Facts About The 25th Dynasty in Ancient Egypt

The Twenty-Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, commonly known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire, was the final reigning dynasty of the third transitional Egyptian period following the Nubian conquest.

History

Mentuhotep II, the founder of the Middle Egyptian kingdom in the Twenty-First Century BC, campaigns against Kush in the twenty-ninth and thirty-first years of his reign. The Nubian region was called by other names in the era of the Old Kingdom. Under Thutmose I, Egypt made several campaigns in the South. This eventually led to his joining the Nubia s. 1504 BC. After the conquest, the Kerma civilization was increasingly Christianized, but some rebellions lasted for 220 years until BC. 1300 BC. However, Nubia became an important province of the new kingdom, economically, politically, and spiritually, and some major pharaonic ceremonies were held at Jabal al-Barkal near Nabta. As an Egyptian colony from the sixteenth century BC, the Egyptian Viceroy of Kush ruled Nubia ("Kush").

Egypt's international standing declined considerably towards the end of the third transitional period. Its historical allies, the Canaanites, fell to the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365-1020 BC), and then the rising Neo-Assyrian Empire (935-605 BC). The Assyrians, from the 10th century BC onwards, expanded again from northern Mesopotamia, forming a vast empire, which included the entire Near East, most of Anatolia, the eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, and Persia. In 945 BC, the LiPO princes, including Shoshenq I, took control of the Nile Delta and founded the twenty-second dynasty of Egypt, which ruled for about two centuries. Shoshenq also controlled southern Egypt by placing members of his family in important religious positions. The northern capital was moved to Menf.

Extension of control to Egypt

While Kashta ruled Nubia from Nabta, he also exercised a significant degree of control over Upper Egypt by being able to appoint his daughter, Amenirdis I, as the wife of the god Amun at Thebes as successor to Osorkon III's daughter Shibnubet I, taking advantage of the declining power of the rulers of Lower Egypt in the south, and possibly the relations between the priests of Amun at Thebes and their counterparts at Nabta. He described this development as having been "the key moment in the process of the Kushites extending their authority over Egyptian territory" under Kashta, granting legitimacy to the Kushite takeover of the Theban region. 

Turok notes that Kashta's conquest of Upper Egypt was mostly peaceful, and suggests this both "by the fact that the descendants of osercon III: Takelot III and Rodamon continued to enjoy high social status in Thebes in the second half of the VIII century and the first half of the VII century"[BC] as evidenced by their burials in this city as well as the joint activity of shibnupet and the god Amun's elected wife Amenirdis I, Kashta's daughter. A painting from the Kashta era was found in Elephantine (in present-day Aswan) - in the local temple dedicated to the God Khnum, testifies to his control over this area at that time. Where she bears his royal title: "Nimaatre". The duration of Kashta's reign is unknown.

Under Kashta's rule, a rapid Christianization of the native Kushite population of his kingdom took place, who lived between the third and fourth cataracts of the Nile. They adopted Egyptian traditions as well as religion and culture. Kashta greatly admired Egyptian culture, and imported artifacts from the North.

Kashta's successor, Baankhi, managed to take control of Lower Egypt around 727 BC., between the years of 728-716 BC A memorial plaque belonging to Pankhi was found in the temple of Amun on Mount Barkal. Egypt is fragmented into four kingdoms, ruled by King pivtuwipast, King Nimrod, King eobot II, and King osercon IV.

 Archaeologist Timothy Kendall presents his hypotheses, connecting them with their claim of legitimacy associated with the Jebel Barkal. Kendall cites the baankhi memorial plaque at Jabal al-Barkal which states that "Amun in Nabta gave me the right to be the ruler of every foreign country" and"Amun in Thebes gave me the right to be the ruler of "KMT". According to Kendall, the "foreign lands" in this regard seem to include Lower Egypt while the word "KMT" seems to refer to Upper Egypt United with Nubia.

He defeated Baankhi's successor, Shabaka, the local kings of northern Egypt between 711-710 BC, and established himself as King in MANF. Then he established relations with Sargon II.

Taharqa was crowned king in the year 690 BC. The first years of Taharqa's rule were peaceful, and the local rulers enjoyed a great deal of autonomy. Due to rivalry with the Assyrians, Taharqa supported local rebellions in the Phoenician cities that were seeking independence, but they were put down by the Assyrian king, aserdun. In 674 BC, Esarhaddon tried to conquer Egypt but was defeated, so he tried again three years later, and managed to defeat Taharqa, who escaped from MANF, leaving his royal family captured and sent to Assyria with the great wealth of MANF. However, the Assyrians probably did not extend their control to Upper Egypt south of MANF. A year later, Taharqa managed to regain control of the Delta, which necessitated the return of Esarhaddon to Egypt again, but he died on the way. He was then succeeded by his son Ashurbanipal, who invaded Egypt again and managed to defeat Taharqa a second time, who retreated to Nabta. After Ashurbanipal returned to Nineveh, the local rulers of Egypt conspired with Taharqa to share his rule, as they most likely saw him as less arrogant and interfering in local affairs, but the conspiracy was discovered, and the conspirators were executed, and Taharqa died shortly thereafter.

Taharqa was an important ruler, as his reign represented a golden age for his new kingdom. Although he was not of Egyptian origin, he maintained the cult of the Egyptian god Amun, built pyramids and temples in the Egyptian style, and his officials wrote in Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Empire of the Nile was as large as it was during the reign of the New Kingdom. Some temples and monuments have also been built or restored throughout the Nile Valley, including Menf, Karnak, Al-Kawah, and Jabal al-Barkal. During the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, the Nile valley witnessed a major revival of the construction of pyramids for the first time since the Middle Kingdom era.

Taharqa's successor Tanut Amani tried to restore Egypt. He managed to defeat Necho I, an Egyptian ruler appointed by Ashurbanipal, and managed to retake Menf. The Assyrians, who had a military presence in the Levant, sent a large army south in 663 BC. Tantamani was defeated, and the Assyrian army plundered Thebes to such an extent that it never recovered. Tanut expelled Amani to Nubia, but his control over Upper Egypt lasted for a few years until 656 BC. On this date, an Egyptian ruler, Psamtik I Ibn Nacho, seized the throne as a vassal of Ashurbanipal at first, but managed to unite Egypt and become independent afterwards.

In 591 BC, the Kushite king Aspalta tried to conquer Egypt, which came under the rule of the twenty-sixth dynasty, but he was defeated, and the kingdom of Kush was subsequently subjected to an invasion launched by Pharaoh Psamtik II. This prompted King Aspalta to change his capital to the safer city of Meroe, which enjoys a strategic location and great natural resources, especially iron and gold. The last links between Kush and Upper Egypt were subsequently severed.