A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

(Κανδάκη), a queen of that portion of Aethiopia which had Meroe for its metropolis. In B. C. 22, she invaded Egypt, being encouraged by supposing that the unsuccessful expedition of Aelius Gallus against Arabia, in B. C. 24, had weakened the Romans. She advanced into the Thebaid, ravaging the country, and attacked and captured the Roman garrisons at Elephantine, Syene, and Philae; but Petronius, who had succeeded Gallus in the government of the province, compelled her to retreat, and defeated her with great loss in her own territory near the town of Pselcha. This place he took, and also Premnis and Nabata, in the latter of which the son of the queen commanded. After he had withdrawn, Candace attacked the garrison he had left in Premnis; but Petronius hastily returned, and again defeated her. On this she sent ambassadors to Augustus, who was then at Samos, and who received them favourably, and even remitted the tribute which had been imposed on their country. Strabo, who tells us that Candace was a woman of a manly spirit, also favours us with the information

that she was blind of one eye. (Strab. xvii. pp. 819-821; D. C. 53.29, 54.5.) Her name seems to have been common to all the queens of Aethiopia (Plin. Nat. 6.29; J. AJ 8.6.5; Acts, 8.27); and it appears from Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. 2.1.10), that it was customary for the Aethiopians to be governed by women, though Oecumenius thinks (Coomm. in Acts, l.c.), that Candace was only the common name of the queen-mothers, the nation regarding the sun alone as their father and king, and their princes as the sun's children.

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