The Kingdom of Kush (Modern day Sudan) was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, located at the Sudanese and southern Egyptian Nile Valley. The Kushite era of rule in Nubia was established after the Late Bronze Age collapse and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Kush was centered at Napata (now modern Karima, Sudan) during its early phase. After Kashta ("the Kushite") invaded Egypt in the 8th century BC, the monarchs of Kush were also the pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, until they were defeated by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under the rule of Ashurbanipal a century later and finally expelled from Egypt by Psamtik I.
The Meroitic language was spoken in Meroë and the Sudan during the Meroitic period (attested from 300 BC). It became extinct about 400 AD. The language was written in two forms of the Meroitic alphabet: Meroitic Cursive, which was written with a stylus and was used for general record-keeping; and Meroitic Hieroglyphic, which was carved in stone or used for royal or religious documents. It is not well understood due to the scarcity of bilingual texts. The earliest inscription in Meroitic writing dates from between 180–170 BC. These hieroglyphics were found engraved on the temple of Queen Shanakdakhete. Meroitic Cursive is written horizontally, and reads from right to left like all Semitic orthographies.
A Kandake (Queen) was a powerful position in the hierarchy of Kush. Here are some of the most notable Kandake who ruled the Kingdom Of Kush.
Amanitore (c. 50 CE) Nubian Kandake (Queen regnant) of the ancient Kushite Kingdom of Meroë, she is mentioned in a number of texts as a ruler. These include the temple at the Nubian capital of Napata in present-day Sudan, in a temple in Meroë near Shendi, again in Sudan, and at the Naqa Lion Temple. Her royal palace was at Gebel Barkal in modern-day Sudan, which now is a UNESCO heritage site. The area of her rule was between the Nile and the Atbara rivers. She was part of the Meroitic historical period and her reign began in 1 BCE. The quantity of building that was completed during the middle part of the first century indicates that this was the most prosperous time in Meroitic history. More than two hundred Nubian pyramids were built, most plundered in ancient times. Amanitore is buried in her own pyramid in Meroë. The tomb is approximately six meters square at its base, and not a pyramid in the mathematical sense. Amanitore was among the last great Kush builders. She was involved in restoring the large temple for Amun at Meroë and the Amun temple at Napata after it was demolished by the Romans. Reservoirs for the retention of water also were constructed at Meroë during her reign.
Shanakhdakheto or Shanakdakhete was a Kandake (Queen) of the Kingdom of Kush, when the polity was centered at Meroë. She is the earliest known ruling African queen of ancient Nubia, and reigned from about 170 to 150 BC, although the period 170–160 BC is also mentioned. She is said to have ruled with full power in the Meroë Empire. She is also said to have ruled without a king. It is also stated that as queen she played a significant role in the Meroitic religion. In the 2nd century BC Shanakdakheto built the Temple F at Naqa, which has an unusual feature in the first half of the temple with the interior partitions where the gods face the back wall.
Amanishakheto was a Kandake of Kush. She seems to have reigned from 10 BC to 1 AD, although most dates of Kushite history before the Middle Ages are very uncertain. Nonetheless, in Meroitic hieroglyphs her name is written "Amanikasheto" (Mniskhte or (Am)niskhete). In Meroitic cursive she is referred to as Amaniskheto qor kd(ke) which means Amanishakheto, Qore and Kandake ("Ruler and Queen"). Amanishakheto is known from several monuments. She is mentioned in the Amun-temple of Kawa, on a stela from Meroe, and in inscriptions of a palace building found at Wad ban Naqa, from a stela found at Qasr Ibrim, another stela from Naqa and her pyramid at Meroe (Beg. no. N6). Amanishakheto is best known for a collection of jewelry found in her pyramid in 1834 by Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini, who destroyed the pyramid in search of its burial goods.[2] These pieces are now in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and in the Egyptian Museum of Munich.
Amanirenas (aka Amanirena) was a queen of the Kingdom of Kush from c. 40 BC to c. 10 BC. Her full title was Amnirense qore li kdwe li ("Ameniras, qore and kandake").Amanirenas is one of the most famous kandakes, because of her role leading Kushite armies against the Romans in a war that lasted five years, from 27 BC to 22 BC. After an initial victory when the Kushites attacked Roman Egypt, they were driven out of Egypt by Gaius Petronius and the Romans established a new frontier at Hiere Sycaminos (Maharraqa). Amanirenas was described as brave, and blind in one eye. Meroitic inscriptions give Amanirenas the title of qore as well as kandake suggesting that she was a ruling queen. She is usually considered to be the queen referred to as "Candace" in Strabo's account of the Meroitic war against the Roman Empire. Her name is associated with those of Teriteqas and Akinidad, but the precise relationship between these three is not clear in the historical record.
Amanikhatashan was a ruling queen of Kush (c. 62-c. 85). Her proper title is Kandake. Her pyramid is at Meroe in the Sudan. She was preceded by Amanitenmemide (c. 50-62) and succeeded by Teritnide. Amanikhatashan is famous for having sent her Kushite cavalry to help Titus during the Great Jewish Revolt in 70 AD.
Maleqorobar (mɑləko'robɑr), was a Queen of Kush from 266 to 283 CE; she is one of eight Candaces known to the Western world. She ruled over the ancient kingdom from Meroe half a century prior to its final decline and sacking by the Roman proxy state of Axum. According to several sources, nothing is known of her reign. Some list her as the last Candace of Meroe, but this is inaccurate; that title should be attributed to Lahideamani (306 to 314 CE).
Pebatjma (or Pebatma) was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the wife of King Kashta. She is mentioned on a statue of her daughter Amenirdis I, now in Cairo (42198). She is also mentioned on a doorjamb from Abydos.
Tabiry was the daughter of Alara of Nubia and his wife Kasaqa and the wife of King Piye. She held some interesting titles: Main King’s Wife, first of her majesty (hmt niswt 'at tpit n hm.f) (the only other queen to hold the Main King's Wife title was Nefertiti) and “The Great One of the Foreign Country” (ta-aat-khesut). She also holds the more standard titles of King's Wife (hmt niswt), King's Daughter (s3t niswt), and King's Sister (snt niswt). Tabiry was buried in a pyramid at El-Kurru (K.53). A carved granite funerary stela found in her tomb mentions she is the daughter of Alara of Nubia and the wife of Piye. The stela is now in Khartoum.The stela gives Tabiry further titles. Reisner had initially translated one of her titles as 'the great chieftainess of the Temehu' (southern Libyans), and concluded that the royal house of Kush was somehow related to the Libyans.[3] Others have since shown that her title should be read as "Great One (or 'Chieftainess') of the Desert-dwellers", showing her title connects her to the Nubians. A blue faience shabti of Tabiry is now in the Petrie Museum in London (UC13220).
Abar was a Nubian queen of the Kingdom of Kush dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt. She is known from a series of stela found in Sudan and Egypt. Her appearances mark her as the niece of King Alara of Nubia, the wife of King Piye and the mother of King Taharqa. She is also known from a stela (Stela V) found in Kawa, Sudan, recording that she was dedicated as a sistrum player at the temple by her father, as well in a similar scene at Jebel Barkal where she appears behind her son Taharqa and from a stela from Tanis, Egypt. Another appearance by Abar is at the Amun Temple at Sanam, Sudan.
Qalhata was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Qalhata was a daughter of King Piye and a queen consort to her brother Shabaka. She is known from the Dream Stela of King Tantamani and from her pyramid in El-Kurru (Ku. 5). Assyrian records state that King Tantamani was the son of Taharqa's sister. The tomb of Qalhata at El-Kurru contains texts that say she is a King's Mother, giving some evidence of the family relationships.
Tabekenamun (Tabakenamun) was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Tabekenamun was a daughter of King Piye and may have been a queen consort to her brother Taharqa. She is known from Cairo Statue 49157 from Karnak. Others have suggested Tabekenamun was the wife of Shabaka. She was a King's Daughter, King's Sister and King's Wife. In addition, she was a priestess of Hathor, Mistress of Tepihu (Aphroditopolis) and a priestess of Hathor of Iunyt (Dendera) as well as a priestess of Neith. The priestly offices could suggest she was a daughter of one of the Libyan Pharaohs.
Arty was a Nubian King's wife dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Arty was a daughter of King Piye and was the wife of Shebitku. She is known from Cairo Statue 49157 from Karnak. Her name is mentioned on the base of a statue of Haremakhet. She was buried in the necropolis at El-Kurru, in tomb Ku. El-Kurru was one of the royal cemeteries used by the Nubian royal family of Kush and Egypt's 25th dynasty. It is now located in Northern state, Sudan.
Takahatenamun (Takahatamun, Takhahatamani) was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Takahat(en)amun was the daughter of King Piye and the sister-wife of King Taharqa. She held several titles: Noble Lady (iryt p't), Great of Praises (wrt hzwt), King's Wife, Lady of All Women, and King's Sister. Takahat(en)amun is known from a temple scene of the temple of Mut in Gebel Barkal where she is shown standing behind Taharqa who is offering to Amun-Re and Mut. George Andrew Reisner proposed that Takatamun might have been buried in Nuri in Tomb 21. The tomb is dated, however, to the time of King Senkamanisken, meaning that the queen would have had to have died in her seventies or later if she were buried there.
Atakhebasken (Akhetbasaken) was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire.. She was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Taharqa. Atakhebasken is mainly known from her tomb in Nuri (Nu. 36). The finds from the tomb include: a shawabti, canopic jars, which are now in Boston, and an altar now in the Meroe Museum in Khartoum. Her tomb was enlarged after the chapel had already been built.
Naparaye was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Naparaye was the daughter of King Piye and the sister-wife of King Taharqa. She held several titles: Great of Grace, Great of Praises, King's Wife, Lady of the Two Lands, and King's Sister. Naparaye's name is known from her tomb in el-Kurru (Ku. 3). El-Kurru was one of the royal cemeteries used by the Nubian royal family of Kush and Egypt's 25th dynasty. It is now located in Northern state, Sudan. At her pyramid an alabaster offering table was found (Khartoum, No. 191).
Tabekenamun (Tabakenamun) was a Nubian queen dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire. Tabekenamun was a daughter of King Piye and may have been a queen consort to her brother Taharqa. She is known from Cairo Statue 49157 from Karnak. Others have suggested Tabekenamun was the wife of Shabaka. She was a King's Daughter, King's Sister and King's Wife. In addition, she was a priestess of Hathor, Mistress of Tepihu (Aphroditopolis) and a priestess of Hathor of Iunyt (Dendera) as well as a priestess of Neith. The priestly offices could suggest she was a daughter of one of the Libyan Pharaohs.
Nasalsa was a Nubian queen of the Kingdom of Kush dated to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt. She is known from a shabti, some inscriptions on tablets and cups, text on the stela of Khaliut, a dedication inscription and a text from Kawa. Dodson mentions that Nasalsa is named on the Enthronement Stela of Atlanersa and on the Election and Adoption Stelae of Aspelta. These stelae were from Gebel Barkal, a very small mountain located some 400 km north of Khartoum, in Karima town in Northern State in Sudan. Nasalsa was a daughter of Atlanersa, the sister-wife of Senkamanisken, and the mother of Kings Anlamani and Aspelta as well as of Queen Madiqen. Anlamani's stela (Kawa VIII) has a passage describing Nasalsa being called and finding her son on the throne: Now the king's mother Nasalsa, may she live forever, was amongst the royal sisters. The royal mother, sweet of love, was the mistress of all the wives. His Majesty sent companions in order that she may be brought. She found her son appearing like Horus on his throne. She was very greatly joyful after she saw the beauty of His Majesty. Aspelta's Adoption stela refers to Nasalsa as the King's Sister, the King's Mother, Mistress of Cush, and Daughter of Re. The inscription states that Nasalsa was the daughter of King's Sister, the Adoratrix of Amen-Re at Thebes Amenirdis. The relationship is likely one through adoption, because the Adoratrix in Thebes was thought to be celibate. The mention of "Daughter of Re" was the first time a Queen of Kush had used that title.
Amanimalel (also Amanimalēl and Amanimalil) was a Kushite queen of the Napatan kingdom of Nubia, likely a spouse of king Senkamanisken living in the second half of the 7th century BC. She is mostly known from one or possibly two statues of her of very high quality. The statue is now located in The National Museum of Sudan or Sudan National Museum. Amanimalel lived in the second half of the 7th century BC. Several date have been proposed for her queenship based on those estimated for Senkamanisken's rule: 643–623 BC, or 642–623 BC. Amanimalel is presumed to have been a queen consort of Senkamanisken, who was also married to queen Nasalsa and, possibly, Masalaye. As such, Amanimalel could be the mother of queens Asata and Madekan who espoused kings Aspelta and Anlamani, respectively. These possibilities are debated however because of the lack of direct evidence on the matter. Amanimalel's parents are equally uncertain, she could be a daughter of Atlanersa. Middle to fore ground: pyramid Nuri 22, conjecturally attributed to Amanimalel. Amanimalel is attested by a 141 cm (4.63 ft) high lifesize statue of the queen, which was uncovered in April 1916 by George Andrew Reisner in a cache at the Gebel Barkal temple B 500 during a joint Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts expedition.[9][5] The statue, one of the great masterpieces of African art,[10] shows the queen in a traditionally Egyptian striding pose, wearing a Nubian variation of an Egyptian dress that could have been sheathed in silver while the feet may have been adorned with golden sandals.[10] The back pillar of the statue states that she is "beloved of Amun of Napata who resides in the sacred mountain", showing that the queen participated in the cult of Amun at Napata in a role that might have been related with that of God's Wife of Amun of the preceding Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. The inscription was under the aegis of a goddess whose portrait is damaged but may belong to Mut. The queen is shown holding a smaller statue of a god child wearing the double crown who might well be Khonsu. The tomb of queen Amanimalel has not been identified with any certainty. Reisner proposed that pyramid 22 at the royal necropolis of Nuri belongs to her. The pyramid was excavated in 1917. These works unearthed fragments of gold foil, small silver artefacts and beads.
Sekhmakh was the wife of the Nubian king Nastasen, who ruled in the Fourth century BC. Sekhmakh is known from the great stela of the king found in Dongola, where she is depicted in the roundle. There is also her funerary stela, found in a temple at Jebel Barkal, Sudan and obviously reused. The burial, where the stela was once placed is unknown. Sekhmakh bears the titles king's daughter, king's wife and mistress of Egypt. Her royal parents are unknown.
Amanikhatashan was a ruling queen of Kush (c. 62-c. 85). Her proper title is Kandake. Her pyramid is at Meroe in the Sudan. She was preceded by Amanitenmemide (c. 50-62) and succeeded by Teritnide. Amanikhatashan is famous for having sent her Kushite cavalry to help Titus during the Great Jewish Revolt in 70 AD.
Maleqorobar was a Kandake of Kush (modern day Sudan) from 266 to 283 CE; she is one of eight Queens known to the Western world. She ruled over the ancient kingdom from Meroe half a century prior to its final decline and sacking by the Roman proxy state of Axum. According to several sources, nothing is known of her reign. Some list her as the last Queen of Meroe, but this is inaccurate; that title should be attributed to Lahideamani (306 to 314 CE).