Piye: The Kushite Pharaoh Who Conquered Egypt

 

Piye, a Kushite ruler who reigned between 744 and 714 BC, is widely credited with founding Egypt’s Twenty-fifth Dynasty. Governing from Napata, in modern-day Sudan’s Nubia region, Piye “successfully unified Egypt under his rule, extending the influence of Kushite culture and religious traditions” (Morkot, 2000, p. 215).

Born to Kashta and Pebatjma, Piye had multiple wives, including Tabiry, Peksater, and possibly Khensa. His successor, Taharqa, was the son of Abar. According to Kendall (1999), Piye’s family connections to both Nubia and Thebes “cemented his legitimacy in Upper Egypt, allowing him to claim pharaonic authority in a time of fragmentation” (p. 34).

The Conquest of Egypt

By the 8th century BC, Egypt was deeply divided, with various rulers vying for control. As king of Nubia and Upper Egypt, Piye seized the opportunity to expand his influence, taking advantage of the “disunity among the Egyptian rulers, who were engaged in a series of internecine conflicts” (Grimal, 1992, p. 339). In response, Tefnakht of Sais sought to unify Lower Egypt’s rulers against him, forming a coalition that included Nimlot of Hermopolis.

When Tefnakht’s forces laid siege to Herakleopolis, its ruler, Peftjauawybast, along with Nubian commanders, urgently called upon Piye for military aid. “Recognizing the strategic importance of Herakleopolis as a gateway to Lower Egypt, Piye responded decisively, assembling an army for a swift campaign” (Kitchen, 2009, p. 148). During his 20th regnal year, Piye marched north, stopping in Thebes for the grand Opet Festival, which served as a public demonstration of his authority over Upper Egypt.

Piye’s military successes are inscribed on the Victory Stele of Piye, located at Gebel Barkal. The stele proclaims:

“Hear what I have done in exceeding the ancestors. I am the king, the representation of god, the living image of Atum, who issued from the womb marked as ruler, who is feared by those greater than he... Piye, beloved of Amun” (Lichtheim, 2006, p. 76).

A Holy War and Unrivaled Triumph

Piye framed his military campaign as a sacred mission, urging his warriors to purify themselves before battle. “Unlike previous Egyptian rulers, Piye viewed warfare as a religious duty, reinforcing his legitimacy through divine sanction” (Török, 1997, p. 180). Before launching his offensive, he personally made offerings to Amun, seeking divine favor.

His forces achieved a resounding victory at Herakleopolis, capturing Memphis and forcing several Delta rulers—including Iuput II of Leontopolis and Osorkon IV of Tanis—to submit. Even his former ally, Nimlot, surrendered to the Kushite monarch. “Piye’s ability to subjugate the northern rulers without prolonged resistance highlights the effectiveness of his military strategy and psychological warfare” (Redford, 2004, p. 265).

After a grueling five-month campaign, Hermopolis capitulated. Tefnakht, having retreated to an island in the Delta, admitted defeat in writing, though he refused to pay personal homage. Satisfied with his triumph, Piye withdrew from Egypt, sailing first to Thebes before returning to Nubia—never to return to the north.

Legacy and Final Years

Despite his conquests, Piye’s direct control over Lower Egypt remained limited. The local rulers, especially Tefnakht, retained a degree of autonomy. “While Piye imposed nominal authority over the Delta, his withdrawal to Nubia effectively left power in the hands of his former adversaries” (Mokhtar, 1981, p. 154). His successor, Shebitku, later sought to reinforce Nubian control by launching an attack on Sais and defeating Tefnakht’s successor, Bakenranef.

The Smaller Dakhla Stela suggests that Piye’s reign lasted at least 24 years. However, reliefs at Gebel Barkal depict him celebrating the Heb Sed Festival, traditionally marking a pharaoh’s 30th regnal year. Kitchen (1997) has argued that Piye likely ruled for 31 years, based on inscriptions referencing his 8th regnal year contemporaneous with Shepsesre Tefnakht.

Piye was buried in el-Kurru, near Jebel Barkal, in a tomb adjacent to the largest pyramid in the cemetery. His burial chamber, an open trench carved into bedrock with a corbelled brick roof, featured a 19-step staircase leading down to his resting place. Remarkably, his four favorite horses were interred alongside him—marking the first royal equine burial in over 500 years. “The burial of Piye’s horses signified the continuation of Nubian customs within the Egyptianized Kushite court” (Zibelius-Chen, 2006, p. 224).

His Victory Stele, discovered at Jebel Barkal, was first published by Auguste Mariette in 1872, with a comprehensive French translation by Emmanuel de Rougé in 1876. It remains a crucial source for understanding his reign and the broader Kushite influence on Egypt.

Piye’s conquests laid the foundation for nearly a century of Nubian rule over Egypt, demonstrating that “despite being perceived as outsiders, the Kushite pharaohs successfully reinvigorated traditional Egyptian religious and state structures” (O’Connor & Reid, 2003, p. 198). His reign remains a defining moment in the history of Nubian-Egyptian interactions, symbolizing the apex of Kushite power in the ancient world.

 

References

Grimal, N. (1992). A history of ancient Egypt. Blackwell.

Kitchen, K. A. (1997). The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 BC) (2nd ed.). Aris & Phillips.

Kitchen, K. A. (2009). On the reliability of the Old Testament. Eerdmans.

Kendall, T. (1999). “The Origin of the Napatan State: El Kurru and the Evidence for the Royal Ancestors.” In D. O’Connor & S. G. J. Quirke (Eds.), Ancient Egyptian and African interactions (pp. 23–45). UCL Press.

Lichtheim, M. (2006). Ancient Egyptian literature, Volume III: The Late Period. University of California Press.

Mokhtar, G. (1981). Ancient civilizations of Africa. UNESCO.

Morkot, R. (2000). The Black Pharaohs: Egypt's Nubian rulers. The Rubicon Press.

O’Connor, D., & Reid, A. (2003). Ancient Egypt in Africa. Left Coast Press.

Redford, D. B. (2004). From slave to pharaoh: The Black experience of ancient Egypt. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Török, L. (1997). The kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic civilization. Brill.

Zibelius-Chen, K. (2006). “Royal Horse Burials in Nubia and Ancient Egypt.” Journal of African Archaeology, 4(2), 211–230.