Osorkon IV

Osorkon IV reigned from about 740 to 728 BC, with dates uncertain by about five years. Ruling from Bubastis in the eastern Nile Delta, he controlled only a small portion of a politically divided Egypt. His reign marked the end of the Libyan Twenty-second Dynasty, a lineage that had governed parts of Egypt for more than two centuries.

During this turbulent period, regional princes and rival dynasties competed for authority, while external powers began to dominate Egyptian affairs. When the Kushite king Piye advanced north to bring Egypt under southern control, Osorkon IV submitted to his authority. Later Assyrian sources also mention a Delta ruler named Shilkanni, commonly identified with Osorkon, who sent diplomatic gifts to Sargon II to maintain peace.

Historians recognise Osorkon IV through the text of the famous Victory Stela of Piye discovered at Gebel Barkal, as well as contemporary Assyrian administrative records. His tomb at Tanis has not been identified, and no physical remains have survived.

Monuments

• Piye Victory Stela inscription
• Assyrian records (Sargon II)

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.