Third Intermediate Period
Shabitku (Shebitku)
25th Dynasty (Kushite/Nubian) · 747-656 BCE
Reign begins702 BCE
Reign ends690 BCE
Dynasty span747-656 BCE
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The aggressive successor
Shabataka succeeded his father Piye. Unlike his father, who was content to rule Egypt from deep within Nubia, Shabataka took a highly aggressive approach to securing Lower Egypt, systematically removing local opposition and establishing a firm Kushite presence in the north.
Appeasing Assyria
His reign coincided with the aggressive expansion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sargon II. When a rebel leader named Iamani of Ashdod attempted to incite an uprising against Assyria and fled to Egypt for asylum, Shabataka recognized the severe military threat. To avoid an unwinnable war with the Assyrian juggernaut, he placed Iamani in iron shackles and extradited him to Nineveh.