A conversation with Felege Yirga about the presence of Ethiopians in late antique Egypt. We discuss relations between the Roman province and the lands to the south and the roles that Ethiopians play in stories in Greek sources, especially the lives of ascetics, focusing on the monk Moses.
Felege-Selam Solomon Yirga is Assistant Professor of World History at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Felege is the author of a recent monograph on post-Roman Egypt, The Chronicle of John of Nikiu: Coping with Crisis in Post-Roman Egypt (University of California Press, 2025) and is currently writing a book on “The Idea of Ethiopia.” Our conversation is based on an article, “Moses the Black,” that is scheduled for publication in the Dumbarton Oaks Papers.
Byzantium & Friends is hosted by Anthony Kaldellis, a Professor at the University of Chicago. You can follow him on his personal website. You can listen to more episodes of Byzantium & Friends through Podbean, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Top Image: A Roman mosaic depicting a Black fisherman, dating to the 2nd century AD. Antakya Archaeological Museum, Turkey. Photo by Nevit Dilmen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
A conversation with Felege Yirga about the presence of Ethiopians in late antique Egypt. We discuss relations between the Roman province and the lands to the south and the roles that Ethiopians play in stories in Greek sources, especially the lives of ascetics, focusing on the monk Moses.
Felege-Selam Solomon Yirga is Assistant Professor of World History at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Felege is the author of a recent monograph on post-Roman Egypt, The Chronicle of John of Nikiu: Coping with Crisis in Post-Roman Egypt (University of California Press, 2025) and is currently writing a book on “The Idea of Ethiopia.” Our conversation is based on an article, “Moses the Black,” that is scheduled for publication in the Dumbarton Oaks Papers.
Byzantium & Friends is hosted by Anthony Kaldellis, a Professor at the University of Chicago. You can follow him on his personal website. You can listen to more episodes of Byzantium & Friends through Podbean, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Top Image: A Roman mosaic depicting a Black fisherman, dating to the 2nd century AD. Antakya Archaeological Museum, Turkey. Photo by Nevit Dilmen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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