Piye

Piye was the Kushite king of Napata who founded the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, reigning from about 744 BC to 714 BC, with dates uncertain by roughly five years. The son of King Kashta and Queen Pebatjma, he inherited a powerful Nubian kingdom deeply devoted to the god Amun. When Tefnakht of Sais led a northern coalition threatening Upper Egypt, Piye launched a massive military campaign northward to assert his dominance.

His forces captured prominent cities along the Nile, including Memphis, successfully subduing regional dynasts and unifying Egypt under Nubian leadership. Rather than remaining permanently in the north, Piye returned to his southern capital at Napata to govern his vast realm. He revived the ancient tradition of royal pyramid tombs, and was buried beneath a stone pyramid at El-Kurru (tomb Ku. 17), though his mummy has not survived.

Scholars know his reign primarily through the grand Victory Stela erected in the Temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal, which details his Egyptian campaign in vivid, poetic hieroglyphic text.

Monuments

• Victory Stela at Gebel Barkal
• Temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal
• Pyramid at El-Kurru

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