4 – The Kushites Control Egypt (744? – 660 BC)
There are several different dates given for Piye’s invasion of Egypt which range from 744 BC to 727 BC. He personally led the attack which is documented in his ‘Stele of Victory.’ Piye was responsible for bringing back pyramid construction, and the pyramid at El-Kurru was created during his reign. Piye tried to expand his kingdom’s influence in the Near East which was controlled by the Semitic Assyrian Empire. However, his attempt to support a rebellion against Assyria failed.
Shabaka, the brother of Piye, took the throne in 705 BC and conquered the entire Nile Valley as far as the Delta. Initially, at least, he maintained good relations with Assyria, but eventually, he was forced to react when the Assyrians started to make trouble in Asia. Princes of Syria-Palestine and Jerusalem made appeals for help, and the Kushites felt compelled to listen.
By the time Taharqa (690 – 664 BC) became Pharaoh, war with the Assyrians was inevitable. He tried to gain some kind of foothold in the Near East by forging alliances with several Semitic peoples in the southwest Levant; they had been subjugated by the Assyrians and were only too happy to receive assistance. While the Assyrians succeeded in driving the Kush back into Egypt, their king, Sennacherib, was unable to seize the initiative because he was forced to return to his kingdom to deal with several revolts.
However, his successor, King Esarhaddon (681 – 669 BC), renewed the conflict and began an invasion of Egypt in 671 BC. The Assyrians gained control of Egypt for a couple of years, but Taharqa returned from Nubia and regained most of his kingdom. Esarhaddon died before he could launch another attack but the next monarch, King Assurbanipal (668 – 627 BC), easily defeated the Kush and forced Taharqa back to Nubia where he died two years later. His successor, Tantamani, took Thebes but could only hold onto it for a brief period. Nubian control of Egypt probably lasted less than a century (depending on which dates you believe), but the Kingdom of Kush was far from finished.