Candace

• a queen of Meroë, Plin. 6, 29, 35, § 186; gen. is, Vulg. Act. 8, 27.

(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 After he had withdrawn, Candace attacked the garrison he had left in Premnis; but Petronius hastily returned, and again defeated her.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. [E.E]

CANDACE (Κανδάκη, Isid. Char. p. 8), a town placed by Isidore in Asia. Nothing is known about it, nor is it mentioned elsewhere. Forbiger thinks it without doubt the same as Cotace (Κοτάκη) in Ptolemy (Ptol. 6.17.8), but gives no reason for this supposition, which is a mere conjecture.

(Κανδάκη). A name given to the queenmothers in Meroë in Aethiopia. Some women of this name appear in history, but they seem to have been merely queen-regents, governing during the minority of their sons. Some ancient authors, however, state that it was customary for the Aethiopians to be governed by queens called each by the name of Candacé. Suidas speaks of a Candacé who was made prisoner by Alexander the Great, but this appears to be a mere fable. A Candacé, blind of one eye, made an irruption into Egypt during the reign of Augustus, B.C. 22. She took and pillaged several cities, but Petronius, the prefect of Egypt, pursued her and penetrated into her dominions, which he pillaged in turn, until she restored the booty which she had carried off from Egypt, and sued for peace (Dio Cass. lxiv. 5; Plin. H. N. vi. 29). Mention is also made in the sacred writings of a queen of Aethiopia named Candacé (Acts, viii. 27).