The kingdom of Aksum arose in Ethiopia during the first century C.E. The Aksumites built incredible monuments, written script, minted their own gold coins, traded with lands as far away as India and China, and were influential in spreading Christianity throughout the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. According to Ethiopian tradition, the biblical Ark of the Covenant is preserved here in the Chapel of the Tablet. This divine artifact has been brought to Aksum by Menelik, the son of the Queen Makeda, ruler of Sheba, and, King Solomon of Israel.