The Twenty-fifth Dynasty originated in Kush at the city-state of Napata, whence they invaded and took control of Egypt under Piye (spelled Piankhi in older works). Manetho does not mention either the first king Piye, or the last king Tantamani, although inscriptions exist to attest to the existence of both. This dynasty is often considered part of the Third Intermediate Period.
The following chronology follows recent research by Dan'el Kahn[1] which argues that Shebitku was king of Egypt by 707/706 BC. This is based on evidence from an inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II, which was found in modern day Northwestern Iran and dated to 706 BC. This inscription calls Shebitku the king of Melunha, and states that he sent back to Assyria a rebel named Iamanni in handcuffs. Kahn's arguments have been widely accepted by many Egyptologists including Rolf Krauss, and Aidan Dodson[2] among others at the SCIEM 2000 (Synchronisation of Civilisations of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Second Millennium B.C.) project with the notable exception of Kenneth Kitchen and Manfred Bietak at present.
Name | Dates | Comments |
---|---|---|
Nimaatre Kashta | ?–744 BC | Some sources credit Kashta as the founder of the 25th dynasty since he was the first Kushite king known to have expanded his kingdom's influence into Upper Egypt.[3] |
Usermaatre Piye | 744–714 BC | Conquered Egypt in his Year 20; full reign at least 24 years and possibly 30+ years. |
Djedkaure Shebitku | 714–705 BC | Believed to be Shabaka's successor until the 2010s |
Neferkare Shabaka | 705–690 BC | Believed to be Shebitku's predecessor until the 2010s |
Khuinefertemre Taharqa | 690–664 BC | |
Bakare Tantamani | 664–653 BC | Lost control of Upper Egypt in 656 BC when Psamtik I extended his authority into Thebes that year. |
Starting from the reign of Taharqa onwards, the kings of this dynasty were driven back into Nubia, at first by the Assyrians, then by the kings of the 26th Dynasty. Their successors came to settle in Nubia, where they established a kingdom at Napata (656 BCE - 590 BCE) then later at Meroë (590 BC - 4th century AD).
References[]
External links[]
- Voyage au pays des pharaons noirs Travel in Sudan : pictures and notes on the nubian history.
Preceded by: 22nd, 23rd and 24th Dynasties |
Third Intermediate Period 25th Dynasty |
Succeeded by: 26th Dynasty |