9781422275382

Images of King Taharqa, one of the most powerful 25th dynasty rulers of Egypt and Nubia, show a pair of realistic cobras and African-appearing features. One beautiful statue, which is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, shows Taharqa worshipping the falcon god Hemen in a blending of African and Egyptian artistic influences. Five striking dark granite statues of the pharaohs of the 25th dynasty were uncovered in Kerma in 2011 and are exhibited in the Kerma museum. The statues have African features and were deliberately broken by succeeding pharaohs to eliminate public knowledge of the powerful 25th dynasty kings who ruled Egypt for almost 100 years. Nubian kings were powerful, but so were Nubian queens. Historical records refer to Nubian queens called “Candace,” or “Kandake.” The word means “sister,” and there were many Candaces in ancient Kush. One famous sandstone relief from the funeral chapel of Queen Shanakdakhete, the first Kushite queen to rule on her own, is exhibited in the British Museum in London. Other sculptures of Queen Shanakdakhete have been discovered, showing that she ruled Nubia between 170 and 150 BCE.

This relief of Queen Shanakdakhete can be found in the British Museum.

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Africa

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