舊石器時代
目前世界上最早的人類化石-距今300萬年前的南方猿人露西，1974年在埃塞俄比亞東部出土。她被認為是現代人類的起源。
埃塞俄比亞長期以來被廣泛認定為人類的發源地，或者是"人類文明的搖籃"。這種說法來源於埃塞俄比亞境內衆多重要的考古發現。早在1974年，在阿法爾州（Afar）的哈達爾(Hadar)就發現了距今380萬年前的保存完整的人類始祖骨骼化石。該骨骼化石的發現地點位於著名的東非大裂𠔌的灣流火山岩層帶的巨石中。
經過考古隊的證實，該骨骼被證明為原始人類女性，同時以"露西"將其命名。埃塞俄比亞早先就為這位女性原始人類起了一個更為恰當的名字"Dinkinesh"，它在當地語言中的意思是"太神奇了"。根據帶領考古隊發現該原始人類骨骼化石的剋利夫蘭大學教授唐納德·約翰森博士所說�"露西"雖然外表類似類人猿，但卻屬於年代久遠並且可完全直立行走的兩足原始人類。
經過進一步的細緻研究，科學家們為露西起了一個屬於她這種物種的恰當名字：阿法爾南部猿人（Australopithecus afarensis）, 她被科學家認定為是後來南方類人猿和人類的共同祖先，同時也是介於類人猿和人類之間發展鏈條中缺少的那一環。因此，露西骨骼化石的發現具有重要的考古意義，因為她重新繪製了人類發展歷史的進化圖。
"露西"的發現衹是哈達爾（Hadar）地區衆多的科學考古發現之一。在20年後的1994年，科學家們在挖掘出露西地點以南75公裏處又成功挖掘出距今 440萬年的人類祖先化石殘骸。這項最新的考古發現包含了一枚距今580萬年前的名為"拉瑪迪斯·拉瑪迪斯·卡達巴（Ramadis Ramadis Kadabba）"的古老化石。
現在，露西的骨骼化石和很多其他史前考古發現一起陳列在位於埃塞俄比亞首度亞的斯亞貝巴的埃塞俄比亞自然博物館中。與露西的骨骼化石陳列在一起的考古發現還包括距今250萬年的石器時代人類所使用的工具以及各式栩栩如生的洞穴繪畫。發現該名為"Dinkereah"骨骼化石的地區仍舊相當活躍，相信會有更多歷史遺跡和考古發現會陸續展現在人們面前。因此，埃塞俄比亞鼓勵旅遊者踴躍參觀埃塞俄比亞自然博物館，目前該館特闢出一個區域專門展示史前考古和古人類學遺跡的考古發現。
在此部分展出的考古發現包括如下內容：
· 來自藍尼羅河盆地超過6千萬年歷史的古化石殘骸以及化石日志；
· 來自博爾吉（Burji）地區的超過1，100萬至1，200萬年歷史的古老探測期化石；
· 來自阿瓦什（Awash）中部地區的具有4百萬年歷史古老魚骨化石殘骸；
· 來自哈達爾（Hadar）地區的超過 3百萬年歷史的古老鰐魚卵化石；
· 來自阿瓦什（Awash）中部地區的距今大約5百萬年歷史的古老大型陸地龜甲化石；
· 距今440萬年歷史的古老拉米達猿人（Ardipithecus ramidus）化石；
· 具有250萬年歷史的古老南方古猿garhi（意為"驚奇"）的化石；
· 具有520萬至580萬年歷史的新近發現的拉米達猿人（Ardipithecus ramidus）卡達巴（kadabba）化石。
綜上所述，近來在東非大裂𠔌開展的古人類考古工作已經初見成效，大量化石和物質殘骸的考古發現將會為該地區是人類發源地的說法提供了強有力的證據。不僅如此，位於埃塞俄比亞境內的東非大裂𠔌埃塞俄比亞段早已提供了衆多有關人類早期進化的充分證明。這樣的事實已經使得很多人相信埃塞俄比亞確實是人類的發源地。因此，為了親眼見證這片神奇的人類起源地，每個人在其一生中都應至少來埃塞俄比亞參觀一次。
Ethiopia is considered one of the oldest human settlement areas, if not the oldest according to some scientific findings. Lucy, discovered in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar region, is considered the world’s second oldest, but most complete, and best preserved adult Australopithecine fossil. Lucy's species is named Australopithecus afarensis, which means 'southern ape of Afar, after the Ethiopian region where the discovery was made. Lucy is estimated to have lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago. There have been many other notable fossil findings in the country including recently found oldest human fossil, Ardi.
Around the eighth century BC, a kingdom known as Dʿmt was established in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, with its capital at Yeha in northern Ethiopia. Most modern historians consider this civilization to be a native African one, although Sabaean-influenced because of the latter's hegemony of the Red Sea, while others view Dʿmt as the result of a mixture of Sabaeans and indigenous peoples. However, Ge'ez, the ancient Semitic language of Ethiopia, is now thought not to have derived from Sabaean (also South Semitic). There is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence in Ethiopia and Eritrea at least as early as 2000 BC. Sabaean influence is now thought to have been minor, limited to a few localities, and disappearing after a few decades or a century, perhaps representing a trading or military colony in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the Ethiopian civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-Aksumite state.
After the fall of Dʿmt in the fourth century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller successor kingdoms, until the rise of one of these kingdoms during the first century BC, the Aksumite Empire, ancestor of medieval and modern Ethiopia, which was able to reunite the area. They established bases on the northern highlands of the Ethiopian Plateau and from there expanded southward. The Persian religious figure Mani listed Aksum with Rome, Persia, and China as one of the four great powers of his time.
In 316 AD, a Christian philosopher from Tyre, Meropius, embarked on a voyage of exploration along the coast of Africa. He was accompanied by, among others, two Syro-Greeks, Frumentius and his brother Aedesius. The vessel was stranded on the coast, and the natives killed all the travelers except the two brothers, who were taken to the court and given positions of trust by the monarch. They both practiced the Christian faith in private, and soon converted the queen and several other members of the royal court.