THE GREAT UNIFIER KING PIYE OF THE 25TH DYNASTY
- Heru
- Mar 27
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Piankhi, also known as King Piye was an ancient Kushite king and founder of the 25th Dynasty of Kemet, who ruled from his capital of Napata in Kush from 744–714 BC. The Kushite Kings of Napata emerged from the lineage of the mighty Kings of Kerma and would go on to usher in a golden age of artistic and religious expression, marked by impressive architectural achievements, monumental pyramids, and a rich tapestry of cultural practices, and old kingdom forms of governance. Located within Nubia, indigenously known as Ta-Nehesi, “Land of the Nubians”, near Mount Gebel Barkal, between the third and fourth cataracts, King Piye would march north with his army defeating the petty delta kingdoms of the 23rd and 24th dynasty and once again unite the Kingdom of Kemet.
The 23rd and 24th Dynasty of Kemet was a regime of Meshwesh Libyan Kings, who ruled between 880 and 734 BC. In 728 BCE. When Tefnakht, a King of Sais of Libyan descent, created an alliance of Delta rulers in a coup attempt against the Pharaonic Kings of Upper Kemet, Piye would align the Kingdom of Kush with the Pharaonic Kingdom and the priesthood of Amun located in the city of Waset. luput II was a Meshwesh Chieftain from Libya and founder of the 24th Dynasty. Iuput was an ally of Tefnakht and together they resisted the military campaign by King Piye. Iuput II ruled during a chaotic time of the third Intermediate Period when several kings controlled Lower Kemet, including Osorkon IV at Bubastis and prince Tefnakht at Sais.
Relief of the Libyan King Iuput II:
During this chaotic time period, the Libyan kings had ruled for nearly a century, during which they usurped Kemetic culture and tradition while robbing the royal tombs and coffers to enrich themselves and gain power over the Pharaonic Kingdom. It was during this turmoil that the Kushite kings, rising from their own prosperous kingdom to the south, intervened to preserve Nile valley culture and traditions. They sought to restore the dignity and heritage of Kemet, reclaiming its throne and reestablishing the rightful order. Under the leadership of King Piye, the Kushites united the fractured lands, revitalizing temples and reinstating traditional practices, ultimately ushering in a renaissance that honored both Kemetic and Kushite legacies.
During the rule of Osorkon II, much like the other Libyan kings of the 22nd Dynasty, he faced significant challenges in establishing legitimacy over Kemet. While claiming dominion over the land, their foreign origins and difficult integration into Kemet's religious and cultural systems often undermined their authority. One method Osorkon II used to secure his rule was by employing Kemetian art as a form of religious propaganda. The Triad of King Osorkon II is a prime example of this strategy, depicting the king alongside powerful deities and presenting him as a divine ruler worthy of the throne. By associating himself with Kemet's pantheon of gods, Osorkon II sought to legitimize his reign in the eyes of both the Kemetian people and the priesthood, symbolically aligning himself with the forces that had long validated the pharaoh’s position.
This legitimacy, however, was being challenged by King Piankhi, a Kushite King of Napata, who at the same time was making alliances with the Priesthood of Amun as he attempted to legitimize his claim to divine Kingship by authority of Amun, the God of Gods, who was the principal God of Waset, the "City of the Sceptre," known as Thebes to the Greeks. Piankhi’s strategy was both military and religious, seeking not only to conquer but to establish his rule as divinely sanctioned. His military campaigns in Egypt were framed as a restoration of Kemet's glory and the reaffirmation of Amun's supreme authority. In his Victory Stela, Piankhi proclaims,
"I am the son of Amun, the living one who comes from the great land of Nubia, I have come to establish the laws of Amun in Egypt..." - Victory Stela of Piankhi, 8th century BCE
Piankhi’s actions were not just about conquest; they were about asserting his divine right to rule, positioning himself as the true representative of Amun on Earth, an idea central to Kemetian kingship. By aligning himself with the powerful Priesthood of Amun, Piankhi cleverly gained the legitimacy that the Libyan rulers of the 22nd Dynasty could never achieve. Unlike the Libyan kings, who often struggled to integrate themselves into the religious and cultural fabric of Kemet, Piankhi was seen as a true son of Kemet, and his claim was bolstered by religious authority. As Piankhi himself declared on his victory stela,
"I have driven out the evil ones who oppressed Egypt, and I have restored the glory of Amun, the protector of Egypt’s sacred lands." - Victory Stela of Piankhi
Moreover, Piankhi’s rule marked a significant turning point in the relationship between Kemet and Nubia. His triumph over the Libyans and the subsequent rule of the Kushites in Kemet ushered in what is known as the 25th Dynasty, a period when Nubians ruled Kemet, bringing with them a renewed emphasis on the spiritual and cultural legacies of Kemet's ancient past. As Professor William Y. Adams notes,
"Piankhi's conquest of Egypt did not simply signify military victory; it represented a re-establishment of Egypt’s religious and cultural integrity under the protection of the divine Amun." - Adams, The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings on the Nile, p. 134
In this way, Piankhi did not just challenge the legitimacy of the Libyan kings; he redefined what it meant to rule Egypt. The Kushites were not foreign conquerors but, rather, the divine restorers of Egypt’s rightful order, with Piankhi as their instrument. The Kushites Dynasty saw their rule over Kemet not as an opportunity to plunder but as a religious and cultural mission. The Kushite rulers, such as Piye, Shabaka, and Taharqa, viewed themselves as the natural successors of the 18th Dynasty kings. This sentiment is echoed by Professor Joan Fletcher, who states, "They were the natural successors of the 18th Dynasty Kings", highlighting the Kushites’ strong identification with Kemet’s pharaonic legacy. Unlike their Libyan predecessors, the Kushites viewed their reign as a restoration of the Old Kingdom’s principles of justice, order, and divine kingship. Their military campaigns into Kemet, such as Piye’s conquest recorded on his famous Victory Stela, were not about conquest for wealth or power, but about the reassertion of Kemet’s spiritual and cultural order.
Kushites usher in an Nile Valley Renaissance, Joan Fletcher, Egyptologist:
Evidence of this is seen in the way the Kushites revived monumental building projects and religious practices. Shabaka, for example, restored the ancient Memphite Theology, a key text in ancient Kemetic religion, through the Shabaka Stone. This philosophical treatise helped to reconnect the Kushite kings with the cosmic order of Egypt’s classical period. Similarly, Taharqa, one of the most prolific builders of the 25th Dynasty, expanded and restored temples such as those at Karnak, Thebes, and Gebel Barkal in Nubia. The Kushite kings made significant efforts to uphold traditional Egyptian religious practices and symbols, revitalizing Egypt’s spiritual heart and reinforcing their legitimacy as pharaohs.
The difference between Libyan and Kushite rule can also be seen in their attitudes toward Egypt’s royal coffers. While the Libyan rulers were often accused of mismanaging Kemet's wealth, the Kushites, driven by their deep respect for Kemetic heritage, used their rule to restore Kemet’s religious and cultural integrity, ensuring that Kemet's sacred temples were maintained and enriched.
In summary, while the Libyan 22nd Dynasty rulers were seen as opportunistic rulers who plundered Kemet’s resources and usurped monuments to cement their reign, the Kushites approached their rule as a form of spiritual guardianship. They were, as Professor Joan Fletcher suggests, the natural successors to Kemet’s golden age, restoring Kemet’s ancient ideals and leaving a legacy of religious and architectural revival that the Libyans could never match. Their reign marked a renaissance for Kemet, as they upheld the values of the past while integrating them into their own Nubian heritage.
The cult of the Nubio-Kemetic Netcher (god) Amun was strongly entrenched among the Kushites, and a threat by the Delta rulers to Amun’s homeland in Upper Kemet provoked Piye to take action. Following a ritual visit to Waset (Thebes), Piye’s forces met the Libyans’ river fleet and defeated them in battle. He then vanquished a land army near Heracleopolis, in Middle Kemet, and advanced to take Hermopolis, another stronghold of the Libyans, and Memphis, Kemet’s ancient capital. Piye received the submission of several Middle Kingdom monarchs and then marched on the delta, where more local rulers surrendered. Finally, Tefnakhte and Iuput sent a message of submission, and Piye sent an emissary to obtain their oath of fealty. King Piye permitted Iuput II to remain in power as a local governor of Leontopolis according to his Victory Stela from Jebel Barkal.
After some final submissions by holdouts, Piye sailed home to Mount Barkal with the spoils of his venture. He remained in his capital for the remainder of his reign. The great stela recounting his deeds was found there, and is dated in the 21st year of his reign. The reunited Kemetic empire under the Kushite Kings of the 25th Dynasty was as large as it had been since the New Kingdom began, and uniting the country both Upper and Lower Kemet was no small feat. Like the great unifiers that came before him, King Piye ushered in a golden age. There was a renaissance in arts, architecture and religion; all of which were restored to their Old Kingdom forms. The Nubian Pharaohs built or restored temples and monuments throughout the Hapi (Nile) Valley including at Memphis and Waset (Karnak). They built more pyramids than any other dynasty; approximately 220 pyramids located in the northern Sudanese desert.
His successful campaign was recorded on his Victory stela. According to historians, his brother Shabaka founded the 25th dynasty, but Piye laid the foundations.
The following is a portion of a Hymn to Amun-Ra which is preserved on a papyrus in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This is one of many such hymns sung in the Kemetic temples in honor of the great Netcher (god) of Kush and Kemet.
A Hymn to Amun-Ra ,
the Bull, dweller in Anu, chief of all the gods,
the beneficent god, beloved one,
giving the warmth of life to all beautiful cattle.
Homage to thee, Amun-Ra , Lord of the throne of Kemet.
Master of the Temple of Karnak.
Kamutef (bull of his mother) at the head of his fields.
The long-strider, Master of the Land of the South.
Lord of the Matchau (Nubians), Governor of Punt (Somalia),
King of heaven, first-born son of earth,
Lord of all things that are, establisher of all things (the universe)
One in his actions, as with the gods,
Beneficent Bull of the Company of the Gods (Nine Gods),
Chief of all the gods,
Lord of Truth, father of the gods,
maker of men, creator of all animals,
Lord of things that are, creator of the staff of life,
Maker of the herbage that sustaineth the life of cattle.
Power made by Ptah,
Beautiful child of love.
The gods ascribe praises to him.
Maker of things celestial and things terrestrial,
he illumineth Kemet,
Traverser of the celestial heights in peace.
King of the South, King of the North, Ra,
whose word is truth, Chief of Kemet.
Mighty in power, lord of awe-inspiring terror,
Chief, creator of everything on earth,
Whose dispensations are greater than those of every other god.
The gods rejoice in his beautiful acts.
They acclaim him in the Great House (the sky).
They crown him with crowns in the House of Fire.
They love the odor of him, when he cometh from Punt.
Prince of the dew, he traverseth the lands of the Nubians.
Beautiful of face, [he] cometh from the Land of the God.
In 716 BC Piankhi died after a reign of over thirty years. He was buried in a Kemetic style pyramid tomb at El-Kurru, accompanied by a number of horses, which were greatly prized by the Nubians of the Napatan period. Piye was succeeded by his brother Shabaka (716–702 BC) who reconquered Libyan forces in Kemet and took full pharaonic titles, establishing himself as the ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of the Nubio-Kemetic Empire.
"King of Upper Kemet…Beautiful is the Ka-Soul of Ra who appears in Waset"
Artwork created by Ramomar NY
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