The Black Pharaohs, Part One: Piye, theFirst Black Pharaoh from Nubia

TOP: Detail on the Shrine of Taharqa in the Ashmolean Museum's exhibition of artifacts from ancient Egypt and Nubia in

Oxford, England, November 23, 2011\. BOTTOM: Map of Egypt's territorial control during the New Kingdom, 16th through

11th century B.C. TOP: Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images BOTTOM: WikiCommons

The first in a two-part series

It was the year 730 B.C., nearly 2,750 years ago. A man named Piye was worried about

Egypt. The once great kingdom was not what it used to be. It had been divided up by

selfish warlords. The old ways of worshipping the gods were disappearing.

Piye decided there was only one thing to do. He would put together an army and take over

Egypt.

Piye was not actually from Egypt. He was a black African from Nubia. For 20 years he had

ruled over his own kingdom in Nubia, most of which lay in what is now the African country

of Sudan. However, he also considered himself the true ruler of Egypt.

Piye felt he was the rightful heir to such Egyptian pharaohs as Ramses II and Thutmose III.

He believed he was the one to keep Egypt's religion alive. Yet, he had probably never even

visited Egypt.

By National Geographic, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.03.17

Word Count 706

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

Piye's army battled and beat every foe it faced

Piye did indeed gather up a mighty army. He and his soldiers sailed north along the Nile

River, then landed at Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt. Soon, they began to do battle

with every army in their path.

By the end of a year of fighting, every leader in Egypt had surrendered. Even the mighty

warlord Tefnakht sent a messenger to Piye to beg for mercy. In exchange for their lives, the

beaten leaders offered Piye their finest jewels and best horses.

Piye took their offerings. Then the new ruler of all Egypt did something surprising. He

loaded up his new riches, and together with his army he sailed back to Nubia, never to

return again. From then on, he ruled Egypt from afar.

Piye died 15 years later, in 715 B.C. His subjects honored him by burying him in an

Egyptian-style pyramid. He was the first pharaoh to be buried that way in more than 500

years.

The first of the black pharaohs

Today we have no idea what Piye looked like because statues of him were all destroyed.

But one artwork of him in a temple survived. It shows just his legs. From this image, we can

know only one thing: his skin was dark.

Piye was the first of the so-called black pharaohs. After him, a series of Nubian kings ruled

over Egypt for three-quarters of a century.

The black pharaohs reunified a divided Egypt. They filled it with glorious new buildings

and statues. They created a vast kingdom that stretched from present-day Sudan all the

way north to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nubians originally had their own separate way of life. It was very advanced, but

completely different from how the Egyptians lived. The Nubians spoke their own language

and worshipped their own gods.

Over time the Nubian kingdom grew into a mighty force. The Egyptians did not like having

such a strong neighbor to the south, however. So the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty (1539–

1292 B.C.) sent armies to conquer Nubia.

More Egyptian than the Egyptians themselves

The Egyptian conquerors tried to make Nubia more like Egypt. The new government was

based on Egypt's government, but Nubian chiefs were picked to serve as leaders. The

children of favored Nubians were sent to schools in Thebes to learn Egyptian ways.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

Many Nubians eagerly took on the customs of Egypt. They worshipped Egyptian gods,

particularly Amun, and used the Egyptian language. Later, they built large and beautiful

pyramids that rivaled any in Egypt.

Back in Egypt, things were not going as well. By the eighth century B.C., Egypt had split

into warring camps, with the north ruled by Libyan chiefs. The Libyan rulers only pretended

to worship Egyptian gods, in order to win over the Egyptian population.

Once firmly in power, the Libyan rulers became much less religious. The Egyptian priests

at Karnak feared the country would soon become godless. They began to ask themselves

who could rescue Egypt and make it a great and holy land once again.

The Egyptian priests found their answer. Their rescuers were the Nubians, a people who

had kept Egypt’s religion alive, without ever having stepped foot in Egypt. In some ways,

they had become even more Egyptian than the Egyptians themselves.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3

Quiz

1 Read the introduction [paragraphs 1-4].

What is the main reason why Piye decided to take over Egypt?

(A) He wanted to rule another country.

(B) He was concerned about Egypt's downfall.

(C) He had visited Egypt earlier and had loved it.

(D) He felt he would be a better pharaoh than Ramses II.

2 Based on the section "Piye's army battled and beat every foe it faced," which of the following

statements is TRUE?

(A) Piye remained in Egypt after conquering it.

(B) Piye was the first pharaoh ever to be buried in a pyramid.

(C) Piye refused to take jewels or goods from defeated armies.

(D) Piye and his army successfully took over Egypt.

3 Which of the following selections from the article best states a main idea of the entire article?

(A) It was the year 730 B.C., nearly 2,750 years ago. A man named Piye was

worried about Egypt.

(B) Piye took their offerings. Then the new ruler of all Egypt did something

surprising.

(C) Today we have no idea what Piye looked like because statues of him were all

destroyed. But one artwork of him in a temple survived.

(D) Piye was the first of the so-called black pharaohs. After him, a series of

Nubian kings ruled over Egypt for three-quarters of a century.

4 What is the MAIN idea of the section "More Egyptian than the Egyptians themselves"?

(A) The Nubians adopted and kept many customs of the Egyptians.

(B) The Libyan rulers did not believe that Nubians should be allowed to worship

Egyptian gods.

(C) The Egyptian god Amun was worshipped by many Nubians.

(D) The Nubians sent many of their children to Thebes to learn about Egypt.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4

Answer Key

1 Read the introduction [paragraphs 1-4].

What is the main reason why Piye decided to take over Egypt?

(A) He wanted to rule another country.

(B) He was concerned about Egypt's downfall.

(C) He had visited Egypt earlier and had loved it.

(D) He felt he would be a better pharaoh than Ramses II.

2 Based on the section "Piye's army battled and beat every foe it faced," which of the following

statements is TRUE?

(A) Piye remained in Egypt after conquering it.

(B) Piye was the first pharaoh ever to be buried in a pyramid.

(C) Piye refused to take jewels or goods from defeated armies.

(D) Piye and his army successfully took over Egypt.

3 Which of the following selections from the article best states a main idea of the entire article?

(A) It was the year 730 B.C., nearly 2,750 years ago. A man named Piye was

worried about Egypt.

(B) Piye took their offerings. Then the new ruler of all Egypt did something

surprising.

(C) Today we have no idea what Piye looked like because statues of him were all

destroyed. But one artwork of him in a temple survived.

(D) Piye was the first of the so-called black pharaohs. After him, a series of

Nubian kings ruled over Egypt for three-quarters of a century.

4 What is the MAIN idea of the section "More Egyptian than the Egyptians themselves"?

(A) The Nubians adopted and kept many customs of the Egyptians.

(B) The Libyan rulers did not believe that Nubians should be allowed to worship

Egyptian gods.

(C) The Egyptian god Amun was worshipped by many Nubians.

(D) The Nubians sent many of their children to Thebes to learn about Egypt.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5