The 25th Dynasty was a line of Nubian pharaohs who ruled Egypt from 744-656 BC after invading from their kingdom in Kush, located in modern-day Sudan. They established their capital at Napata and assimilated Egyptian culture while also introducing some Kushite aspects. However, after defeats by the Assyrian Empire, Kushite rule over Egypt came to an end and they were replaced by the 26th Dynasty as vassals of Assyria, marking the end of the Late Period in ancient Egypt.

1. Kushite Empire in
700 BC

2. Capital Napata
Memphis
Common languages Egyptian, Meroitic
Religion ancient Egyptian religion
Government Monarchy
Pharaoh
• 744–714 BC
Piye (first)
• 664–656 BC
Tantamani (last)
History
• Established
744 BC
• Disestablished
656 BC
Short information

3. The 25th dynasty was a line of pharaohs who originated in the
Kingdom of Kush, located in present-day northern Sudan and Upper
Egypt. Most of this dynasty's kings saw Napata as their spiritual
homeland. They reigned in part or all of Ancient Egypt from 744–656
BC. The dynasty began with Kashta's invasion of Upper Egypt and
culminated in several years of both successful and unsuccessful
wars with the Mesopotamia-based Neo-Assyrian Empire. The 25th
Dynasty's reunification of Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, and Kush
created the largest Egyptian empire since the New Kingdom. They
assimilated into society by reaffirming Ancient Egyptian religious
traditions, temples, and artistic forms, while introducing some
unique aspects of Kushite culture. It was during the 25th dynasty
that the Nile valley saw the first widespread construction of
pyramids (many in what is now Sudan) since the Middle Kingdom.
The 25th dynasty

4. After the emperors Sargon II and Sennacherib defeated
attempts by the Nubian kings to gain a foothold in the Near
East, their successors, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal ,
invaded, defeated and drove out the Nubians. War with
Assyria resulted in the end of Kushite power in Northern
Egypt and the conquest of Egypt by the Neo-Assyrian
Empire. They were succeeded by the Twenty-sixth Dynasty,
initially a puppet dynasty installed by and vassals of the
Assyrians, the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the
Achaemenid Empire invaded them. The fall of the Twenty-
fifth Dynasty also marks the beginning of the Late Period of
ancient Egypt.
Nubian people ruled Egypt for 75 years

5. Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt
The Kushite era of rule in Nubia was
established after the Late Bronze Age collapse
and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of
Egypt. Kush was centered at Napata (now
modern Karima, Sudan) during its early phase.
After Kashta ("the Kushite") invaded Egypt in
the 8th century BC, the monarchs of Kush were
also the pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty
of Egypt, until they were defeated by the Neo-
Assyrian Empire in the Assyrian conquest of
Egypt under the rule of Ashurbanipal a century
later, and finally expelled from Egypt itself by
Psamtik I.

6. Maximum extent of
Kush in 700 BC

8. Statues of various rulers of
the late 25th Dynasty–
early Napatan period.
From left to right:
Tantamani, Taharqa
(rear), Senkamanisken,
again Tantamani (rear),
Aspelta, Anlamani, again
Senkamanisken. Kerma
Museum.

9. King Shebitku making offerings
to Egyptian Gods
Shebitku (also known as
Shabataka or Shebitqo) was the
second pharaoh of the Twenty-
fifth Dynasty of Egypt who ruled
from 714 BC – 705 BC, according
to the most recent academic
research.

10. Donation Stela of Shebitku, with
the cartouche identifying him
(bottom left). Metropolitan
Museum

11. Image of Shepenupet II, "Divine adoratrice of
Amón" and daughter of Piye.
Piye's pyramid at El-Kurru

12. Shabaka
Pharaoh Taharqa of Ancient Egypt's 25th Dynasty.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford UK

13. Statue of Taharqa

14. The Shrine of Taharqa,
Ashmolean Museum

15. Taharqa with Queen
Takahatamun at Gebel
Barkal.

16. Taharqa offering
wine jars to Falcon-
god Hemen

17. Shabti of
King
Taharqa