HOW THE KUSHITES CROWNED THEIR KINGS

          The documentation of the process for the Coronation of an ancient Nubian Empire is one of the earliest in Africa's history. Ancient Nubia is one of the most complex regions to study, however, insights into the Nubian Culture will be revealed through the documented enthronement process of their kings. Ancient Nubia can be viewed as a group term for the various people and cultures, in the South of Ancient Egypt. The most powerful Nubian group were said to be the Kushites. For some time the region inhabited by the Kushites was under the control of the Egyptians, however, at the end of the Egyptian New Kingdom, the Kushites became independent.

          The coronation of a King was an elaborate process in Kush. This process pulled from all aspects of the culture; socially, politically and spiritually to successfully enthrone a new king. The Kushites were influenced by the Egyptians in the enthronement of their kings. Ironically, the concept of kingship itself was influenced by a Nubian model Sudanic people in an area known as the Middle Nile Basin extended their culture northward and influenced the people of pre-dynastic Egypt. Scholar Christopher Ehret writes, "The sacral chiefs of the Middle Nile Basin culture area (Sudanic) became the divine Kings of Egypt, who as late as the third dynasty still required actual human beings to be sent along with them into the afterlife, by 3500 BCE a cultural world of sacral chiefdoms and petty sacral kingdoms was gradually coming into being in Nubia, and the ideas that undergirded these social formations also took hold in the far south of Egypt, recent archaeological work shows that this political and cultural outlook then spread from Southern Egypt northward into lower Egypt". Nubian's influence on Egypt began on the fourth millennium BC and Egypt's influence on Nubia took place later. The Kushite's enthronement process was impacted by the New Kingdom ideology, the coronation process involved both a spiritual and political process of legitimation in human life and legitimation in the divine sphere. When a Kushite king dies, the next in line to the throne will either be announced by the previous king before his death or through an oracle's announcement of the Amun's will. Coronation of the new king will be performed when the new ruler hears the news of the previous King's death. The new King will then take a royal trip around the Kingdom to see different temples. 

      The royal trip of King Anlamani is recorded after being confirmed in Napata." King Anlamani sailed northwards in the second month of winter (re) founding each district, doing good for every god, and giving rewards to the prophets and priests of every temple- -compound at which he arrived. Every district was in a state of rejoicing on meeting him, shouting, thanking god and bowing down." Festivals were an important aspect of the enthronement process. There are numerous accounts of rulers of Kushite rulers attending festivals throughout the Kingdom. Anlamani also spoke on his ceremonial enthronement process in which he spoke to Amun and Amun confirmed his legitimacy, Laszlo Torok documents his speech "he spoke to me according as he always spoke to me, Amun of Napata, my good father, I went up and sat on a throne of gold. I went to Amun of Pnubs, my good father. Amun of Pnubs appeared (in possession) and came outside the great house. He gave me the rulership of Bowland (Nubia) and his powerful aegis. I spoke my good speech with Re. I went up and sat on the throne of gold." Like many African societies, Ancient Kushites was a matrilineal state which meant that the rulers were eligible for the throne because they descended from a particular female line, this was a crucial aspect of Kushite kingship culture. Laszlo Torok also writes, "The oracular decree received by Aspelta from his divine father Amun of Napata presented a double justification for his election as King by the god: firstly, Amun recognised him as his son and secondly, the god proclaimed his legitimacy on the ground of his descent from seven generations of female ancestors."

       There were other distinct aspects of the enthronement process which included ritual dance among others, however, one particular enthronement process stands out it is the Konigsorakel where the King was said to be endowed with secret knowledge from Amun. Laszlo Torok writes that "The Konigsorakel represents the most important aspect of the royal investiture in the interior of the sanctuary, the king received his regalia and as a culmination of the process of investiture, the god shared with him his secret knowledge which enabled the King to perform his royal duty of securing the functioning of the Cosmos, caring for the deities and their temples and priesthood, nourishing and judging mankind and caring for the dead......the nature of the rites performed in the intimacy of the sanctuary remain unknown for they did not belong into the realm of open knowledge."