Wonder Woman of the Week: Amanishakheto

Like with most strong women in antiquity, the majority of names of warrior queens are lost to history. One warrior queen stands as a figure whose name has nearly been forgotten- overshadowed by the man she defeated in war. When Roman legions arrived in her country and began building forts to assert their dominance, this queen led an army of thirty-thousand warriors and personally led them on the battlefield to eliminate the Roman presence and invaded a nearby Roman territory to force the emperor himself to negotiate a peace. She was likely erased from most history books for both her gender and her skin color. As much as white male historians would like to forget her, this week’s spotlight’s successful ass-whooping of the Roman Empire cannot be ignored. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Amanishakheto.

Little sources exist that discuss Queen Amanishakheto and the few that do tell her story from the point of view of the Romans. There is some remains of Amanishakheto’s life told from her people (the Nubians) but the Nubian’s writing system has not yet been fully decoded. That gives an even more impressive story for Amanishakheto though since the stories about her- told from the point of view of her enemy- illustrate the character of a courageous warrior queen. [1]

The Roman sources depict a warrior queen with masculine qualities and who was blind in one eye. They report she commanded thousands of her own soldiers in battle- something the Romans found impressive in the Nubian queen. The Roman accounts also report Emperor Augustus was greatly impressed by Amanishakheto’s requests to speak with him directly when the two decided to negotiate a peace between their nations. Amanishakheto treated the Romans with respect as adversaries- another feature the Romans found impressive. [2]

Amanishakheto’s story began when Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire sent soldiers south from Egypt into Nubia to assert Roman authority there. He demanded taxes of the region and place s permanent garrison of soldiers in the country. Queen Amanishakheto was not pleased- and neither were her people. She assembled an army of thirty thousand warriors and burned the Roman fort to the ground. She then led her forces into Egypt and laid siege to Roman cities there- even defacing statues of Julius and Augustus Caesar. During one battle against the Romans, Queen Amanishakheto was wounded in the eye while fighting beside her warriors and later became blind in that eye from the wound. [3]

Queen Amanishakheto was part of a long line of impressive warrior queens from Nubia. These queens, known as Candaces, had long held their territory against the invasions of European powers. Before the Romans, the Candaces defeated the armies of Alexander the Great long before the Romans arrived. Each one led warriors in battle against their enemies and each won praise from both their own warriors and the enemy. [4]

The full extent of Amanishakheto’s success will probably be forever lost to history since even the most flattering accounts from one’s own enemies still carries bias. What is know about her is that Amanishakheto came from a long line of warrior queens who were expected to not only defend their country from foreign invasion, but to fight alongside the soldiers in battle. Amanishakheto was no exception and not only defended her nation against one of the most powerful empires in the world- at the time- but marched her army into the empire itself and humiliated the Romans so severely that the Romans had to sue for peace. The Romans never again attempted an invasion of Nubia and Amanishakheto died a quiet and peaceful death as one of the most bold and most courageous queens in the history of Africa.

Riley, Ricky. “Amanishakheto, Warrior Queen of Nubia- 6 Fascinating Facts You May Not Know.” Atlanta Black Star. np, 8 September 2015. Web. 2 November 2016.

“The Candace of Meroe.” Persephone Magazine. np, nd. Web. 2 November 2016.

Kneller, Tara L. “Role of Women in Nubia.” African Studies Center. University of Pennsylvania, 4 September 1993. Web. 2 November 2016.

“Warrior Queens.” The African-American Plan For Africans in America And In The African Diaspora.. np, nd. Web. 2 November 2016.