Sati-Burial Was Customary
The amazing custom of sati-burial, so revolting to moderns, according to which the members of the king's household killed themselves or were killed when he died, and were actually buried in the same tomb, prevailed at Meroe from the second century B. C. onwards, says Dr. Reisner.
An interesting feature of the expedition's work has been in the light it has thrown on references to Queen Candace in the New Testament (Acts VIII, 27) and in the works of Pliny and Strabo. These speak of the Queen Candace as if she were the ruler of Ethiopia.
"From these sources," writes Dr. Reisner, "arose an impression that Ethiopia, especially Meroitic Ethiopia, had been governed by a long line of queens named Candace. Professor Griffith dispelled the greater part of this delusion by proving that the word "candace" is only a title meaning "queen". The excavation of the tombs has served further to make the situation plain.
Most Ethiopian Rulers Were Male
"From 750 B. C., every ruler of Ethiopia was a male. About 160 B. C., the third generation after Ergamenes, the great queen who was buried in Pyramid N. VI seems to have been queen-regent for her son for perhaps ten years. About one hundred and thirty years later. Queen Amanshakhete, who reunited Ethiopia, appears to have been queen-regent under similar circumstances. Her son-in-law. Netekaman, the great builder of temples, obviously came to the throne by the hereditary position of his wife. Queen Amantere, who occupied an unusual position and received burial with the honors of a king. After her two more queens were buried with the honors of a king, but in the poorly-built later pyramids. Altogether, from the time of Ergemenes until the end of the Northern Cemetery, about five hundred and seventy-five years, there were thirty kings and five queens buried in the official royal cemetery of the kings. This fact proves clearly that there was no long line of queens ruling over Ethiopia; but it also proves that five queens occupied a position of unusual influence a position that was recognized by burial in the cemetery of the kings. It appears to me that these were, as a rule, women of the blood-royal who survived their husbands and acted practically as queen-regents during the minority of their sons."