Until the 16th Century, lances and shields, bows and arrows were the weapons of choice used by the Ethiopian army. In the 16th Century the wars against the Muslims and the Turkish occupation of Massawa (1557) brought about a revolution in the armament in Ethiopia.
The Muslims because of their proximity to the sea and their links to the Muslim world, were able to import firearms from Arabia where firearms had been introduced in 1515.
The Portuguese who had been invited to rescue the Christians of Ethiopia brought with them 600 swivel guns. Some or most of these guns must have been left in Ethiopia upon the end of war.
That is how firearms were introduced into Ethiopia.
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