East West trade. In the first few centuries after the Common Era, Aksum could be considered a first-class power in the world. At the same time, the kings of the Persian Empire, even the emperors of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire, treated each other with completely equal etiquette when dealing with Echana. In 336 AD, the arrogant Roman Emperor Constantine also publicly demanded that his subjects treat the citizens of Aksum with the same treatment as Roman citizens. At that time, some Roman writers once listed the Kingdom of Aksum as one of the four major powers in the world along with contemporary China, Rome, and Persia.
Strengthening centralized rule
With the continuous expansion of the kingdom's territory, the monarchy and centralized rule of Aksum were greatly strengthened. Starting from the 3rd century AD, Echana began to use the title of "King of Kings". Under the rule of the "King of Kings", the kingdom was divided into the main territory directly under the jurisdiction of Echana and numerous vassal territories. These vassal states are distributed in remote areas of the kingdom, with varying sizes in scope. Under the big feudal lords, there are many small feudal lords, and the smallest feudal lord barely rules over a hundred subjects. The ruling structure is like a pyramid, with Echana sitting at the top of the tower in Aksum city.

Levying tribute and taxes in various fiefdoms
Echana, known as the 'King of Kings', collected tribute and taxes from various vassal states. The collection of tribute can be divided into two methods. One is that the rulers of the fiefdoms send specialized personnel to deliver a fixed amount of tribute to Aksum every year. One way is when the "King of Kings" leads royal personnel, courtiers, and attendants to tour various places in order to strengthen central control, and all food is provided by the rulers of various regions and nearby fiefdoms along the way. Aksum has a large army to maintain national unity and external expansion. Taking advantage of the abundant production of elephants in the local area, a brave and skilled elephant cavalry army was built, making it difficult for the enemy to deal with every battle. There was also a naval force based in the Red Sea ports, which established Aksum's hegemony in the Red Sea through this force. Echana also relied on this naval force to expand its territory outward. In 525 AD, King Galib sent 200 warships on a sea expedition to the southern Arabian Peninsula, plundering large areas of land.

In every battle, Echana conquered not only land, but also dazzling wealth and strong slaves. The kingdom of Echana also reached advanced levels in agriculture, animal husbandry, and handicrafts of that era, with distinctive features such as terraced fields, elephant catching and training, and developed shipbuilding. Elephants and ships hold significant importance in the life of Aksum, where conquest wars have been unstoppable, and these two adorable weapons have also played a significant role. The kingdom of Echana implemented the "Negus system" under absolute monarchy. The so-called "Negusi system" refers to the situation where the king grants land to the nobility, and then the upper nobility grants it to the lower nobility, forming a strict feudal hierarchy. The king has all the power of life and death, although there is a Senate, it is only a decoration of the royal power.
The strong national power of Aksum enabled Echana to gain equal status with the Roman Emperor and the Sassanid Persian Emperor. There were frequent economic and trade exchanges with these two powerful neighbors, as well as political infiltration, exploitation, and checks and balances. In the era of Echana, a policy of forming an alliance with Rome to counter Persia was pursued, not only because of the conflict with Persia over the Arabian Peninsula, but also because of Christianity.
In the era of Echana, it happened to be a critical juncture in the development history of Christianity. In Europe, the Roman Empire had just established the dominance of Christianity, while in the Middle East, Sassanid Persia launched persecution against Christians. Under the influence of his Syrian teacher Frumendis, Erchana made Aksum a paradise for Christians. Frumendis, a Syrian with extensive knowledge and skills, was brought to Aksum by strong winds and huge waves due to a accidental maritime accident. From then on, he took root here and later became a private tutor in Echana. Under the efforts of Frumendis, Echana became a devout citizen of God, actively spreading the gospel, building churches and monasteries on his land. Frumendis later became the first bishop of Aksum, and Christianity eliminated many primitive religions here, creating a new territory.
In addition, Echana's cultural achievements also include his literary reform. This reform abandoned the original spelling of only consonant letters and promoted spelling that could indicate vowels. The new spelling of the characters continued to this day without significant changes and became the Ethiopian script. This is also a result of extensive cultural exchange with foreign countries.

The history of Aksum is somewhat mysterious, but its role is very clear. It undertakes to absorb the cultural achievements of countries with higher levels of civilization in the north, integrate them with the culture of East Africa, and further spread them to a wider region of Africa. Echana's absorption of Christianity and reform of writing brought him closer to advanced civilizations in the north.