747–716 BCE
25th Dynasty of Egypt (Kushite)
747–656 BCE
The 25th Dynasty is the Kushite dynasty, whose kings came from Napata in Nubia. Piye marched north and took control of Egypt, and his successors Shabaka, Shebitku, Taharqa and Tanutamun ruled as full pharaohs, restoring temples and reviving older Egyptian forms in art and religion.
The dynasty ended under Assyrian attack: Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt, and the Kushite kings withdrew south to Nubia, where Kushite rule continued for centuries.
- Dates
- 747–656 BCE
- Rulers profiled
- 5
Rulers of the 25th Dynasty (Kushite)
Best-known rulers: Piye; Shabaka; Shebitku; Taharqa; Tanutamun. Every ruler profile in the archive for this dynasty, in the order used by the chronology. Each name links to a full profile with dates, background, sources and illustrations.
716–702 BCE
702–690 BCE
690–664 BCE
664–656 BCE
Major monuments
- Gebel Barkal
- Karnak
- Kawa
- Taharqa monuments
Key events
- Piye’s northern campaign
- Assyrian invasions
- loss of Egypt to Assyria.
Reading the evidence
The dynasty was not merely an ‘interlude’: Kushite kings were Egyptian pharaohs while retaining a Nubian power base.
Sources: Shaw (2000); Metropolitan Museum; British Museum. See the full bibliography.