The Pharaoh They Don't Want You to Know: The Untold Story of The 25th Dynasty

Did Nubians really invade Egypt? 1077 BCE The kingdom of Kemet in northeast Africa was once a powerful empire, but now it is experiencing its third intermediate period. It's a time marked by the fragmentation of central authority, with regional leaders and elites competing for power. This period began with the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI in 1077 BC, marking the end of the new kingdom. In the delta region of Kemet, a pharaoh of western origin reigns. Meanwhile, in upper Kemet, the priesthood of Amun rules from the capital city of Thebes. But the division between lower and upper Kemet is about to be shattered. Around the mid-700s BCE, the monarchs of Kush, a kingdom located south of Kemet, decided to conduct military excursions across Kemet in order to conquer it. These kings of Kush were powerful and formidable, and they quickly gained a reputation as fearsome warriors. The kings of Kush who conquered Kemet were dubbed the Black Pharaohs of Egypt by mainstream media. They governed all of Kemet from around 747 to 653 BCE, and their dynasty is known as the 25th Dynasty. During that time period, Kush surpassed Kemet in terms of influence and power. If necessary, Pa Enki, the ruler of Kush, could easily destroy Kemet. In 747 BCE, Pa Enki invaded Kemet and became the first ruler of Kemet's 25th Dynasty. The Black Pharaohs of Kush were a force to be reckoned with. They were known for their military might, their sophisticated culture, and their devotion to rebuilding the greatness of Nile Valley civilizations. Their rule over Kemet was a time of great change and upheaval, but it also marked a period of cultural exchange and innovation. And this is the story we are told. But what were the motivations behind this invasion? According to some European scholars, it was the story of a subordinate kingdom from the south that rose up, overthrew their masters, and ruled as pharaohs of Egypt themselves. In other words, a slave revolt. For others, it was the story of an African kingdom highly influenced by its northern neighbor's superior culture and religion to the point of fanaticism and that now dreamed of making their own mark in Egypt's history. However, is it true? Did the Kushite kings invade Egypt in 747 BCE? Were they a group of slaves trying to overthrow their Egyptian masters? Were they a group of fanatics with an obsession for Egypt's religion? Were they the only black pharaohs, as that title seems to suggest? Were there any indigenous white pharaohs in Egypt? These questions will be answered at the end of this video, so make sure to watch till the end. The people of Kush, contrary to popular thought, did not see themselves as inferior to Kemites. They did not consider Kemet to be a superior culture. They were proud of their culture and conscious of the cultural, historical, and ethnic entanglement that existed between their nation and that of their northern neighbors. Kush and Nubia had ties to Kemet since ancient times. The alleged invasion of Kemet by King Pa-Enki in 747 BCE did not mark the beginning of the ties between Kush, Nubia, and Kemet. Archaeologist Maria Carmela Gatto from the Polish Academy of Science proved in a work called Cultural Entanglement at the Dawn of the Egyptian History that since the pre-Dynastic period there was a strong entanglement between the people living in Nubia and those living in Kemet. She explained that a distinction between both populations would not have made sense during those early days. Nubians and Egyptians were the same. In other words, these words only create a huge confusion in the way we perceive the populations in these areas today. The word Nubian is associated with blackness or true Africans, while the word Egyptian is perceived as Middle Eastern or even European. In other words, they are perceived as foreign to the African continent. Thus they are not associated to the indigenous population of Africa. But the facts completely contradict that theory. Nubians and Upper Egyptians, the originators of the Egyptian culture, were the same. They are the one we can truly call real Egyptians because the pharaohs, their tradition, and culture came from these areas. And these first pharaohs practiced a culture that came directly from Nubia as has been attested in the tombs of the first pharaohs. The Nubian culture was the one that settled in Egypt prior to anything else. So, the original Egyptians were Nubians who practiced a Nubian culture, practices that could still be seen in everything related to all pharaohs of Egypt. Click on the right corner of the screen to watch more videos about these Nubian elements of the Egyptian traditions. The differences between Kush and Kemet emerged later and were mainly cultural. Scholars have also proven that there were no foreign invasions from the north in the area during that period. The population was quite homogenous. On the contrary, if there was an invasion, it probably came from the south as attested by some researchers. Using these elements, we can see that claiming that the Kushites or Nubians invaded Kemet due to excess fanaticism is exaggerated. Both people have always been linked since the dawn of times. By knowing these facts, it becomes obvious that Kushite rulers considering themselves the true successors of the pharaohs over all other neighboring groups was totally justified. They probably knew their history and used it to their advantage as I will explain at the end of this video. We also see that Nubians could not be seen as a slave race since the indigenous Egyptians themselves were Nubians and practiced the Nubian culture. In other words, the conflicts between both regions were not racially motivated. So, it is incorrect to classify the Nubians as a group of slaves. There may have been conflicts between both populations that resulted in captives from Kush being brought to Kemet, but this was not necessarily a sign of racial inferiority as some modern scholars suggest. These conflicts were motivated by the desire for power, control, or ego. Common human emotions. So, the border between both countries was similar to what can be seen in Europe between Germany and France, for example. Two countries with white populations, but different rulers and cultures. In the case of Kemet and Nubia, the Nubian culture was the founding culture of Kemet until the Nubian-related rulers of Kemet began to develop a new culture inspired by their original Nubian culture. In other words, ideological differences emerged due to different leaderships in both regions and they led to a split between both areas and the birth of separate kingdoms. So, calling the rulers coming from these regions the Black Pharaohs as opposed to the Egyptian ones is also extremely deceptive because it implies that those of Egypt were not black. As we can see in the previous studies, the people from these areas where the pharaohs emerged were black and Nubian related. This means that the concept of pharaoh itself is deeply rooted in blackness. So, the expression Black Pharaoh doesn't make any sense since by nature a pharaoh is supposed to be black. Subsequently, the northern kingdom, despite being younger, gained an advantage over its elder southern counterpart. And when the Kushite rulers entered Egypt, it was as they said, a movement of restoration. The cycle was completed. Them saying that they were coming to restore as their ancestors did during the early days was in fact true. They succeeded in restoring Egypt. So, calling it an invasion seems quite a lot like an exaggeration. Donald B. Redford discusses a pattern of behavior among the ancient Egyptians in his book, The Hyksos Invasion in History and Tradition. He recognized a pattern of conduct among those he dubbed the indigenous, loyal, and royal Egyptians, Kemites. An element that suggests that not all residents of Kemet at the time were Egyptians or loyal to the African landowners. He says this, When hostile forces invade or otherwise establish themselves in the north of Egypt, conflict ensues with the loyal elements in the country. King and court derive assistance from or seek asylum in Kush, liberating forces move out of the south, advancing northward, and drive out the enemy. In other words, whenever they faced difficulties in their homeland, the Egyptian elite sought refuge in Kush to reorganize and retake their land. An invasion is defined as the act of entering and taking control of a country, region, or territory by force, often with the intention of subjugating its people and resources. It typically involves the use of military force and may result in a period of conflict, oppression, and displacement for the invaded population. Knowing this information, I need you to tell me in the comments. Which invader, enemy, or slave enters your home to clean and protect it? Which invader, enemy, or slave do you call in times of troubles to save you? Is it fair to label someone who provides help and protection as an invader, enemy, or slave? Let's consider this more honestly. Records from the reign of King Taharqa attest to the fact that the natives fully accepted the Kushite rulers. During Ashurbanipal's invasion of Memphis, he was defeated by King Taharqa when he attempted to take Thebes, the capital city. This victory led to a rebellion in the delta, with princes recognizing Taharqa as their legitimate ruler. The princes of the delta recognizing the Kushites as their legitimate rulers is significant considering the delta's history of conflict with Upper Egypt. Unlike other foreign groups, the Kushites were not perceived as invaders. They were seen as brothers. The unruly brothers of Kush and members of the Nile Valley civilization. The topic of this video is whether the Kushite kings invaded Egypt in 747 BC. According to one narrative, the answer is yes. However, in my opinion, this narrative is not entirely accurate. Let me explain why. Laszlo Torak, a Hungarian historian, archaeologist, and Egyptologist, argued that Kush had already a strong control over Upper Egypt before Pharaoh Pa-Enki's reign. The control of Kush over Egypt did not begin in 747 BC, but in the 8th century with Pharaoh Kashta, also known as the Kushite. He ruled Nubia from Nepeta and already had a strong degree of control over Upper Egypt. This is attested by the fact that his daughter Ammonertes became the god's wife of Amun in Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt. In other words, she held the position of the head of the priesthood of Thebes. Since these people were the true rulers of Upper Egypt at that time, it means that she held the position of the ruler of Upper Egypt. And since she was under the authority of her father Kashta, it means that Kashta held the position of ruler of Upper Egypt. According to Laszlo Torak, there were probably already Kushite garrisons stationed in Thebes at that time. Another Egyptologist, Jean Leclant, a Frenchman, stated that certain documents show that even before Pianchi, Kashta reigned in Egypt. He received there the attributes that characterize a pharaoh as evidenced by a steel discovered in Elephantine. So, this story is more complex than we think. Kushite rulers were already in Egypt prior to Pa-Anki's invasion. But was it an invasion? Well, things also seem to diverge from the official narrative in this section. No evidence of conflict has been found. In fact, it looks like the religious, ethnic, and cultural ties between both regions played a major role in the takeover. Maybe the rulers of Thebes, specifically the priesthood of Omon, sought the intervention of the Kushite rulers. Therefore, it was a peaceful takeover. Thebes, the original land of the pharaohs, was part of the Kushite kingdom. Laszlo Torak explains that the fact that the descendants of delta rulers still enjoyed a high status in Thebes during that period validates that peaceful takeover narrative. It is true that later on, to secure the Kushite rule over the whole country, Pa-Anki had to conquer the delta region, putting the whole Nile Valley, from the Mediterranean Sea to the 6th or 7th cataract under the rule of the same pharaoh. Something that no pharaoh had done before. And let's not forget that, being inducted as a king by the legitimate and traditional rulers of Kemet, the upper Egyptians, who with the Nubians are actually the original Egyptians, granted higher authority over the whole country. The Kushite rulers had several factors in their favor to claim the ancient Egyptian civilization. First, there were strong religious ties between both regions, as Gebel Barkal in Nubia was believed to be the land of origin of God Amun. Additionally, the national narrative recorded in the Etfu texts or the prophecy of Neferti connected the rulers of Kemet to Nubia. These factors, combined with the conflicts that could exist between the north and the south at that time, gave the Kushite rulers a strong claim to the civilization. So to sum it up, the Kushites didn't really invade Egypt as we've been taught. They were placed on the throne by the indigenous rulers of Kemet, who accepted their legitimacy. It may have been motivated by their military dominance, maybe the Thebans estimated them more suited to unify and protect the country. And the historical, cultural, and ethnic entanglement between their kingdoms played a role. We don't know for sure, but the black pharaoh's narrative is not entirely correct. The Kushite pharaohs didn't invade Kemet, they reunified it, just like the greatest pharaohs before them. I hope that you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe to not miss our next videos. Thanks for watching Mr. Imhotep's channel and see you soon.