POPULATION. The location of the people be tween the Nile and the Red Sea permitted the commingling of Hamites from the north. Him varitic Semites from Asia. and negroes from the south. The Abyssinians are of medium stature; in color they vary from brunette to translucent black. The principal language of the upper classes is the Amharie. closely allied to the an ciunt Geez (still used in ritual), and is written in a syllabary resembling that of the old inscrip tions in Yemen, Arabia. The Amharic is the lan guage of the court. (Sec AMIIARIC LANGUAGE. ) Of the same stock arc the Tigril and Tigrifia tongues. The language of the common people throughout a great part of the country is the Agua (Agow), a Hamitic tongue. The Gallas, who form an important element in the popula tion, likewise speak a Hamitic language. The Abyssinians are in the hand epoeh of the iron age, and are herdsmen. Polygamy prevails ex tensively. They have little that deserves the name of literature. Education is in the hands of the clergy. The national religion is a per verted Christianity, introduced into the country in the fourth century. The tribe of the Falashas profess Judaism. The Gallas are Mohammedans.
Abyssinia is a part of the ancient and vaguely defined Ethiopia. (For its ancient history, see the article on ETHIOPIA.) The people still call themselves Ethiopians, the name Abys sinians, by which they are generally known out side their own borders, being a Portuguese form of the Arabic Habsh or Habcsh, signifying "mix ture." and referring to the diverse tribes which compose the population. The traditions. customs, and language point to an early and intimate intercourse with the Jews; and the Book of Kings professes to record the rulers down from the Queen of Sheba and her son Menelek by Solomon, King of Israel; but this book is not to be depended upon unless corroborated by in. dependent evidence. Greek influence was intro duced through an invasion by Ptolemy Euer getes (247-221 n.c.). In the fourth century Christianity was introducest and Frumentius, who had been instrumental in its introduction, was in 326 consecrated as a bishop by Atha nasius, patriarch of Alexandria. and became, as Abuna Salamah ("our father of peace"), the head of the Abyssinian Church, with his seat at Axum, then the capital. The Coptic ri'e, older than that of Rome or Moscow. has prevailed in Abyssinia to the present day, in spite of efforts to introduce other forms of Christianity made by the Jesuits in the sixteenth century and by representatives of Protestant churches in later years. The head of the Church is still the Abuna, who is sent front Alexandria; but he shares his ecclesiastical authority with the native Eehegheh, or head of the monastic bodies. Mo nasticism of the Oriental type was introduced about the year 470, and become a permanent feature of the life of the country. The monks number about 12,000. In the sixth century the King of the Homeriles, an Arab convert to Judaism, began a persecution of the Christians, and King Elesbaas, or Caleb of Axum. invad ed Arabia, and conquered Yemen, which was ruled as a province of Abyssinia for sixty-seven yea rs.
This was the most flourishing period of Abyssinia; its influence then reached farthest and it was most in touch with the outside world. In 500, the overthrow of Abrahah, the last Abyssinian ruler of Yemen. left Arabia open for the spread of Mohammedanism. which soon rose like a flood and rolled around Abyssinia, cutting it off from the outside world and from the influences that had been urging it forward.
It thus became a primitive, half-barbarous civi lization in a state of arrested development. A line of usurpers took the place of the ancient sovereigns in the tenth century and reigned until about 1300. in the reign of Naakweto Laab, the last of this line, Te-kla Haimanot, an ar dent patriot, who possessed great influence be cause of the dignity of his character and the unselfishness of his life, succeeded in negotiating a treaty between the King and the representative of the old line, which still held the government of Shoa, by which Naakweto Laab agreed to ab dicate, receiving in return a eertain as a hereditary possession and the right of sitting on the same kind of chair as that used by the sovereign. By the same treaty one third of the kingdom was granted to the clergy, and it was provided that no native should ever be Abuna, but that the office should be filled by appointees of the patriarch of Alexandria. was on attempt to renew sonic connection with the outer world, and shows that the more intel ligent Abyssinians keenly felt their isolation. The rise of the Alohammedan power cut Abyssinia off from the coast; the invasion of the rude Gallas from the south in the sixteenth century introduced an alien race into the country, which has always been a harmful and disturbing cle ment. The true Abyssinian typo was produced probably by a mingling of the African Hamitic and the Asiatic Semitic stocks, which here came into Portuguese Jesuit missionaries came into the country in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and Portugal took much interest in Abyssinian affairs, a.sisting the Negras against his enemies, the Turks. The attempts of the Jesuits to supplant the old faith with that of Rome 11.1•+ intensely displeasing to the Abyssin ians, who have always clung loyally to their national church. The Jesuits were expelled in 1633, and Abyssinia relapsed again into prac tical isolation until the nineteenth century, Oc •asional African explorers entered Abyssinia from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century (see lInucE, and some remained, volun taril• or constrained by the laws of the country, at times were hospitable to the admission of travelers, hut did not allow their departure. In the middle of the nineteenth century the power was in the hands of Ali, a ras or prince of the barbarous Callas, when it was seized by Lij Hasa, an adventurer who was crowned as Negus with the name of Theodore, in 1854. lbe was at first very friendly to the English, and acted to a great extent under the advice of the English consul, Alr. Plowden; but meeting difficulties in his task of imposing unity upon the disorganized country. he bevaine morose, and taking offense at the neglect by the English Government of a letter sent by him to Queen Victoria, be imprisoned Ali.. Cameron, then British consul, and his suite, and followed this by seizing and holding the members of the mission sent by the British Gov ernment under Air. Bassani to negotiate for free ing the consul. After prolonged and useless at tempts at negotiation, all army of English and Indian troops, under Sir Robert Napier, invaded the country. and in a vigorous eampaign cap tured ALigdala, Theodore's chief stronghold. and released the prisoners (April 13, 1868). Theo dore at ()nee committed suicide. He was suc ceeded by John, ryas of Tigrcs, who proved un equal to the task of quelling rebellion. 1TP fell in 1889 in battle with the dervishes of the Su dan, and Alenelck 11., ras of Shoa, who claims to represent the old line of kings, obtained the crown.