The Maria Theresa Thaler, or Dollar The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries witnessed the arrival in Ethiopia of an Austrian coin: the Maria Theresa thaler, or dollar. This remarkable silver coin, which was called after Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and was minted in Vienna, gained an extensive circulation throughout the Middle East, including Ethiopia. Its coming helped to equalise the disequilibrium between Ethiopian exports, which were substantially greater than the country’s imports. Queen Maria Theresa died in 1780,…
These two articles are adapted from a study presented by the author to the 74’th District Conference and Assembly of Rotary International, held in Addis Ababa from 7 to 9 May, 1999. They were published in the Addis Tribune newspaper in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 4 June 1999 and 11 June 1999 respectively. Trade and business have a long history in Ethiopia. Pharaohs and Ptolemies Our earliest records are those of the Egyptian Pharaohs, who conducted numerous commercial expeditions down…