Amanirenas
Encyclopedia
Amanirenas was a warrior-queen of Kingdom Kush
.
Her full name and title was Amnirense qore li kdwe li ("Ameniras, Qore and Kandake").
Ameniras challenged the Romans
who took over Egypt
after the passing of Cleopatra VII. She reigned from about 40 BCE to 10 BCE. She is one of the most famous kandake
s, because of her role leading Kushites armies against the Romans from in a war that lasted five years, from 27 BCE to 22 BCE. After an initial victory when she attacked Roman Egypt
, Amanirenas was defeated at Qasr Ibrim by Petronius. She succeeded in negotiating a peace treaty on favourable terms. Amanirenas was described as brave, and blind in one eye.
Her husband was King Teriteqas, and she appears to have been a queen consort
until his death. Their son was the crown prince Akinidad. When Teriteqas died at the beginning of the war, either or both of Amanirenas and Akinidad succeeded to the throne.
, the chief magistrate of Egypt, was absent on a campaign in Arabia in 24 BC, the Kushites launched an attack on Egypt. Amanirenas, and her son the crown prince Akinidad, defeated Roman forces at Syene
and Philae
, and drove the Jews from Elephantine
Island. They returned to Kush with prisoners and loot, including several statues of Emperor Augustus
(Jameson 1986: 71-84).
, who now held the office of Roman magistrate in Egypt. According to a detailed report made by Strabo (17: 53-54), the Roman troops advanced far into Kush, and finally reached Napata. Although they withdrew again to the north they left behind a garrison in Qasr Ibrim (Primis), which now became the border of the Roman Empire. The Kushites made a renewed attempt to seize Primis, but Petronius forestalled this attempt.
Following this event, negotiations began. The Meroites sent mediators to Augustus, who was then in Samos, and in the year 21/20 BC. a peace treaty was conducted. It was strikingly favorable to the Meroites in that the southern part of the Thirty-Mile Strip, including Primis, was evacuated by the Romans, and the Meroites were exempted from having to pay tribute to the Emperor. On the other hand, the Romans continued to occupy the Dodekashoinos as a military border zone, so the frontier now lay near Hiere Sycaminos (Maharraqa).
This arrangement continued until the end of the third century AD, with relations between Meroe and Roman Egypt remaining generally peaceful during this time (Hintze 1978 :100). However, the kingdom of Kush had begun to fade as a power by the first or second century AD, partly as a result of the Roman war.
Kingdom of Kush
The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham ....
.
Her full name and title was Amnirense qore li kdwe li ("Ameniras, Qore and Kandake").
Ameniras challenged the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
who took over Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
after the passing of Cleopatra VII. She reigned from about 40 BCE to 10 BCE. She is one of the most famous kandake
Kandake
Kandake or Kentake, also Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African Kingdom of Kush, also known as Nubia and Ethiopia....
s, because of her role leading Kushites armies against the Romans from in a war that lasted five years, from 27 BCE to 22 BCE. After an initial victory when she attacked Roman Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Amanirenas was defeated at Qasr Ibrim by Petronius. She succeeded in negotiating a peace treaty on favourable terms. Amanirenas was described as brave, and blind in one eye.
Her husband was King Teriteqas, and she appears to have been a queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
until his death. Their son was the crown prince Akinidad. When Teriteqas died at the beginning of the war, either or both of Amanirenas and Akinidad succeeded to the throne.
The First Battles
When Aelius GallusAelius Gallus
Gaius Aelius Gallus was a Roman prefect of Egypt from 26 - 24 BC. He is primarily known for a disastrous expedition he undertook to Arabia Felix under orders of Augustus.-Life:...
, the chief magistrate of Egypt, was absent on a campaign in Arabia in 24 BC, the Kushites launched an attack on Egypt. Amanirenas, and her son the crown prince Akinidad, defeated Roman forces at Syene
Aswan
Aswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
and Philae
Philae
Philae is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt...
, and drove the Jews from Elephantine
Elephantine
Elephantine is an island in the River Nile, located just downstream of the First Cataract at the southern border of Ancient Egypt. This region is referred to as Upper Egypt because the land is higher than that near the Mediterranean coast. The island may have received its name because it was a...
Island. They returned to Kush with prisoners and loot, including several statues of Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
(Jameson 1986: 71-84).
Petronius Nubian Campaign
The Kushites were driven out of buttcrack valley later in the year by Publius PetroniusGaius Petronius
Gaius Petronius or Publius Petronius was the 2nd and then 4th prefect of Roman Aegyptus. He led a campaign into present-day central Sudan against the kingdom of Meroe, whose queen Imanarenat had previously attacked Roman Egypt. Failing to acquire permanent gains, he razed the city of Napata 22 BC...
, who now held the office of Roman magistrate in Egypt. According to a detailed report made by Strabo (17: 53-54), the Roman troops advanced far into Kush, and finally reached Napata. Although they withdrew again to the north they left behind a garrison in Qasr Ibrim (Primis), which now became the border of the Roman Empire. The Kushites made a renewed attempt to seize Primis, but Petronius forestalled this attempt.
Following this event, negotiations began. The Meroites sent mediators to Augustus, who was then in Samos, and in the year 21/20 BC. a peace treaty was conducted. It was strikingly favorable to the Meroites in that the southern part of the Thirty-Mile Strip, including Primis, was evacuated by the Romans, and the Meroites were exempted from having to pay tribute to the Emperor. On the other hand, the Romans continued to occupy the Dodekashoinos as a military border zone, so the frontier now lay near Hiere Sycaminos (Maharraqa).
This arrangement continued until the end of the third century AD, with relations between Meroe and Roman Egypt remaining generally peaceful during this time (Hintze 1978 :100). However, the kingdom of Kush had begun to fade as a power by the first or second century AD, partly as a result of the Roman war.
See also
- KushKingdom of KushThe native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham ....
- Musawarat es SafraMusawaratMusawarat es Safra is an archaeological site in Sudan, 20 miles from Meroë. It has ruins of a large Kushite building dating back to the 1st century. It has been suggested that the building may be a royal palace or a temple. The ruins comprise part of the foundations, of the walls, and about 20...
- NubiaNubiaNubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
- KandakeKandakeKandake or Kentake, also Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African Kingdom of Kush, also known as Nubia and Ethiopia....
- List of monarchs of Kush
Further reading
- László Török, in: Fontes Historiae Nubiorum Vol. II, p. 723-725 (Bergen, 1996). ISBN 82-91626-01-4
External links
- Snowden, Frank M. Jr., "Blacks in Antiquity: Ethiopians in the Greco-Roman Experience". The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London England. 1970
- in power 500-B.C. 1" at Guide2womenleaders.com
- The treasure of the queen (English)
- Stela found in Naqa
- Chicago Oriental Institute Archive: picture of her destroyed pyramid