This is an incomplete list for rulers with the title of Qore (king) or

Kandake Kandake, kadake or kentake ( Meroitic: 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 ''kdke''),Kirsty Rowan"Revising the Sound Value of Meroitic D: A Phonological Approach,"''Beitrage zur Sudanforschung'' 10 (2009). often Latinised as Candace ( grc, Κανδάκη, ''Kandak� ...

(queen) of the

Kingdom of Kush The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian language, Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Akkadian language, Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX grc, Κυς and Κυσι ; cop, ''Ecōš''; he, כּוּשׁ ''Kūš'') was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, ce ...

. Some of the dates are only rough estimates. While the chronological list is well known, only a few monarchs have definite dates. These include those leaders who also ruled Ancient Egypt and those who ruled during famous invasions or famous trade expeditions. The others are based on estimates made by

Fritz Hintze Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin an ...

. The estimates are based on the average length of the reigns, which were then shortened or lengthened based on the size and splendour of the monarch's tomb, the assumption being that monarchs who reigned longer had more time and resources to build their burial sites. An added complication is that in recent years, there have been disputes as to which monarch belongs to which tomb. Dates are definite and accurate for the Kushite rulers of the

Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXV, alternatively 25th Dynasty or Dynasty 25), also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of th ...

, when Egypt was invaded and absorbed by the Kushite Empire. The dates are also certain for kings

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 an ...

Arakamani Arakamani (also Arkamaniqo, Arkakamani or Ergamenes I) was a Nubian king of Meroë, who ruled in the early third century BCE. Biography The only secure archeological attestations of Arakamani come from his funerary pyramid at Meroë (Pyramid B ...

Nastasen Nastasen was a king of Kush (335 – 315/310 BC). According to a stela from Dongola his mother was named Queen Pelkha and his father may have been King Harsiotef. His successor was Aryamani. He is known from three types of objects. There is a ...

, and for the Kandakes

Shanakdakhete Shanakhdakheto or Shanakdakhete was a Queen of the Kingdom of Kush, when the polity was centered at Meroë, an ancient city in north Sudan. She is the earliest known ruling African queen of ancient Nubia, and reigned from c. 170–150 BC, althoug ...

Amanirenas Queen Amanirenas (also spelled Amanirena), described by Strabo as being blind in one eye, was queen of the Kingdom of Kush from c. 40 BC to c. 10 BC. Her full title was ''Amnirense qore li kdwe li'' ("Ameniras, qore and kandake"). Meroitic, the in ...

Amanishakheto Amanishakheto was a Kandake of Kush. She seems to have reigned from 10 BC to 1 AD, although most dates of Kushite history before the Middle Ages are very uncertain. In Meroitic hieroglyphs her name is written "Amanikasheto" (''Mniskhte'' or ''(Am ...

Amanitore Amanitore (early or mid-1st century CE), also spelled Amanitere or Amanitare, was a Nubian Kandake, or queen regnant, of the ancient Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë, which also is referred to as Nubia in many ancient sources. Alternative spellings inc ...

, and

Amanikhatashan Amanikhatashan was a ruling queen of Kush (c. 62-c. 85 CE). As a Queen, her proper title was "Kandake". Her pyramid is at Meroe in the Sudan. She was preceded by Amanitenmemide (c. 50–62) and succeeded by Teritnide. Amanikhatashan provided ...

. The early part of the chronology is incomplete. The graves and pyramid burials in Sudan consist of remains of at least fourteenKushite Kingdom
by Brian Yare (14) monarchs of the Kushite Empire preceding

Piankhi Piye (once transliterated as Pankhy or Piankhi; d. 714 BC) was an ancient Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled Egypt from 744–714 BC. He ruled from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, modern-day Sudan. ...

, the earliest tomb of which dates from about 1020 BCE. Two of these are known:

Alara ''Alara'' may refer to: People * Alara of Ilara-Mokin, the king of Ilara-Mokin land in Nigeria * Alara of Nubia, a king of Kush * Āḷāra Kālāma, a hermit saint, a teacher of yogic meditation and teacher of Gautama Buddha * Luis Alberto Ferná ...

and

Kashta Kashta was an 8th century BC king of the Kingdom of Kush, Kushite Dynasty in ancient Nubia and the successor of Alara of Nubia, Alara. His nomen ''k3š-t3'' (transcribed as Kashta, possibly pronounced /kuʔʃi-taʔ/) "of the land of Kush" is ofte ...

, who immediately preceded Piankhi. It also is possible that another of the burials may have been of Aserkamani, who was living in 950 BCE and who carried out expeditions in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Pre-Napatan period

Napatan period

The period starting with

and ending with

Malonaqen Malonaqen was a Meroe, Meroitic king who probably governed in the first half of the 6th century BC. His prenomen was "Sekhemkare." He is thought to be the son of king Aramatle-qo and queen Amanitakaye, although this is based merely on assumptio ...

is sometimes called the Napatan period. During this period, the

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...

and the royal palace were in

Napata Napata (Old Egyptian ''Npt'', ''Npy''; Meroitic language, Meroitic ''Napa''; grc, Νάπατα and Ναπάται) was a city of ancient Kingdom of Kush, Kush at the fourth cataract of the Nile. It is located approximately 1.5 kilometers from ...

, and

Meroë Meroë (; also spelled ''Meroe''; Meroitic: or ; ar, مرواه, translit=Meruwah and ar, مروي, translit=Meruwi, label=none; grc, Μερόη, translit=Meróē) was an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east ...

was a provincial city. The kings and queens are buried in

Nuri Nuri is a place in modern Sudan on the west side of the Nile River, Nile, near the Fourth Cataract. Nuri is situated about 15 km north of Sanam, Sudan, Sanam, and 10 km from Jebel Barkal. Nuri is the second of three Napatan burial sites ...

and

El-Kurru El-Kurru was the first of the three royal cemeteries used by the Kushite royals of Napata, also referred to as Egypt's 25th Dynasty, and is home to some of the royal Nubian Pyramids. It is located between the 3rd and 4th cataracts of the Nile ab ...

.Dows Dunham, Notes on the History of Kush 850 B. C.-A. D. 350, American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 50, No. 3 (July - September, 1946), pp. 378-388 : ''The numbering of the kings is based on László Török's The kingdom of Kush: handbook..''

First phase

Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXV, alternatively 25th Dynasty or Dynasty 25), also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of th ...

King

Piye Piye (once transliterated as Pankhy or Piankhi; d. 714 BC) was an ancient Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled Egypt from 744–714 BC. He ruled from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, modern-day Sudan. ...

invades Egypt, and for seven decades,

Kushites The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX grc, Κυς and Κυσι ; cop, ''Ecōš''; he, כּוּשׁ ''Kūš'') was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what i ...

rule Egypt.

Second phase

The

no longer control Egypt. The Kings rule over

and Meroe as before the conquest of Egypt.

Meroitic period

First phase

The Kings ruled over Napata and Meroe. The

and the royal palace are in Meroe. The Main temple of Amun is located in Napata, but the temple at Meroe is under construction. Kings and many queens are buried in

, some queens are buried in Meroe, in the West Cemetery.

Second phase

The

and the royal palace are in Meroe. Kings and many queens are buried in Meroe, in the South Cemetery. Napata's only importance is the Amun Temple.

Third phase

The

and the royal palace are in Meroe. Kings are buried in Meroe, in the North Cemetery, and Queens in West Cemetery. Napata's only importance is the Amun Temple. Meroe flourishes and many building projects are undertaken. Crown princes from the time of

Natakamani Natakamani was a King of Kush who reigned from around or earlier than 1 BC to c. AD 20.Oliver, Roland and Brian M. Fagan ''Africa in the Iron Age'' "Cambridge University Press". p. 40. . Natakamani is the best attested ruler of the Meroitic period ...

and

Arikhankharer Arikhankharer was a crown-prince of Kush (''circa'' AD 15?). Arikhankharer was the eldest son of Natakamani Natakamani was a King of Kush who reigned from around or earlier than 1 BC to c. AD 20.Oliver, Roland and Brian M. Fagan ''Africa in the ...

* Arikakahtani

Fourth phase

Twilight of the Meroitic Culture. Kings are buried in Meroe, in the North Cemetery, and Queens in West Cemetery. In 350 CE Meroe is destroyed by

Axum Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015). It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole region ...

. : List and dates from ''The Cambridge history of Africa, by J.D. Fage, and R.A. Oliver'' and from ''The kingdom of Kush: the Napatan and Meroitic empires, by Derek A. Welsby''. The order in which the kings and queens ruled and dates are not consistent between authors. Approximate dates have been given. (Unknown sequence thereafter)

References

Sources

External links

The Rise of the Kushite Kingdom
by Brian Yare {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Monarchs Of Kush + + +

Kush Kush or Cush may refer to: Bible * Cush (Bible), two people and one or more places in the Hebrew Bible Places * Kush (mountain), a mountain near Kalat, Pakistan Balochistan * Kush (satrapy), a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire * Hindu Kush, a m ...

Monarchs Of Kush

Ancient Egypt-related lists

Pre-Napatan period

Napatan period

First phase

Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXV, alternatively 25th Dynasty or Dynasty 25), also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of th ...

Second phase

Meroitic period

First phase

Second phase

Third phase

Fourth phase

See also

References

Sources

External links