| Shanakdakheto | |
|---|---|
| Ruling Queen of Kush | |
Shanakdakheto (Cairo Museum) |
|
| Reign | (ca. 177 BCE-155 BCE) |
| Full name | Shanakdakheto |
| Born | BCE |
| Died | First century BCE |
| Buried | Pyramid at Meroë (Beg. N11), ca. 155 BCE |
| Predecessor | Unknown Qore |
| Successor | Tanyidamani |
| Dynasty | Meroitic |
Shanakdakheto or Shanakdakhete was a Black African ruling queen of Kush, when the Kingdom was centered at Meroë. She is the earliest known ruling queen of Nubia, and reigned from about 177 to 155 BC (these dates are very uncertain and disputed [1]). She styled herself as Son of Re, Lord of the Two Lands, Shanakdakheto (Sa Re nebtawy, Shanakdakheto).[2]
The only inscription mentioning her comes from Temple F in Naga where her name appears "in Meroitic hieroglyphics in the middle of an Egyptian text."[3] The name appears in Meroitic script, the earliest known example of Meroitic writing. Her pyramid was identified at Meroë, but does not preserve her name.