Stele of Shabaqo
Late Period, Dynasty 25, reign of Shabaqo, ca. 712–698 B.C
?Egyptian
Limestone; H. 14 1/4 in. (36 cm), W. 8 7/8 in
(22.5 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1955
(55.144.6)
Shabaqo, second king of the Kushite Dynasty 25, succeeded his brother Piye. Devout followers of the god Amun, whose temples the pharaohs of the New Kingdom had established in Nubia, they invaded Egypt and deposed the rulers of Dynasty 24 to restore it to what they considered to be proper religious order. Shabaqo ruled from Thebes, pursued a revival of old Egyptian traditions, and built or rebuilt many temples. He was, however, buried in Nubia, at el-Kurru.
This stele records the donation of property to a temple through the good offices of the king. Shabaqo is depicted on top offering to the god Horus and goddess Wadjet. Unusually, the text of the stele is in monumental hieratic (cursive) Egyptian rather than in hieroglyphs.
