Kashta

Kashta was a king of the Kushite kingdom based at Napata, who ruled in the early 8th century BCE. He is widely regarded as the initiator of Kushite expansion into Egypt and the founder of what would become the 25th Dynasty. Through campaigns in Upper Egypt, Kashta extended Kushite influence northward and established a power base in Thebes, from which his successors would advance.

The historical record for Kashta comes mainly from inscriptions in Upper Egypt and from later king lists that credit him with the rise of Kushite influence in the Nile Valley. He is traditionally identified as the father of Piye (Piankhy), who would complete the conquest of Egypt and establish the 25th Dynasty, ruling from Napata with Thebes as a key center of authority. Kashta’s wife is associated in some sources with the royal line as Pebatj, and the couple are depicted as building alliances with local Egyptian elites to support Kushite rule.

Kashta’s reign marked a shift in Egyptian politics, as Kushite rulers began to exercise direct influence over Thebes and the temple of Amun, signaling the start of sustained Kushite involvement in Egyptian affairs. His actions laid the groundwork for Piye and the subsequent 25th Dynasty, which would control Egypt for roughly a century before changing dynastic lines. Kashta’s legacy is that of a founder of Kushite political power in Egypt and a key figure in the emergence of the Nubian-dynasty period in Egyptian history.