Abyssinian people
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| predominantly Christianity (Ethiopian Orthodoxy · Eritrean Orthodoxy · Ethiopian Catholicism · P'ent'ay) · Islam (Sunni) · Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Abyssinian people (Ge'ez: ሐበሻይት?), also known as the Habesha, are a people inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They include a few linguistically, culturally and ancestrally related ethnic groups in the Ethiopian Highlands. Members' cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to the Kingdom of Dʿmt (usually vocalized Diʿamat) and the Kingdom of Aksum. Scholars have classified the Amhara and the Tigreans as Abyssinians proper. The Ge'ez speaking people, minimally affected by Sabaean influence, formed the ethnic and cultural stock for both the pre-Axumite and Axumite states. Ge'ez, which is closely related to Tigrinya and Tigre, is also believed to be the ancestor of the diverse southern Ethiopian Semitic languages including Amharic. Together, the Amhara and Tigray constitute over 35% of Ethiopia's population (c. 33.6 million Amhara, 5.5 million Tigray).
The Abyssinians are believed to be descendants of the Axumites, who spoke the ancient Ge'ez language. Ge'ez is most closely related to Tigrinya and Tigre languages. The Aksumites inhabited northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. They already lived in this area by the early 1st millennium BC, and founded the Axumite empire, which succeeded the pre-Aksumite Kingdom of D'mt. These people formed the basic ethnocultural stock of both the pre-Axumite and Axumite states. Before the adoption of Chrstianity in fourth century the religion of the Axumites was a polytheistic religion derived from the Arabic religion which believed that many gods controlled the natural forces of the universe.
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