Amaninatakilebte was a
Meroitic king who ruled in the 6th century, probably between 538 to 519 BC at
Napata
Napata (Old Egyptian ''Npt'', ''Npy''; Meroitic ''Napa''; grc, Νάπατα and Ναπάται) was a city of ancient Kush at the fourth cataract of the Nile. It is located approximately 1.5 kilometers from the right side of the river at the ...
. He succeeded King
Analmaye
Analmaye was a Kushite King of MeroeDows Dunham and M. F. Laming Macadam, Names and Relationships of the Royal Family of Napata, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 35 (Dec., 1949), pp. 139-149 who ruled in the 6th century BC.
He succee ...
and was in turn succeeded by King
Karkamani. Like others of his dynasty, he was discovered buried among the pyramid chambers at
Nuri
Nuri is a place in modern Sudan on the west side of the Nile, near the Fourth Cataract. Nuri is situated about 15 km north of Sanam, and 10 km from Jebel Barkal.
Nuri is the second of three Napatan burial sites and the construction of ...
, specifically Nuri 10. These remains, along with engraved blocks at
Meroe, are the only known records of the ruler. Also significant is the gold cylinder discovered with the ruler in this pyramid, not unlike those found buried with King
Aspelta
Aspelta was a ruler of the kingdom of Kush (c. 600 – c. 580 BCE). More is known about him and his reign than most of the rulers of Kush. He left several stelae carved with accounts of his reign.
Family
Aspelta was the son of Senkamanisken a ...
in Nuri 8, but the function of which remains obscure.
According to
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...
, the Persian King,
Cambyses Cambyses may refer to:
* Cambyses I, King of Anshan 600 to 559 BCE
* Cambyses II, King of Persia 530 to 522 BCE
* Cambyses, ancient name of the Iori river in the South Caucasus
* ''Cambyses'', a tragedy (published 1569) by Thomas Preston (writer)
...
attempted an invasion of Meroe in about 525 BC that possibly occurred during the reign of Amaninatakilebte.
[Fage, J. D. 1978. The Cambridge history of Africa, Vol. 2. From c. 500 BC to AD 1050. .l. .n.br>p.223]
/ref>
References
{{Reflist
6th-century BC monarchs of Kush