Victory Stela of Piankhi

About the Author

The Victory Stela of Piankhi was commissioned sometime after the ruler's twenty-first year on the throne. Piankhi was the third ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty and reigned from about 747 to 716 bce from the Nubian capital at Napata. He was buried in the royal cemetery at el-Kurru, located just downriver from the capital. His greatest documented military victory was over the Libyan king Tefnakhte, who was located in the Nile Delta and attempted to conquer all of Egypt. Not much else is known about the reign of Piankhi. Although the victory stela was commissioned by Piankhi, it is unlikely that it was constructed in Nubia. The expert use of classical Middle Egyptian indicates an Egyptian author. Since Middle Egyptian had been out of use for nearly half a millennium, it is likely that the author was a member of the Theban clergy, as which he would have been well educated in the language. Another possibility is that Piankhi dictated the contents of the inscription to his royal scribe, who would have been responsible for writing down all decrees of the king.