Tanutamun

Tanutamun, also called Tantamani, was the son of King Shabaka and Queen Qalhata. He succeeded his cousin Taharqa as ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty and ruled from about 664 BC to 656 BC, with dates uncertain by about a year. Following a prophetic dream recorded on his famous Dream Stela at Gebel Barkal, Tanutamun marched north from Napata to reclaim Lower Egypt from Assyrian vassal princes. He captured Memphis and killed the Delta ruler Necho I, but an Assyrian counterattack swiftly expelled him. The Assyrian army sacked Thebes in 663 BC, ending Kushite control over Egypt, though Tanutamun continued to rule in Nubia until his death.

He was buried under a pyramid at El-Kurru (Ku. 16), which preserves fine painted subterranean chambers. His authority in Upper Egypt gradually gave way to Psamtik I. Scholars know of his reign through his royal inscriptions, Assyrian cuneiform records, and his tomb at El-Kurru.

Monuments

• Dream Stela at Gebel Barkal
• Pyramid at El-Kurru

Explore further

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