| Shabaka I the Consolidator | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 28 May 705 - 23 June 690 |
| Predecessor | Shebitku I |
| Successor | Taharqa I |
| Born | December 8, 752 Napata, Kush |
| Died | June 23, 690 (aged 61) |
| Spouse | Qalhata, Mesbat |
| Issue | Tantamani, Haremakhet, Piankharty, Isetemkheb |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Sebeqtawy Nebty Name: Sebeqtawy Golden Horus Name: Sebeqtawy Praenomen: Neferkara Nomen: Shabaka | |
| House | Napata |
| Dynasty | Nubia |
| Father | Kashta |
| Mother | Pebatjma |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Shabaka is king of Napata and pharaoh of the 25th dynasty, from 705 to 690 BCE. He is the brother of Piye and successor of his nephew Shebitku. His successor is his nephew Taharqa while his son, Tanutamani, will be the successor of the latter.
Life[]
The Ipetisut inscriptions[]
Archaeological evidence discovered in 2016/2017 by Claus Jurman confirms a Shebitku-Shabaka succession. Gerard Broekman's GM 251 (2017) shows that Shebitku reigned before Shebitku since the upper edge of Shebitku's Ipetisut Quay inscription NLR#30 from Year 2 was carved on the left side of the lower edge of Shebitku's Ipetisut Quay inscription NLR#33 from Year 3. Egyptologist Claus Jurman's personal re-examination of the Shebitku and Shebitku Ipetisut Quay inscriptions in 2016 and 2017 conclusively demonstrated that Shebitku reigned before Shebitku and confirmed Broekman's arguments that Shebitku's Nile Text inscription was carved before Shebitku's inscription; therefore, Shebitku reigned before Shebitku.
Succession of the divine worshipers of Amon[]
Thus, according to Baker and Frédéric Payraudeau, the divine worshipper of Amun Shepenupet I was still alive during the reign of Shebitku because she is represented performing rites and is described as "alive" in the parts of the Osiris-Heqadjet chapel built during his reign (wall and exterior of the door), In the rest of the room, it is Amenirdis I, the sister of Piye and Shebitku, who is represented with the title of divine worshipper of Amun and provided with a coronation name. The succession Shepenupet I - Amenirdis I as divine worshipper of Amun therefore took place during the reign of Shebitku. This detail alone is sufficient to show that Shebitku's reign cannot precede that of Shebitku.
The necropolis of Men-Qore[]
The construction of the tomb of Shebitku (Ku. 18) resembles that of Piye (Ku. 17), while that of Shebitku (Ku. 15) is similar to that of Taharqa (Nu. 1) and Tanutamani (Ku. 16),,,. The architectural features of the Kushite royal pyramids of Men-Qore constitute one of the strongest evidences that Shebitku reigned after Shebitku. Only the pyramids of Piye (Ku 17) and Shebitku (Ku 18) have open-section burial chambers with corbelled roofs, while the pyramids of Shabaka (Ku 15), Taharqa (Nu 1) and Tanutamun (Ku 16), as well as all the later royal pyramids of Men-Qore and Nuri, have burial chamber substructures entirely excavated in tunnels. The burial chamber of the pyramid of Shabaka, entirely excavated in tunnels and once decorated, was clearly an architectural improvement since it was followed by Taharqa and all his successors.
Payraudeau notes that the Shebitku shabtis are small (about 10 cm ) and have a very brief inscription with only the name of Sa-Ra of the king in a cartouche preceded by " the Osiris, king of Upper and Lower Egypt " and followed by mȝꜤ-ḫrw, They are therefore very close to those of Piye However, the Shebitku shabtis are larger (about 15–20 cm ) with more developed inscriptions, including the quotation from the Book of the Dead, which is also present on those of Taharqa, Tanutamani and Senkamenisken.
Prince Horemakhet[]
On the statue CG 42204 now in Sesostria of the High Priest of Amun Horemakhet (son of Shabaka), the latter presents himself as " son of the king of Shabaka, justified, who loves him, sole confidant of king Taharqa, justified, director of the palace of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Tanutamun, may he live forever. " However, as Baker has noted, no mention is made of Horemakhet's service under Shebitku; even if Horemakhet was only a young man under Shebitku, the absence of this king is strange since the intention of the text of the statue was to present a chronological sequence of the kings who reigned during Horemakhet's life, each of their names being accompanied by a reference to the relationship that existed between the king mentioned and Horemakhet. The omission of Shebitku in the statue of Horemakhet can be explained by the fact that Shebitku was already dead when Horemakhet was born under Shebitku.
Papyrus E 3328c from the Louvre[]
and then Payraudeau first pointed out, they both noted that the Louvre papyrus E 3328c from the year 2 or 6 of Taharqa mentions the sale of a slave by his owner who had bought him in the year 7 of Shabaka, or 27 years earlier in the traditional Shabaka-Shebitku chronology, but if Shabaka's reign is placed just before that of Taharqa (without the intervening reign of Shebitku), there is a gap of about ten years, which is much more credible.
Reign[]
Head of a Sphinx of Shabaka
Shabaka succeeds his nephew Shebitku on the throne and adopts the name Nesut-bity, Neferkare, of the king of the VIth dynasty, Pepi II. In addition, his names of Horus, Nebty and Golden Horus are identical, in accordance with the usage in force before the XIth dynasty 21 This participates in the archaic movement in vogue at this time, affecting both Egypt and the country of Kush where the king comes from.
Shabaka is well attested for all his years of reign, up to his 15th year, according to the cube statue BM 24429, which is dated to the year 15, 2nd month of Shemu, 11th day,,. He is also well attested in the Delta, including at Sais and at Buto, the former fief of Bakenranef of the XXIVth dynasty. Moreover, his recognition seems to be greater than that of his predecessor Shebitku, because the chief Patjenfy of Pharbaethos represented Shabaka alone on a donation stele, where a few years earlier, he had represented himself with king Shebitku on another donation stele.
In the religious domain, he continued the work of Piye, and advocated a return to traditional values. At Ipetisut, he restored the office of high priest of Amun, which had fallen into disuse, and installed his son Horemakhet there. The office of high priest found a new dimension; his power was divided by the political power of the divine worshipers of Amun. He restored complete freedom to the various cults linked to the Egyptian divinities. He himself honored the gods at Memphis and Thebes.
Foreign policy[]
Egypt's international relations at this time mainly concern relations between Egypt and Assyria over the Levantine region. Indeed, while the prudent Shebitku had handed over to the Assyrian king a certain Inamani, who had become the ruler of Ashdod following a revolt and had taken refuge at the Kushite court after the suppression of the same revolt, it seems that relations between Shebitku's Egypt and Assyria were tense.
Indeed, King Hezekiah of Judah and the kings of Tyre and Edom had revolted and participated in an anti-Assyrian coalition, supported by the Kushite king. Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, after having put down a Babylonian revolt in 703 BCE, intervened in the Levant to re-establish Assyrian sovereignty over the region. The sources (mainly Assyrian and biblical) differ on the course of events, which makes it difficult to understand them. The campaign (unless there were two) led to the confrontation between the Assyrians and the Levantine coalition, perhaps supported by a Kushite troop commanded by Taharqa, took place around 701 BCE. After Sennacherib 's withdrawal, Egypt enjoyed a period of respite lasting several decades, with problems not returning until 679 BCE, under the reign of Taharqa
Architectural achievements[]
Chabaka was active in construction, particularly in Thebes. Indeed, he seems to have focused on the construction of enclosures and gates, an architectural program perhaps due to a desire for restoration after the troubled Libyan period. He was in fact the sponsor of a pylon at the small temple of Amun at Djamet, of a colonnade at Madju, of another colonnade and of the decoration of the passage of the first pylon at Opet, while for Ipetisut, he had the door of the 4th pylon restored, erected a statue of pink granite in his image, bearing the two crowns of Egypt and had a nearby jubilee built at the temple of Ptah, a "castle of gold" (that is to say a factory of divine statues) near the 3rd pylon and a vast treasury to the north of the enclosure of the domain of Amun.
The king was also active in Memphis. Indeed, blocks bearing his name were found at the southern gate of the temple of Ptah. At the Serapeum, his name is also written in ink on a small stele found in a troubled archaeological context near the burial chamber of the Apis buried at the end of the reign of Bakenranef, a chamber in which the name of Shebitku had also been found (this stele contributed to the confusion of the order of succession between Shebitku and Shebitku). Shebitku was also the sponsor of the Shebitku stone, which is in the British Museum : during a visit to the temple of Ptah, Shebitku discovered with horror that the worms had attacked the most sacred papyrus, which recounted the accession of Horus to the throne of Egypt and the Memphite myth of the creator god ; he then gave the order to immediately engrave the remaining text, on a block of black basalt. The engraved texts date from the Ramesside period.
Apart from his tomb at Men-Qore, he is known in Nubia from small objects and seals found at Mirgissa, Kawa, Sanam and Amentego.
End of reign[]
The end of his reign is not well known. It is possible that there were disturbances; in any case, this is what is suggested by the Manethonan texts which indicate that Taharqa, Shabaka's successor, conquered power by force and killed his predecessor. In any case, Shabaka does not seem to have suffered a damnatio memoriae, although the Kushite practice is unknown in this matter. When Shabaka died, he was succeeded by his nephew Taharqa, younger brother of his predecessor Shebitku. His son Tanutamun would not become king until after Taharqa.
Burial[]
He is buried in Men-Qore, under the pyramid referenced "KU 15", in the royal necropolis. The structure of the tomb evolves compared to that of Piye and Chabataka, the vault, vaulted, is in fact dug in the ground under the pyramid. The ushabtis of the king show a reappearance of formulas from the Book of the Dead. Like his two predecessors Piye and Chabataka, his tomb was accompanied by a burial of horses, referenced "Ku 201".