Victory Stela of Piankhi

The Victory Stela of Piankhi—also known as Piye, the name used on the stone slab—dates to Egypt's Twenty-fifth Dynasty (ca. 747–656 bce), during the twenty-first year of Piankhi's reign (ca. 747–716 bce). The Victory Stela of Piankhi was intended to justify his rulership over all of Egypt. The stela was designed to represent Piankhi, who was a Nubian, as a true Egyptian and as superior to his Libyan opponent in the Nile Delta. Nubia was located along the Nile River just south of Egypt in an area between modern-day Aswan and Meroë, Sudan. During the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, the capital of Nubia was located at Napata, from which Piankhi reigned.

The Victory Stela of Piankhi, made of dark-gray granite, was discovered in the temple of the god Amun (spelled “Amon” in the document) at Jebel Barkal in 1862. It measures approximately six feet in height; four feet, seven inches in width; and one foot, five inches in thickness and weighs some two and a quarter tons. The text on the stela consists of 159 lines. When discovered, the Victory Stela of Piankhi was almost intact, with the exception of one piece from the right-hand portion of the reverse side, which compromises parts of lines 35–50 of the text.

Piankhi's relationship with the god Amun was probably the motivating force for creating the Victory Stela. Although the significance of Amun to the Nubians during the reign of Piankhi is unknown, Amun had been adopted as a primary deity in the Nubian pantheon after being introduced by the Egyptians. In the Egyptian pantheon, Amun had his cult center at Thebes. The importance of Amun to Piankhi might have influenced his response and subsequent military action when the Theban troop commander pleaded with Piankhi for assistance.