List of monarchs of Kush

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File:Rulers of Kush, Kerma Museum.jpg

Statues of several Kushite rulers from the 7th century BCE, exhibited in the Kerma Museum. From left to right: Tantamani, Taharqa, Senkamanisken, Tantamani (again), Aspelta, Anlamani, and Senkamanisken (again).

The monarchs of Kush were the rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Kush (8th century BCE – 4th century CE), a major civilization in ancient Nubia (roughly corresponding to modern-day Sudan). Kushite power was centralised and unified over the course of the centuries following the collapse of the New Kingdom of Egypt Template:Circa, leading to the eventual establishment of the Kingdom of Kush under Alara Template:Circa.

Kush reached the apex of its power Template:Circa–656 BCE, when the Kushite kings also ruled as the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt. The kingdom remained a powerful state in its heartland after Kushite rule in Egypt was terminated and it survived for another millennium until its collapse Template:Circa. Egyptian culture heavily influenced Kush in terms of its royal and monumental iconography, though indigenous elements were also used and became increasingly prominent in the Meroitic period (c. 270 BCE–350 CE).Template:Sfn

There are no preserved Kushite lists of rulers and the regnal sequence is instead largely reconstructed based on evidence such as royal inscriptions and burials. Surviving sources are at several points scant, meaning that parts of the chronology and sequence are approximate and tentative.Template:Sfn The list of rulers might also be incomplete given that future discoveries of additional royal names and burials are possible.Template:Sfn

Introduction

Royal succession in Kush

File:NubianMeroePyramids30sep2005(2).jpg

Kushite royal pyramids in Meroë

The system of royal succession in the Kingdom of Kush is not well understood.Template:Sfn There are no known administrative documents or histories written by the Kushites themselves;Template:Sfn because very little of the royal genealogy can be reliably reconstructed, it is impossible to determine how the system functioned in theory and when or if it was ever broken.Template:Sfn Royal women were prominent in Kushite society, especially in the Meroitic period (Template:Circa 270 BCE–350 CE). As a consequence it has long been disputed whether the Kushite succession was mainly patrilineal (inherited through male lines) or matrilineal (inherited through female lines).Template:Sfn Further uncertainties would exist within either system; a patrilineal system can for instance be based around successions that are mainly father→son or mainly brother→brother.Template:Sfn

No ruling Kushite queens are known from before the Meroitic period,Template:Sfn suggesting that they may have been excluded from holding office during earlier periods. Despite this, there are numerous royal inscriptions from pre-Meroitic kings, for instance Aspelta, that place emphasis only on their female ancestors.Template:Sfn This is on its own generally not considered sufficient evidence for purely matrilineal successionTemplate:Sfn and patrilineal relations are often assumed between rulers even when unsupported by evidence. As examples, kings Alara and Kashta are often assumed to have been brothers and Piye is often assumed to have been Kashta's son, though neither relation is supported by any direct evidence.Template:Sfn Based on succession in Egypt during the New Kingdom (Template:Circa 1550–1069 BCE) and Third Intermediate (Template:Circa–664 BCE) periods, it is conceivable that female lines of descent were just as important as male ones for establishing legitimacy.Template:Sfn According to the archaeologist Robert Morkot, the heir who succeeded in claiming the throne might simply have been the strongest eligible royal descendant, instead of there being a clear succession system.Template:Sfn Some successions, such as Taharqa to Tantamani to Atlanersa (seventh century BCE), are difficult to explain under either pure patrilineality or pure matrilineality.Template:Sfn

It was in older scholarship on Kush assumed that all monarchs were direct descendants of earlier monarchs. In the case of the especially limited material available for large parts of the Meroitic period, this in cases led to the assumption that any figure mentioned as the father of a ruling monarch must also have been a king, even if they are never attested in that role or mentioned elsewhere.Template:Sfn Examples of such fathers of monarchs include Pisakar, Adeqetali, Teritnide, Arotnide, and Teritedakhetey, who sometimes still figure in modern reconstructed regnal listsTemplate:Sfn (though most reconstructions omit themTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn). In addition to not being directly attested as monarchs themselves, the names of these individuals do not fit with the known type of Kushite royal names,Template:Sfn and counting them as kings ignores the prospect of succession through indirectTemplate:Sfn and/or female lines,Template:Sfn both of which are believed to have transpired.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn There were Kushite rulers in the Meroitic period who can be confidently established to have had non-ruling fathers.Template:Sfn

List format and content

There is no universally used periodisation of Kushite history.Template:Sfn This list uses the chronological scheme proposed by Emberling (2023), which divides Kushite history into the following four periods: Early Napatan (coalescence of Kushite political authority in Napata), Middle Napatan (from Alara to the end of Kushite dominion over Egypt), Late Napatan (after the loss of Egypt while royal burials continued at Napata), and Meroitic (royal burials at Meroë) periods.Template:Sfn

Precise regnal dates are not known for any Kushite monarchs after the end of Kushite dominion over Egypt.Template:Sfn This list thus only includes approximate timeframes, cited to modern sources. Some older sources provide precise dates for each ruler. These dates usually derive from a speculative 1923 chronology by George Andrew Reisner, who based the dates on a handful of synchronisms with Egyptian history, used a wholly hypothetical average reign length of 15 years, and assigned longer reigns and shorter reigns based on the size and richness of burials.Template:Sfn

This list includes the tomb of each monarch (in the 'burial' column) and names them using abbreviations. The abbreviations are shorthands for the different Kushite burial pyramid complexes, with the numbers indicating a particular pyramid or temple. "Kur." stands for Kurru (i.e. El-Kurru) ,"Nu." stands for Nuri, "Bar." stands for Jebel Barkal, and "Beg." stands for Begrawiyah (Meroë). "Beg. N" and "Beg. S" refer to the northern and southern cemeteries of Meroë, respectively. El-Kurru, Nuri, and Jebel Barkal are all located by the ancient city of Napata; Meroë was a different city further south.

List of monarchs

Early Napatan period (1069–780 BCE)

The Early NapatanTemplate:Sfn period began with Kush becoming autonomous or independent in the wake of the collapse of the New Kingdom of Egypt,Template:Sfn Template:Circa 1069 BCE.Template:Sfn The material from Kush during this time is extremely scant. There may have been several local Kushite political units, not properly unified into a single kingdom until the beginning of the later Middle Napatan period.Template:Sfn During the Early Napatan period, political authority in the region slowly coalesced around Napata.Template:Sfn The original royal cemetery of Napata (El-Kurru) contains several (unnamed) burials that are earlier in age than the later Middle Napatan period,Template:Sfn perhaps the burials of local chieftains.Template:Sfn These have sometimes been interpreted as the burials of around five generations of kings earlier than Alara, the earliest Kushite king known by name.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Alara is however generally considered the founder of Kush by historiansTemplate:Sfn since he was referenced in the writings of later monarchs as a dynastic founder,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn in contexts suggesting that he also established the kingdom.Template:Sfn

Middle Napatan period (780–656 BCE)

Template:Legend The Middle NapatanTemplate:Sfn period began with the rule of the earliest known named Kushite monarch, Alara,Template:Sfn and encompassed the later period of Kushite rule over Egypt (as Ancient Egypt's 25th dynasty).Template:Sfn This list includes the conventional speculative patrilineal relationships between some of the rulers; these are not accepted by all scholars and it is possible that as many as three intermarrying families were involved in the early stages of the kingdom.Template:Sfn

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession and notes	Burial
	Alara	Template:Circa 780–760 BCETemplate:Sfn (traditional dates)Template:Sfn	The earliest known Kushite ruler; in later times considered a dynastic founder.Template:Sfn There is no contemporary evidence from Alara's reign but he is named in the funerary inscription of his daughter Tabiry (wife of Piye) and was also named as an ancestor by his successors.Template:Sfn Piye's direct predecessor was Kashta, so Alara was likely Kashta's direct predecessor.Template:Sfn	Kur. 9Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
	Kashta	Template:Circa–747 BCETemplate:Sfn	Brother of Alara (?).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Established Kushite control over Upper Egypt Template:Circa 760 BCE and proclaimed himself as pharaoh, challenging the claims of Egyptian rulers further north.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Secured his daughter Amenirdis I's appointment as God's Wife of Amun.Template:Sfn	Kur. 8Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Piye (crop).jpg	Piye	Template:Circa–716 BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Kashta (?)Template:Sfn and son-in-law of Alara.Template:Sfn Conquered Egypt in an extensive 739 BCE military campaign, making Kashta's pharaonic claim a political reality and establishing the 'Kushite Empire' (Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn	Kur. 17Template:Sfn
File:Shabatka portrait, Aswan Nubian museum.jpg	Shebitku	Template:Circa–702 BCETemplate:Sfn	Possibly son of Piye and Queen PeksaterTemplate:Sfn or maybe a brother of Piye.Template:Sfn Moved the capital from Napata to Memphis.Template:Sfn Entered into trade and diplomacy with the Assyrian king Sargon II.Template:Sfn	Kur. 18Template:Sfn
File:Shabaqa Sphinx Head 002.jpg	Shabaka	Template:Circa–690 BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Shebitku (?).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Established full control over the Nile Delta; defeated the delta-based rival Pharaoh Bakenranef.Template:Sfn Intervened in the Assyrian king Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant in 701 BCE, on the side of the Kingdom of Judah.Template:Sfn	Kur. 15Template:Sfn
File:Taharqo, Black Pharaohs Cache (Dukki Gel), Kerma Museum, Sudan (3).jpg	Taharqa	690–664 BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Piye and Queen Abar.Template:Sfn Had a largely peaceful and prosperous reign, overseeing several building projects in Egypt and Kush.Template:Sfn Lost Egypt to the Assyrian Empire in 671 BCETemplate:Sfn and transferred the capital back to Napata.Template:Sfn Recaptured Egypt but defeated again in 667 BCE.Template:Sfn Founded a new royal cemetery in Nuri, used by later kings for c. 300 years.Template:Sfn	Nu. 1Template:Sfn
File:Tanotamun portrait in Kerma Museum.jpg	Tantamani	664–after 656 BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Shabaka and Queen Qalhata.Template:Sfn Recaptured Egypt from the Assyrians in 664 BCE, though was defeated and driven away the next year.Template:Sfn Remained recognised in Upper Egypt until 656 BCE,Template:Sfn whereafter the Kushites completely lost control over Egypt.Template:Sfn Last ruler to be buried at the ancestral Kushite royal cemetery in El-Kurru.Template:Sfn	Kur. 16Template:Sfn

Late Napatan period (656–270 BCE)

The Late Napatan periodTemplate:Sfn encompasses Kushite history after the loss of Egypt, for as long as Napata remained the site used for royal burials.Template:Sfn

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession and notes	Burial
Phase I: The first four kings of the Late Napatan period are well-attested and maintained much of the earlier Kushite royal practices.Template:Sfn
File:Atlanersa (crop) 01.png	Atlanersa	Second half of the 7th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Taharqa (?) and Queen (...)salka (?).Template:Sfn Kush may have faced an invasion led by Pharaoh Psamtik I under either Atlanersa or his successor, though the evidence is lacking.Template:Sfn Began building Temple B700 in Jebel Barkal.Template:Sfn	Nu. 20Template:Sfn
File:Senkamanisken, Black Pharaohs Cache (Dukki Gel), Kerma Museum, Sudan.jpg	Senkamanisken	Second half of the 7th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Atlanersa (?)Template:Sfn and Queen Maletaral.Template:Sfn Finished building Temple B700.Template:Sfn	Nu. 3Template:Sfn
File:Anlamani Black Pharaoh (Dukki Gel ) Cache, Kerma Museum, Sudan.jpg	Anlamani	Late 7th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Senkamanisken (?) and Queen Nasalsa.Template:Sfn Earliest ruler documented to have undertaken the traditional Kushite coronation journey, being crowned in Meroë, Napata, and Kawa.Template:Sfn	Nu. 6Template:Sfn
File:Aspelta (crop).png	Aspelta	Early 6th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Senkamanisken (?) and Queen Nasalsa.Template:Sfn Younger brother of Anlamani.Template:Sfn Likely king at the time of Pharaoh Psamtik II's 593 BCE war against Kush.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The amount and quality of his monuments indicates a prosperous reign.Template:Sfn Aspelta's name being erased in some places also suggests that he faced some unknown internal political controversy.Template:Sfn	Nu. 8Template:Sfn
Phase II: Little information is recorded from Kush during the reigns of the kings immediately following Aspelta.Template:Sfn The chronology is approximate and not much is known other than names and places of burial. Template:Sfn Around this time the capital was also moved to Meroë while Napata remained the site of burials.
	Aramatleqo	Second quarter of the 6th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Aspelta (?) and Queen Kheb (?), a daughter of Anlamani.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb, a statue, and inscriptions in Meroë.Template:Sfn	Nu. 9Template:Sfn
	Malonaqen	First half of the 6th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Armatleqo (?) and Queen Amanitakaye (?).Template:Sfn Known from his tomb, building activity, and various inscriptions.Template:Sfn	Nu. 5Template:Sfn
	Analmaye	Middle of the 6th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb.Template:Sfn	Nu. 18Template:Sfn
	Amaninatakilebte	Second half of the 6th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb, building activity, and various inscriptions.Template:Sfn	Nu. 10Template:Sfn
	PiankharitenTemplate:Efn	Second half of the 6th century BCE (?)Template:Efn	Unknown descent. Known from cartouches on objects in Nu. 25 (burial of a queen consort).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Karkamani	Second half of the 6th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb and inscriptions in Meroë.Template:Sfn	Nu. 7Template:Sfn
	Amaniastabarqa	Late 6th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb.Template:Sfn	Nu. 2Template:Sfn
	Siaspiqa	Early 5th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb and inscriptions in Meroë.Template:Sfn	Nu. 4Template:Sfn
	Nasakhma	First half of the 5th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb.Template:Sfn	Nu. 19Template:Sfn
	Malewiebamani	Middle 5th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Son of Nasakhma (?) and Queen Saka'aye (?).Template:Sfn Known from his tomb.Template:Sfn	Nu. 11Template:Sfn
	Talakhamani	Second half of the 5th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Younger brother of Malewiebamani (?).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Known from his tomb and inscriptions by his successor.Template:Sfn	Nu. 16Template:Sfn
Phase III: Kushite rulers beginning with Amanineteyerike revive some earlier practices. Their royal titularies suggest a period of greater political ambition.Template:Sfn
	Amanineteyerike	Second half of the 5th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Son of Malewiebamani.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb and several inscriptions.Template:Sfn Amanineteyerike's royal titles are strongly associated with rule in Egypt, suggesting (unrealised) hopes of restoring Kushite rule there.Template:Sfn	Nu. 12Template:Sfn
	Baskakeren	Late 5th century BCETemplate:Sfn	Unknown descent.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Known from his tomb, the small size of which could indicate a short and insignificant reign.Template:Sfn	Nu. 17Template:Sfn
File:Harsiotef (crop).jpg	Harsiotef	Early 4th century BCETemplate:Sfn (c. 400–360 BCE)Template:Sfn	Son of one of his predecessorsTemplate:Efn and Queen Atasamale.Template:Sfn Had a documented reign of at least 35 years, the longest recorded reign of any Kushite ruler.Template:Sfn The great political and geographical range of Harsiotef's recorded wars indicate a time of empire-building and expansionism.Template:Sfn	Nu. 13Template:Sfn
	Unknown king	Middle 4th century BCE (?)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	An unknown ruler from this time is likely associated with the pyramid Kur. 1. This pyramid was never used for burialTemplate:Sfn but the change in location could indicate political unrest and perhaps a royal claimant from a rival lineage.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn	Kur. 1Template:Sfn (unused)Template:Sfn
	Akhraten	Second half of the 4th century BCETemplate:Sfn (Template:Abbreviation c. 340 BCE)Template:Sfn	Son of Harsiotef (?).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Known from his tomb and from a granite statue. The statue and the large size of his pyramid indicates that his reign was prosperous and important.Template:Sfn	Nu. 14Template:Sfn
	Amanibakhi	Second half of the 4th century BCE (?)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from a stela and an offering table found in Nuri.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
File:Portrait of Nastasen, with Kushite crown.jpg	Nastasen	Last third of the 4th century BCETemplate:Sfn (fl. c. 325 BCE)Template:Sfn	Son of Harsiotef (?)Template:Efn and Queen Pelkha.Template:Sfn Known from his tomb, a stela, and several inscriptions.Template:Sfn Continued the empire-building and militant policies of Harsiotef.Template:Sfn	Nu. 15Template:Sfn
Phase IV: The end of Nastasen's reign concludes the period of revival.Template:Sfn This time is one of the least-known in Kushite history; rulers are mostly attested only in inscription fragments and the chronology is hypothetical and problematic.Template:Sfn
	Aktisanes	Late 4th century BCETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from a handful of inscriptions. Mentioned in the works of the Greek historian Hecataeus of Abdera.Template:Sfn	Bar. 14Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (hypothetical)
	Aryamani	Late 4th/early 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from a stela found in Kawa.Template:Sfn	Bar. 11Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (hypothetical)
	Kash(...)amani	Late 4th/early 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Unknown descent.Template:Sfn Known from a fragmentary cartouche impressed on a gold leaf. Name type suggests reign sometime between Aktisanes and Sabrakamani.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Arikepiankhiqo	Late 4th/early 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Unknown descent. Known only from an inscription by his successor.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Sabrakamani	First half of the 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Unknown descent. Known only from an inscription in Kawa which also identifies Arikepiankhiqo as his direct predecessor.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn

Meroitic period (270 BCE–350 CE)

In third century BCE, the royal burial ground was moved from Napata to Meroë for the burial of Arakamani.Template:Sfn This marked the final step in a more gradual transfer of political authority and wealth to Meroë and is regarded as the beginning of the Meroitic period.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The change in capital should not be misinterpreted as indicating a break in historical or cultural continuity;Template:Sfn Napata continued to function as an important religious centreTemplate:Sfn and evidence suggests that Meroë had been important from very early on.Template:Sfn It is possible that Meroë served as the residence of the Kushite kings from as early as the fifth century BCE.Template:Sfn

From the 2nd century BCE onwards, Kush is noteworthy for a large number of queens regnant (queens ruling in their own right).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Queens regnant retained their earlier style (often kandake) when becoming rulers, though they also adopted the kingly title of qore to indicate their new authority.Template:Sfn Due to the high number of ruling queens in the Meroitic period, absent in earlier times, the gender of each monarch is here indicated by a gender symbol (♀ or ♂). In cases where the gender is unknown, no symbol is included.

The royal succession, sequence, and chronology of Kushite rulers is especially uncertain in the Meroitic period.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn By necessity this list shows only one interpretation, though noteworthy alternate ideas are featured in footnotes. Given that the throne appears to have been able to pass through male, female,Template:Sfn and indirect lines,Template:Sfn this list simply records the parents (if known) of each monarch in the 'filiation' column, without speculation on their overall relations. The use of the ♔ symbol in this column indicates that the parent of a monarch was also a monarch.

Portrait	Name (gender)	Reign	Filiation	Notes	Burial
File:Arakamani (crop).jpg	Arakamani (♂) (Ergamenes I)	c. 270–middle 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known in Kush only from his tomb. Identified with 'Ergamenes', who appears in the work of the Greek historian Agatharchides.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Ptolemy II in Egypt.Template:Sfn	Beg. S 6Template:Sfn
File:Amanislo (crop).jpg	Amanislo (♂)	Middle 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Arakamani (father ♔) (?)Template:Efn Sar(...)tiñ (mother) (?)Template:Efn	Known from his tomb and from cartouches inscribed on lion statues.Template:Sfn Restored Palace B1200 in Napata.Template:Sfn	Beg. S 5Template:Sfn
File:Amantekha.jpg	Amantekha (♂)	Second half of the 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from his tomb. Amantekha's tomb is relatively small though also important as the earliest burial in Meroë's northern cemetery.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 4Template:Sfn
	Unknown kingTemplate:Efn (♂)	Second half of the 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from fragmentry inscriptions on a stray block in Meroë's northern cemetery.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Ptolemy III in Egypt.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
File:King Arnekhamani (portrait).jpg	Arnekhamani (♂)	Second half of the 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn (c. 240–215 BCE)Template:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from monumental buildings, some of the most impressive in Kushite history.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Ptolemy III and Ptolemy IV in Egypt.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 53Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Arqamani (crop).png	Arqamani (♂) (Ergamenes II)	Late 3rd–early 2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Arnekhamani (father ♔) (?)Template:Sfn Mother unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from his tomb and inscriptions at Philae, Dakka, and Kalabsha.Template:Sfn Reconquered Triakontaschoinos from Egypt.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy V in Egypt.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 7Template:Sfn
	AdikhalamaniTemplate:Efn (♂)	First half of the 2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from inscriptions at Philae.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Ptolemy V in Egypt.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 8Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
	TabirqoTemplate:Efn (♂)	First half of the 2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from his tomb.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 9Template:SfnTemplate:Efn
	Unknown king (♂)	2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from his planned tomb, Beg. N 10. This pyramid does not preserve his name and was never used for burial.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 10Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn (unused)Template:Sfn
File:Nahirqo (crop).jpg	Nahirqo (♀)	Middle 2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from an inscription and attributed objects.Template:Sfn Earliest known female ruler.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Former wife of Adikhalamani.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 11Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Tanyidamani (crop).png	Tanyidamani (♂)	Second half of the 2nd century BCETemplate:Sfn	Adikhalamani (father ♔) (?)Template:Efn Nahirqo (mother ♔) (?)Template:Efn	Known from numerous inscriptions in Jebel Barkal and Meroë.Template:Sfn The earliest known monumental inscriptions written in Meroitic are from Tanyidamani's reign.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 12Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
	Pakhedateqo (♂)Template:Sfn	End of the 2nd–first half of the 1st century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known only from an inscription on a rock, dated using palaeography to around Tanyidamani's time.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Unknown queenTemplate:Efn (♀)	End of the 2nd–first half of the 1st century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from a tomb dated to this time, which does not preserve a name.Template:Sfn	Bar. 8Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Kushite king (Beg N 13).jpg	Naqyrinsan (♂)Template:Sfn	First half of the 1st century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from an inscription on an offering table found in pyramid Beg. N 13, presumably his tomb.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 13Template:Sfn (assumed)
	TeriteqasTemplate:Efn (♂)Template:Sfn	Late 1st century BCETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from Meroitic inscriptions at Dakka.Template:Sfn The direct predecessor of Amanirenas.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Cleopatra VII in Egypt and Augustus in Rome.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 20Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Bar 4 Kush queen (Lepsius).jpg	Amanirenas (♀)Template:Sfn	End of the 1st century BCE–beginning of the 1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from four inscriptions. Attested as kandake under Teriteqas (perhaps her husband) and then as qore.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Augustus in Rome;Template:Sfn successfully defended Kush against Roman expansion.Template:Sfn	Bar. 4Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Osiris and the Egyptian resurrection 1911 cropped.jpg	Amanishakheto (♀)Template:Sfn	Early 1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Father unknownTemplate:Sfn Ar(...)tḫwit (mother)Template:Sfn	Very well documented.Template:Sfn Likely the direct successor of Amanirenas,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn though the relation between them is unclear.Template:Sfn Had a prosperous reignTemplate:Sfn and oversaw considerable building projects and administrative reorganisation.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 6Template:Sfn
	Shanakdakhete (♀)Template:Sfn	First half of the 1st century CETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from inscriptions on a temple she built in Naqa.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Previously misplaced in the chronology three centuries earlier due to a misinterpretation of her inscriptions.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 21Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (hypothetical)
File:Kushite king (Bar 2).jpg	Unknown king (♂)	First half of the first century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from a tomb dated to this time, which does not preserve a name.Template:Sfn	Bar. 2Template:Sfn
File:Nawidemak (Lepsius, crop).jpg	Nawidemak (♀)Template:Sfn	First half of the first century CE (?)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Parents unknown	Known from a statuette and from her tomb, which depicts and titles her as a queen regnant.Template:Sfn	Bar. 6Template:Sfn
File:Kushite king (Beg N 2).jpg	Amanikhabale (♂)Template:Sfn	First half of the first century CE (?)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Father unknownTemplate:Sfn Nawidemak (mother ♔) (?)Template:Efn	Known from inscriptions from Kawa, Basa, and Naqa, as well as a broken stela from Meroë.Template:Sfn The monuments and their distribution indicate a prosperous reign.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 2Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Statue National Museum Sudan (crop).png	NatakamaniTemplate:Efn (♂)Template:Sfn	Middle 1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Father unknown Amanitore (mother ♔)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Very well documented.Template:Sfn Amanitore was Natakamani's motherTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn and they ruled together as co-regents.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Only Natakamani was titled as qore (Amanitore being kandake), though both were consistently depicted together in monuments with the regalia of kingsTemplate:Sfn and neither is ever attested as sole ruler.Template:Sfn Their reign appears to have been a very prosperous period.Template:Sfn Contemporaries of Nero in Rome (?).Template:Sfn	Beg. N 22Template:Sfn
File:Amanitore bust.jpg	Amanitore (♀)Template:Sfn	Middle 1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown		Beg. N 1Template:Sfn
	ShorkarorTemplate:Efn (♂)Template:Sfn	Second half of the 1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Efn	Known from two inscriptions in Amara and a large rock carving at Gebel Qeili.Template:Sfn Also attested as a princeTemplate:Efn in the time of Natakamani and Amanitore.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Amanikhareqerem (♂)Template:Sfn	End of the 1st century CETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Parents unknown	Known from inscriptions on monuments.Template:Sfn Possibly the direct successor of Shorkaror.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 16Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (hypothetical)
File:Amitenmomide (crop).jpg	Amanitenmemide (♂)Template:Sfn	End of the 1st century–first half of the 2nd century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from his tombTemplate:Sfn and from an inscription in Meroë.Template:Sfn Likely the direct successor of Amanikhareqerem.Template:Sfn A skull believed to be Amanitenmemide's was found in his tomb and indicates that he died aged c. 30.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 17Template:Sfn
File:Amanikhatashan.jpg	Amanikhatashan (♀)Template:Sfn	Middle 2nd century CE (?)Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Parents unknown	Known from her tomb.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 18Template:Sfn
File:Tarakeniwal.jpg	Tarekeniwal (♂)Template:Sfn	Second half of the 2nd century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from an inscription on an offering table and his tomb.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Imagery in Tarekeniwal's tomb places "unusually strong emphasis" on him as a triumphant warrior.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 19Template:Sfn
File:Amanikhalika (Lepsius).jpg	Amanikhalika (♀)Template:Efn	Second half of the 2nd century CE (?)Template:Efn	Parents unknown	wife of Tarekeniwal.Template:Efn Known from an inscription on her son Aritenyesbokhe's offering table.Template:Sfn Tentatively identified as the ruler buried in Beg. N 32.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 32Template:Sfn (tentative)
	Aritenyesbokhe (♂)Template:Sfn	Second half of the 2nd century CETemplate:Sfn	Tarekeniwal (father ♔)Template:Efn Amanikhalika (mother ♔)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table and inscriptions on loose blocks in Meroë.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 34Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (assumed)
File:Amanitaraqide (crop).png	Amanitaraqide (♂)Template:Efn	End of the 2nd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Pisakar (father)Template:Sfn Amankhadoke (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Might have had royal descent through his mother.Template:Sfn Chronological position and burial site debated.Template:Efn	Beg. N 36Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn (tentative)
	Amanikhedolo (♂)Template:Efn	First half of the 3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Akedḫetiwl (father)Template:Sfn Amanipiteke (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table.Template:Sfn Might have had royal descent through his mother.Template:Sfn Chronological position uncertain and speculatively identified as the ruler buried in Beg. N 43.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 43Template:Sfn (hypothetical)
	Takideamani (♂)Template:Efn	First half of the 3rd century CETemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn	Adeqetli (father)Template:Sfn Nptdḫeto (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table.Template:Sfn Names of his parents suggest lack of direct royal descent.Template:Sfn Rough chronological position can be established by the objects found in his tomb.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 29Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
	Mashadakhel	First half of the 3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	A(...)ble (father)Template:Sfn Mother unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from a partial inscription on an offering table.Template:Sfn Likely dates to the 2nd or 3rd century CE,Template:SfnTemplate:Efn though precise chronological position and burial site unknown.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
File:Teqorideamani.jpg	Teqorideamani (♂)Template:Sfn	Second half of the 3rd century CETemplate:Sfn	Teritni(d)e (father)Template:Sfn Arqtñmaks (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from his tomb, a graffito at Philae, and three inscriptions in Meroë.Template:Sfn The graffito establishes that he became king in 249 CE.Template:Sfn Contemporary of Trebonianus Gallus, and perhaps also Valerian and Gallienus, in Rome.Template:Sfn His pyramid is the youngest securely attributed Kushite pyramid.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 28Template:Sfn
	Tamelerdeamani (♂)Template:Sfn	Second half of the 3rd century CETemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Arotnide (father)Template:Sfn Arqtñmaks (mother)Template:Sfn	Younger half-brother of Teqorideamani.Template:Sfn Known from an inscription on an offering table.Template:Sfn Hypothetically identified as the ruler buried in pyramid Beg. N 27.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 27Template:Sfn (hypothetical)
	Talakhidamani (♂?)Template:Efn	End of the 3rd/first half of the 4th century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Parents unknown	Once known only from an enigmatic inscription at Philae.Template:Efn Securely identified as a ruler in 2017 through another inscription in Meroë.Template:Sfn Perhaps initially regent for the prince Maloqorebar, who is not attested to have ever ruled in his own right.Template:Sfn	UnidentifiedTemplate:Sfn
	Aryesbokhe (♂)Template:Efn	End of the 3rd/first half of the 4th century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Teritebḫtey (father)Template:Sfn Wlamni(..)ptide (mother)Template:Sfn	Assumed to have had royal descent through his mother.Template:Sfn Known from an inscription on an offering table.Template:Sfn Chronological position and burial site debated.Template:Efn	Beg. N 16Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (tentative)
	Yesebokheamani (♂)Template:Sfn	End of the 3rd/first half of the 4th century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Parents unknown	Known from inscriptions.Template:Sfn One of these is a dedication text at Philae which might place Yesebokheamani after 298 CE, when the Romans withdrew from that region.Template:Sfn Contemporary (?) of Diocletian in Rome.Template:Sfn	Beg. N 51Template:SfnTemplate:Efn (hypothetical)
	(...)k(...) (♂)Template:Efn	First half of the 4th century CETemplate:Sfn	Parents unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from a partial inscription on a fragmentary offering table.Template:Sfn Speculatively identified as the ruler buried in pyramid Beg. N 38.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 38Template:Sfn (hypothetical)
	(.)p(...)niñ	First half of the 4th century CETemplate:Sfn	Arḫrli (father)Template:Sfn Mother unknownTemplate:Sfn	Known from a partial inscription on a fragmentary offering table.Template:Sfn Speculatively identified as the ruler buried in pyramid Beg. N 37.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 37Template:Sfn (hypothetical)
File:Patrepeamani (crop).png	Template:Ill (♀)Template:Efn	First half of 4th century CETemplate:Sfn	Delitey (father)Template:Sfn (...)tli (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table. Tentatively identified as the ruler buried in pyramid Beg. N 26.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 26Template:Sfn (tentative)
File:Amanipilade (crop).png	Amanipilade (♀)Template:Efn	Middle 4th century CETemplate:Sfn	Tehye (father)Template:Sfn Mkeḫñye (mother)Template:Sfn	Known from an inscription on an offering table. Tentatively identified as the ruler buried in pyramid Beg. N 25.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn	Beg. N 25Template:Sfn (tentative)

Beg. N 25 is the last known royal burial in Meroë and is assumed to mark the end of the dynasty ruling from that city.Template:Sfn Circumstantial and indirect evidence also dates the end of Meroitic political authority to the middle decades of the fourth century CE.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Successor states of Kush

File:Christian Nubia.png

Map of the later Christian kingdoms in Nubia

László Török hypothesised that a unified (Nubian?) 'Post-Meroitic successor state' ruled a territory roughly corresponding to the Kushite kingdom for several decades after the end of the Meroitic period. Such a realm may be indicated by later burials of elites at Ferkeh, Gemai, Qustul and El-Hobagi.Template:Sfn Török suggested that these elites were non-royal deputies of a monarch residing in the south.Template:Sfn The southern cemetery of Ballana, where seven generations of post-Kushite but pre-Christian rulers are buried, has sometimes been suggested to belong to a successor state of Kush,Template:Sfn though the burials share few ideological similarities with those of the Kushite rulers beyond the presence of silver crowns in a similar style.Template:Sfn The existence of a unified post-Meroitic state is not universally accepted. Josefine Kuckertz, for instance, instead dates the disintegration of the kingdom to already in the middle fourth century CE, at the same time as the fall of the Meroitic dynasty.Template:Sfn

Around 420 CE, the aforementioned elites or deputies began assuming royal insignia of their own, resulting in the disintegration of the supposed successor state (if one existed) into the later kingdoms of Nobatia (north), Makuria (center), and Alodia (south).Template:Sfn Out of these three, Nobatia is in particular sometimes considered a small post-imperial remnant of Kush, maintaining some aspects of Kushite culture but also exhibiting Hellenistic and Roman influences.Template:Sfn The early stage of Nobatia is conventionally associated with the Ballana cemetery.Template:Sfn

Unattributed royal burials

There are many Kushite pyramids in addition to those listed above, built for individuals such as consorts, princes, and high officials. Because of the size and the number of chambers, some pyramids without preserved names have been suggested to have belonged to monarchs.Template:Sfn Some such pyramids are included in the list above, with tentative and hypothetical attributions put forth by researchers. Other pyramids sometimes identified as belonging to rulers are listed below. There are no unattributed royal burials from El-Kurru or Nuri.Template:Efn

Whether these pyramids belong to monarchs is often disputed.Template:Sfn Pyramids thought to belong to rulers have sometimes been reinterpreted: Beg. S 10 was once attributed to King "Bartare-(Kalkai)"Template:Sfn but is now recognised as the tomb of a non-ruling queen consort.Template:Sfn These additional tombs should not be interpreted as on their own indicating additional Kushite rulers. In addition to possible misinterpretation, some tombs could match rulers whose burials are 'unidentified' in the list above and some of the tentative and hypothetical attributions listed above could be wrong.

Site	Burial	Dating	Notes
Jebel Barkal	Bar. 18Template:Sfn	Late 4th/early 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	A smaller king's pyramid (?) from Phase IV of the Late Napatan periodTemplate:Sfn
	Bar. 19Template:Sfn	Late 4th/early 3rd century BCETemplate:Sfn	A smaller king's pyramid (?) from Phase IV of the Late Napatan periodTemplate:Sfn
Meroë	Beg. N 14Template:Sfn	1st century CETemplate:Sfn	Burial of a king (?). Destroyed by E. A. Wallis Budge.Template:Sfn
	Beg. N 15Template:Sfn	Second half of the 2nd century CETemplate:Sfn	Burial of a ruler (?). Destroyed by E. A. Wallis Budge.Template:Sfn
	Beg. N 24Template:Sfn	After the middle 3rd century CETemplate:Sfn	Pyramid of a ruler (?) post-dating TeqorideamaniTemplate:Sfn
	Beg. N 30Template:Sfn	Late 2nd century/early 3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Burial of a king (?)Template:Sfn
	Beg. N 35Template:Sfn	3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Burial of a king (?)Template:Sfn
	Beg. N 40Template:Sfn	Late 2nd century/early 3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Burial of a king (?)Template:Sfn
	Beg. N 41Template:Sfn	Late 3rd century CE (?)Template:Sfn	Burial of a king (?)Template:Sfn

See also

Viceroy of Kush

References

Bibliography

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• Dunham, Dows (1950–1955). The Royal Cemeteries of Kush
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• Eide, Tormod; Hägg, Tomas; Holton Pierce, Richard; Török, Lászlo (1994–1998). Fontes Historiae Nubiorum: Textual Sources for the History of the Middle Nile Region Between the Eighth Century BC and the Sixth Century AD Template:Webarchive
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