Amanitore was a Meroe queen, or Kandake, who lived in the first century BCE. Like other Kushite rulers, it was believed she was a child of the primary god of the realm, Amun.
Meroe was the final kingdom of Kush. It was located in Nubia, in the Middle Nile valley in present-day Sudan, existing between 300 BCE – 300 CE. For a few periods in Kush’s history, women acted as ruling queens. Images of royal women exist in funerary chapels in Meroe cemeteries.
Amanitore reigned as co-regent with her husband Natakamani in mid-first century BCE. Under the pair, two hundred new pyramids were built, along with reservoirs in Meroe. They also refurbished two temples dedicated to the Egyptian God Amun, one of which had been almost completely destroyed by the Romans, and dedicated a number of new temples to him. The role of the Kandake was vital to obtaining balance in all things, or Maat. She is buried in her own temple.
Amanitore is demonstrated to act no differently to a king, performing actions that conveyed absolute power such as smiting the enemy. Amanitore was from a line of warrior queens praised for their strong and athletic build. This is mentioned in many texts from the era.
During the period in which she ruled, the Meoitic hieroglyphic and cursive scripts were developed. This formulated a native language which was parallel to Kemetic hieroglyphics.
The lasting legacy of Amanitore and other Kandake’s reverberates in modern day Sudan. The symbol of the Kushite queen has been used in political movements that fight for a return to African traditions and is a powerful symbol of representation for African women in the diaspora.
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