Amanirenas Biography

Amanirenas

queen of Cush
Born: late first century B.C.

Amanirenas presided over the kingdom of Meroë, the capital of the Cushite dynasty, in northeast Africa. When Roman emperor Augustus levied a tax on the Cushites, Amanirenas and her son, Akinidad, led a fierce attack on a Roman fort at the Egyptian city Aswan. Under orders from Augustus, the Roman general Petronius retaliated but met strong resistance from Amanirenas and her troops. The two parties agreed to negotiate a settlement. Ambassadors from both sides met at the Greek Island Samos, where the Romans agreed to rescind the tax and return land to the Cushites.

Died: ?