The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Sazana of Axum
fl. c. AD 356 (dates unrecorded) · Co-ruler of Axum · Brother of Ezana · Axum (Ethiopia)
The Nicene Age
Who Sazana of Axum was
Brother and co-ruler of King Ezana, and named — by name, in the address — in a letter of the emperor Constantius II that Athanasius quotes in full. Constantius wrote to the two kings demanding that they send Frumentius back to Alexandria to be re-examined by the Arian George, and Athanasius reproduced the letter to show what the Arians had tried. That makes Sazana a documentary attestation from inside the horizon, on better evidence than most of the Ethiopian material the archive already holds.
Named once in the sources within the horizon; no other ancient witness names him.
Common questions
When was Sazana active?
Sazana of Axum is dated fl. c. AD 356 (dates unrecorded) in the archive, which places Sazana in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Sazana?
Sazana of Axum is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius of Alexandria. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Sazana from?
The archive associates Sazana of Axum with Axum (Ethiopia).
Who were Sazana’s contemporaries?
The archive links Sazana of Axum to 3 other figures, including Ezana (Aizanas) of Axum, Frumentius of Axum and Athanasius of Alexandria. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Apologia ad Constantium 31 — quoting the emperor’s letter verbatim
c. AD 357Constantius Victor Maximus Augustus, to Æzanes and Sazanes.Athanasius of Alexandria · Apologia ad Constantium 31 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Sazana.
- 1Axum