Born: Unknown, Sudan (assumed)
Died: Unknown
Country most active: Sudan
Also known as: NA
This biography was originally published in the World History Encyclopedia and was written by Joshua J. Mark. It is shared in line with the Encyclopedia’s policies under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Maleqorobar (r. c. 266-c. 283 CE) and Lahideamani (r. c. 306-c. 314 CE): Nothing is known of the reigns of these two queens. They are known to have ruled over Meroe during its decline but no other details have come to light. Meroe’s wealth and prestige began to wane c. 200 CE when Rome elevated the Kingdom of Axum in Ethiopia to its primary partner in trade and Meroe was slighted. Exactly why Rome chose this course is unclear but part of the reason could have been the overuse of the land surrounding the city which depleted its resources. The forests had been used up in supplying fuel for the iron industry and the fields were depleted of nutrients through steady farming and overgrazing of livestock. In c. 330 CE Meroe was invaded by Axum, most likely under their king Ezana, and sacked; it was deserted c. 350 CE.