Kandake Amanirenas

Kandake Amanirenas governed from 40 to 10 BC. In 24 BC, alongside her husband Teriteqas, she commanded troops in an attack on a Roman garrison in Philae, Egypt. During this assault, they decapitated a statue of Caesar Augustus, placing its head beneath a temple in southern Kush. This artifact was unearthed in 1910. Following Teriteqas’ death, Amanirenas assumed sole leadership in Kush. Despite facing several conflicts, she successfully negotiated a peace agreement with Rome, securing recognition of Kush as an independent sovereign state exempt from paying tribute to Rome.