Country history · Africa

History of Eritrea

15 recorded states lay in what is now Eritrea, from Land of Punt (2500 BCE) to the State of Eritrea. 4 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)Open in the atlas →

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

26th century BCE

  1. Land of Punt2500 BCE – 1100 BCE · chiefdom

10th century BCE

  1. D'mt980 BCE – 400 BCE · kingdom

10th century

  1. Sultanate of Dahlak950 CE – 1557 CE · sultanate

12th century

  1. Zagwe dynasty1137 CE – 1270 CE · kingdom

14th century

  1. Medri Bahri1350 CE – 1890 CE · kingdom

16th century

  1. Habesh Eyalet1555 CE – 1865 CE · other

18th century

  1. Aussa Sultanate1734 CE – 1936 CE · sultanate
  2. Tigray1748 CE – 1855 CE · other

19th century

  1. Italian Eritrea1890 CE – 1941 CE · colony

20th century

  1. Italian East Africa1936 CE – 1941 CE · colony
  2. British Administration of Eritrea1941 CE – 1952 CE · other
  3. Eritrea (federation)1952 CE – 1962 CE · other
  4. Derg1974 CE – 1987 CE · other
  5. People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia1987 CE – 1991 CE · republic
  6. State of Eritrea1993 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Horn and East Africa → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Eritrea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/eritrea
MLA
“History of Eritrea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/eritrea. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Eritrea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/eritrea.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Eritrea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/eritrea (Accessed: ).