Amanirenas

Amanirenas (also spelled Amanirena), was queen regnant of the Kingdom of Kush from mid to late 1st century BCE. She is known for invading Roman occupied Egypt and successfully negotiating with Roman emperor Augustus the end of Roman retaliation,

Biography Queen Amanirenas is one of the most famous Meroitic queens because of her role in leading the Kushite army against the Romans in a war that lasted three years (25 BC to 22 BC). This war is largely responsible for halting Rome's southward expansion in Africa. After an initial victory against Roman Egypt, the Kushite army was driven from the country by Prefect Gaius Petronius, who established a new Roman frontier at Hiere Sycaminos (Maharraqa).

Strabo's account of the Meroitic War led against the Roman Empire includes a queen named Kandakê (Κανδάκη, usually Latinized as Candace). Her name appears on stelae alongside those of Teriteqas and Akinidad, but the precise relationship between these three is not entirely clear in the historical record; however, scholars generally consider Akinidad to be her son and Teriteqas to be her husband, with kandake being her title.

Strabo's Account (17.53-54)

Kushite Invasion of Egypt She was described by Strabo as being blind in one eye.

According to Strabo's account, the Kushite forces launched an attack on Thebais and Syene while then-prefect Aelius Gallus was away on his ill-fated expedition to Arabia in 25 BC. They were successful in taking Syene, Elephantine, and Philae. As they took the city, they enslaved inhabitants and destroyed the statues of Caesar Augustus. Though Strabo does not mention it specifically, the head of one such statue was buried beneath the steps of a temple, resulting in its unique preservation. The bust remained intact throughout the centuries and is now displayed at the British Museum.

Strabo ascertains that "among these fugitives were the generals of Queen Candace", queen of the Ethiopians. Of the surviving captives he took, some were sold and others sent to Augustus as prisoners of war.

Ensuing Peace Treaty After the success of Petronius's Nubian campaign, the Roman Empire’s southern border moved beyond Egypt to Primis (Qasr Ibrim). The resulting peace treaty saw part of the Thirty-Mile Strip, including Primis, evacuated by the Romans. The kingdom of Kush remained a formidable power until its decline during the second century CE.

Meroë Head

The head of Augustus preserved by Amanirenas, referred to as the Meroë Head, was discovered by British archaeologist John Garstang in 1910. The glass, metal, and crystal eyes of the statue, which are frequently lost in similar pieces, remained intact due to its burial. The portrait is done in the Greek style, evoking youth and power.

The head was buried beneath the steps of a temple in Meroë, the capital of the Kingdom of Kush. The temple was dedicated to Victory, likely in an attempt to subjugate Augustus in the mind of the Kushite people and establish Rome as a defeated power. Frescoes within the temple itself possibly depict Roman prisoners of war standing before a ruling Kushite, possibly Akinidad. The excavation of Meroë was funded by the Sudan Excavation Committee. After the Meroë Head's discovery, it was gifted to the British Museum by the Sudan Excavation Committee with the support of the National Art Collections Fund in 1911.

Hamadab Stela

The Hamadab Stela, which dates to the first century BC, is made of sandstone. There are forty-five rows of Meroitic text, cursive and incised. The text mentions both Queen Amanirenas and King Akinidad, presumably her son. The incised image of the two, which features some deities, is lost; only the legs remain visible.

The stela was discovered by John Garstang, the archaeologist responsible for discovering the Meroë Head, in 1914.