Overview

The best history of Ethiopia in English. A unique perspective on Africa and its future. The elegant lightness of the writing makes the reader want to know more about the country that is also known as 'the cradle of humanity.' This is an oeuvre that will enrich our understanding of one of Africa's most formidable civilisations. -Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate, PhD, Cambridge, Univ. of Frankfurt, Great Nephew of Emperor Haile Selassie. This book needs to be on the shelf of every historian. -Alec Hawkins How does this 'weak' far-off African land impact the mighty West and our lives today? Read it and discover it for yourself! -Brian Kelly From the 1960's Ethiopian Olympic runner, Abebe Bikila, to Mussolini fighting an Italo-Ethiopian War, to the Old Testament story of the Queen of Sheba, to exploring the mystery behind the Ark of the Covenant, from population control to the potential downfall of Western civilization; Dean Arnold ties the past, present, and future together with sleek sensibility and an experienced grasp on storytelling. I loved it! -Caleb Rexford Unknown Empire begins with a barefoot Ethiopian army defeating thousands of European soldiers in 1896. As the only African nation to never be conquered, they defeated Mussolini during WWII. With the West dying but Africa booming, Ethiopia faces population control leaders such as Bill Gates and the U.N. in an epic confrontation for the future of civilization. In all these confrontations, the Ark of the Covenant plays a central role for Ethiopians who believe that they have held the world's most famous object since before the time of Christ. The author explores the Ark claim throughout and weaves in the claims of Eden and empire. Utilizing his trademark style-history with a plot-Dean W. Arnold provides a unique and edifying experience, a nonfiction novel where every exciting action and quote is true. Ethiopia? What relevance could a book on Ethiopia have to me, an American living in 2020? Quite a bit as it turns out. The author uses the current situation in Ethiopia to highlight the struggle between traditionalism and modernism; a struggle that is being played out dramatically in America as of this writing. Do you believe that black lives matter? What about black cultures? Can the African inversion of the racial dynamics free us to find unity with its people in ethics and morality? Arnold builds a well-researched, respectful case for traditionalism by highlighting the historical significance of Ethiopia and its long, stubborn resistance against often-overwhelming external forces. He deftly uses the story of a barefoot Olympian, who too-quickly was dismissed by the global sports community, as a metaphor for the current world's conceited opinion of the Ethiopian people and their deeply held religious orthodoxy. It is the rare writer who can present history with any sense of suspense, but Arnold succeeds and awakens us to the Ethiopian perspective by humanizing the main actors and providing lesser-known backstories. The book often reads like a novel. The Ark of the Covenant, the Queen of Sheeba, Queen Victoria, Mussolini and Bill Gates - it takes a skilled story teller to weave this assortment of characters into a cogent plot. And, written before the onset of COVID-19, the book also presciently draws attention to incompetence and corruption in the WHO. Having successfully resisted European colonialism in the two preceding centuries, can Ethiopia hold out against a more insidious invasion? While the present attempts to westernize Ethiopia may be less overt, are they motivated by the exact same impulses and intentions of the 19th century colonizers? This book will challenge whatever outlook you may bring to it, but that's exactly what makes it an irresistible read. -Richard Wellford (Review on Amazon)

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