Stele of Shebitqo
Late Period, Dynasty 25, ca. 707–690 B.C
?Egyptian
(Limestone; H. 12 in. (30.5 cm)
(Rogers Fund, 1965 (65.45)
Shebitqo, a son of Piye and nephew of Shabaqo, succeeded the latter on the throne. Unlike the Egyptian order of succession from father to the son of the chief queen, Kushite pharaohs were succeeded by their brothers or nephews. They maintained control of the powerful priesthood of Amun at Thebes by appointing other brothers and sisters to the offices of High Priest and God's Wife of Amun. Like the other Nubian pharaohs, Shebitqo was buried in Nubia at el-Kurru.
This donation stele, like that of Shabaqo (55.144.6), shows the king making a donation on behalf of a local ruler of the eastern Delta. The text is lost but the top half of the stele shows the king offering to the god Horus and the goddess Hathor.
