The Greek name Αἰθιοπία (from , Aithiops, 'an Ethiopian') is a compound word, derived from the two Greek words, from + (aitho "I burn" + ops "face") [REF].
Following the Hellenic and Biblical traditions, the Monumentum Adulitanum, a third century inscription belonging to the Aksumite Empire, indicates that Aksum's then ruler governed an area which was flanked to the west by the territory of Ethiopia and Sasu.