| Nawidemak | |
|---|---|
| Kushite Queen of Meroe | |
 Depiction of Nawidemak in her tomb | |
| Reign | First half of the 1st century AD (?) |
| Predecessor | Unknown king (Bar. 2) (?) |
| Successor | Amanikhabale |
| Burial | Meroe (Bar. 6) |
Nawidemak was a queen regnant of Kush who probably ruled in the first half of the 1st century AD. [1] She is known from the wall relief of her burial chamber, as well as a gold plaque.
Nawidemak was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kush, either from the 1st century BC, [2] or 1st century AD. [1] [3] Objects from the late reign of Roman emperor Augustus or even later, found in Nawidemak's tomb, support the later date. [1]
Nawidemak is known from the wall relief of her burial chamber at (Bar. 6), which shows her wearing the royal coat, sash and tasselled cord; these elements are more commonly shown with male rulers of Kush. [2] Both the fastening knot on her coat, and on the cord feature a couchant animal, which is another symbol of royalty. This symbol makes its latest appearance in Nawidemak's relief, having been used in Kushite designs since the 3rd century BC. In the relief, she wears the crown of Osiris on her head. [4]
On the northern wall of the chamber, Nawidemak is shown with a long skirt and with bare breasts, which is symbolic of her fertility and as the mother of another ruler. [2] A gold tablet referring to Nawidemak is included in the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio. [5] Nawidemak is assumed to have been the mother of Amanikhabale; if true, Amanikhabale was likely her direct successor on the throne. [6]
Because her pyramid was built at Gebel Barkal, instead of Meroe as was customary at the time, there may have been a change of dynasty at this time. [7]
Nawidemak was a female ruler of Kush, known as a kandake. These rulers are each referred to in the New Testament of the Bible, without differentiation between them. Based on the idea that she ruled during the 1st Century AD, Nawidemak is thought to be the Kandake referred to in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, [3] whose treasurer was converted to Christianity by Philip the Evangelist.
Meroë was an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum. Near the site is a group of villages called Bagrawiyah. This city was the capital of the Kingdom of Kush for several centuries from around 590 BC, until its collapse in the 4th century AD. The Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë gave its name to the "Island of Meroë", which was the modern region of Butana, a region bounded by the Nile, the Atbarah and the Blue Nile.
Apedemak or Apademak was the Chief deity in the ancient Kushite pantheon. Often depicted as a figure with a male human torso and a lion head, Apedemak was a war god worshiped by the Meroitic peoples inhabiting Kush. He has no Egyptian counterpart. As a war god, Apedemak came to symbolize martial power, military conquest, and empire for the Meroitic peoples. Apedemak is also closely associated with Amun, the state-sponsored Egyptian deity during the preceding Napatan period, and is assumed to hold an equal level of importance.
Natakamani, also called Aqrakamani, was a king of Kush who reigned from Meroë in the middle of the 1st century CE. He ruled as co-regent together with his mother Amanitore. Natakamani is the best attested ruler of the Meroitic period. He and Amanitore may have been contemporaries of the Roman emperor Nero.
Amanishakheto was a queen regnant (kandake) of Kush who reigned in the early 1st century AD. In Meroitic hieroglyphs her name is written "Amanikasheto". In Meroitic cursive she is referred to as Amaniskheto qor kd(ke) which means Amanishakheto, Qore and Kandake.
Shorkaror was a king of Kush who ruled from Meroë in the second half of the 1st century AD. Shorkaror is attested as king in two inscriptions in Amara and in a large rock carving at Gebel Qeili. His identification as a king has sometimes been doubted, though the rock carving depicts him with royal regalia and attire. The carving is near to the trade route to Kassala and is the easternmost inscription of the Meroitic kings found so far.
Shanakdakhete, also spelled Shanakdakheto or Sanakadakhete, was a queen regnant of the Kingdom of Kush, ruling from Meroë in the early first century AD. Shanakdakhete is poorly attested, though is known to have constructed a temple in Naqa.
Kandake, kadake or kentake, often Latinised as Candace, was the Meroitic term for the sister of the king of Kush who, due to the matrilineal succession, would bear the next heir, making her a queen mother. She had her own court, probably acted as a landholder and held a prominent secular role as regent. Contemporary Greek and Roman sources treated it, incorrectly, as a name. The name Candace is derived from the way the word is used in the New Testament.
Amanirenas, was queen regnant of the Kingdom of Kush from the end of the 1st century BCE to beginning of the 1st century CE. She is known for halting the Roman expansion into Kush in present-day Sudan.
Amanitore, also spelled Amanitere or Amanitare, was a queen regnant of the Kingdom of Kush, ruling from Meroë in the middle of the 1st century CE. She ruled together with her son, Natakamani. The co-reign of Amanitore and Natakamani is a very well attested period and appears to have been a prosperous time. They may have been contemporaries of the Roman emperor Nero.
Nubia is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles, or more strictly, Al Dabbah. It was the seat of one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Africa, the Kerma culture, which lasted from around 2500 BC until its conquest by the New Kingdom of Egypt under Pharaoh Thutmose I around 1500 BC, whose heirs ruled most of Nubia for the next 400 years. Nubia was home to several empires, most prominently the Kingdom of Kush, which conquered Egypt in the eighth century BC during the reign of Piye and ruled the country as its 25th Dynasty.
The Kingdom of Kush, also known as the Kushite Empire, or simply Kush, was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt.
The Pyramids of Meroë are a large number of Nubian pyramids, encompassing three cemeteries near the ancient city of Meroë. The Meroë pyramids date to the later stage of the Kingdom of Kush and were burial places for Kushite monarchs, other members of the royal family, and important officials and dignitaries.
Amanikhabale was a King of Kush who probably ruled in the first half of the 1st century CE. Amanikhabale is known from inscriptions from Kawa, Basa, and Naqa, as well as a broken stela from Meroë. The quality and scale of the monuments on which Amanikhabale's inscriptions have been found, as well as their geographical distribution, indicates that he had a prosperous reign.
Adikhalamani was a king of Kush, ruling from Meroë in the first half of the 2nd century BCE.
Yesebokheamani was the king (qore) of Kush in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD. He seems to have been the king who took control of the Dodecaschoenus after the Roman withdrawal in 298. This enabled him to make a personal visit to the temple of Isis at Philae.
Amanipilade is the name conventionally attributed to a Kushite queen regnant buried in pyramid Beg N. 25 in Meroë. Amanipilade ruled the Kingdom of Kush from Meroë in the middle of the fourth century AD. Circumstantial and indirect evidence suggests that she might have been the last ruler of the kingdom.
László Török was a Hungarian historian, archaeologist, and Egyptologist. His works on the ancient Coptic language, Ancient Egypt, ancient Nubia, and the Kingdom of Kush were highly regarded. He was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Amanitaraqide was a king of the kingdom of Kush, ruling from Meroë. The timeframe of his reign and the location of his burial are uncertain and disputed.
Shesepankhenamen Setepenre is the Horus name of an otherwise unknown king of Kush, ruling from Meroë in the second half of the 3rd century BCE. His personal name is unknown. The Horus name is known only from fragmentary inscriptions on a stray block in Meroë's northern cemetery. No burial site has been identified for this king.
