Piye

Piye, also spelled Piye or Piankhy, was a Kushite king who founded the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt and ruled in the mid-8th century BCE, roughly from 744 to 714 BCE. A member of the Napatan royal line based at Napata in Nubia, he is most noted for uniting Egypt under Kushite rule after a period of internal division.

Origin and rise to power: Piyе was the son of Kashta, who had begun the Kushite expansion into Egypt. From Nubia, Piye led military campaigns northward, consolidating control over Upper Egypt and moving into Lower Egypt. His forces eventually established pyramid and temple-building projects that reflected both Kushite and Egyptian traditions, culminating in the reunification of the country under Kushite leadership.

Campaign and administration: Piye is associated with the Victory Stele of Piye, which records his campaigns and presents him as restoring order and the proper worship of the gods in Egypt. Under his reign, Kushite rulers maintained Egyptian administrative practices and the cult of Amun, while also asserting Kushite royal customs. This period marks the beginning of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, during which Kushite rulers governed a unified Egypt from their southern base while continuing to support Egyptian religious and cultural traditions.

Death and succession: Piye died circa 714 BCE and was buried in Nubia, with his legacy continued by his son Shabaka, who succeeded him and further solidified Kushite rule over Egypt. The dynasty he founded persisted for about a century, influencing art, architecture, and religious life in both Egypt and Nubia.

Legacy: Piye’s reign established a dynastic bridge between Kush and Egypt, initiating a period in which Kushite rulers revived and adapted Egyptian culture while maintaining their own royal traditions. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty is often regarded as a distinctive era of cultural and political revival in the region.