Victory Stela of Piankhi

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The top of the stela (also known as the lunette) depicts Piankhi standing with his back toward the god Amun and the goddess Mut. Piankhi faces Namlot, the ruler of Hermopolis, who is shown bringing a horse and shaking a sistrum, a musical instrument of the percussion family that was popular in the cult of Hathor, the goddess of love. Sistra were often used during religious ceremonies and processions. On the level below Namlot are three Libyan kings, who are shown in a pose of subservience. Behind Mut stand five Libyan princes in the same pose as the Libyan kings—two on the top level and three on the bottom. Beneath the lunette is the text of the stela.

The stela text is written in flawless classical Middle Egyptian and is remarkably well preserved. This is unique, because for over four hundred years before the date of this text, there was no literary tradition in Upper Nubia. The lack of documentation is curious because it is highly unlikely that the Nubians had no written records when they modeled so much of their culture after the Egyptians, who documented everything. Although the primary portions of the text were written in classical Middle Egyptian, when Padiese and Tefnakhte address Piankhi, the language switches to contemporary grammar, which indicates that Padiese and Tefnakhte were considered to be of a lower status than Piankhi. The stela is not divided into specific sections, but an attempt has been made to create breaks in the text, for readability.

While the text of the stela may appear straightforward, it actually has various levels. Foremost, it is a simple outline of a military campaign in which the king sends his troops to stop the resistance of an opposing ruler. Through the subsequent battles, the king reclaims his rightful place as ruler of Egypt and Nubia. The beginning of the stela indicates ultimate victory for the author, since Piankhi states that he has done more than the ancestors that came before. Piankhi's journey to achieve victory is a long one, as seen through the mention of the various sites visited and the resistance experienced at each city. Eventually, all his enemies surrender and acknowledge Piankhi as the rightful ruler and maintainer of ma'at, the Egyptian concept of truth and justice.

Paragraph 1: Opening Speech

At the beginning of the stela is the date of “regnal year 21, first month of Inundation,” where inundation season was the time of year when the Nile flooded and rich soil was deposited on the surrounding farmland. Following the date, the decree of Piankhi states that he has done more than his predecessors, which was a common declaration among kings—each one always wanted to do more than his predecessors and prove that he was the rightful heir to the throne. Piankhi also states that he is the manifestation of the god Atum, the son of Ra (or Re), and is beloved of Amun (“Amon”), those names being typical elements in Egyptian pharaonic names. His affiliation with these powerful deities provided additional justification for his reign not only in Nubia but in Egypt as well.

Paragraphs 2–24: Piankhi in Nubia

In paragraphs 2–4, a messenger sent to Piankhi informs him of Tefnakhte's advance southward. The information is related through mention of the various nomes, or provinces of ancient Egypt, that Tefnakhte has fought and conquered. These nomes were under the authority of various local rulers, called nomarchs, whose roles were indicative of the lack of a centralized government at this time. Since the country was not unified under one ruler, Tefnakhte saw the opportunity to gain more territory and therefore began his own campaign southward with the goal of expanding his sphere of influence.

In paragraphs 8 and 11, Piankhi comments on the pleas for help, represented in paragraph 6, sent by the local rulers now under the authority of Tefnakhte. The nomarchs believed that Piankhi was taking an isolationist approach and ignoring the situation in Egypt. This rouses Piankhi to action, and as a result he orders his commanders stationed in Egypt to fight. In paragraphs 10–13, Piankhi sends his troops to Egypt and gives them orders regarding what is considered to be proper and improper conduct. He wants his troops to fight nobly; thus, he tells them to engage in battle only during daylight hours and to announce to the opponent that attack is imminent. Piankhi also tells them that before they may fight at Thebes, they need to be pure and avoid arrogance, which is the mark of a man ignorant of the power the god Amun will use to support the troops. Following his instructions, the army praises Piankhi (paragraph 15) and proceeds to Thebes. Once the order is given, the army of Piankhi fight against and conquer the united forces of Tefnakhte at Heracleopolis (paragraph 16), forces that consist of rulers and kings from Lower Egypt. This was the final battle at which Piankhi was not in attendance.

Paragraphs 17–25 provide a list of names of the rulers of Lower Egypt and the fate they encounter when fighting Piankhi's forces. The army fights against the rulers of Lower Egypt, and those who remain, including King Namlot, flee back to their homes. After this attack, the army reports back (in paragraph 25) to Piankhi, detailing their victories in his name.

Paragraph 26–33: Piankhi Goes to Egypt

After the battle at Heracleopolis, King Namlot retreats to Hermopolis to warn the people of the impending battle. Upon hearing of the escape of the enemies, Piankhi is said to have “raged because of it like a panther” and resolved to go to Egypt himself. Piankhi also states that the driving motivations for his travel to Egypt were to reaffirm the oaths made by previous local rulers to his father and to participate in the celebrations of New Year's and Opet. The New Year's festival was seasonal and was intended to bring prosperity to the coming year. The Opet festival was classified as a divine festival because it involved the procession of the Theban triad of gods—Amun, Mut, and Khonsu—from Thebes to Luxor Temple and back again.

Paragraphs 34–37: The Battle at Hermopolis

From a military point of view, the text of the stela has two primary episodes: the victory at Hermopolis and, later, the victory at Memphis (described in paragraphs 55–66). In this first episode, Piankhi joins his forces at Hermopolis, telling his army, “It is the year for finalizing a conclusion, for placing fear of me in Lower Egypt, and for inflicting upon them a severe and painful defeat by striking.” After days of battle, “Hermopolis threw itself upon its belly,” in submission “before the King of Lower Egypt.”

Paragraphs 38–46: Namlot Surrenders

Piankhi also had two primary victories against his enemies, namely, the surrender of Namlot and the later submission of Tefnakhte. At the time of Namlot's surrender, Namlot enlists the assistance of his wife, who seeks support from the women in Piankhi's company. Because the role of women was typically a secondary one in ancient Egypt, for Namlot to ask the help of his wife indicated that he held her in high regard. When the two rulers meet, Piankhi opts to take pity on Namlot because he has classified Namlot's actions as being a result of insanity. The strangest part of this meeting is that Namlot, as part of his tribute, leads a horse by his right hand and holds a sistrum in his left. There is no logical explanation for this gesture, and it was odd enough even to Piankhi that he had it depicted on the lunette of the stela.

Paragraph 47 and 48: Piankhi Tours Namlot's Residence

While exploring Namlot's residence, Piankhi goes into the stables and discovers the horses in a state of starvation. This angers him because horses were an important element of Nubian culture. Piankhi had horses depicted at the top of this stela as well as on the walls of the temple of Amun at Jebel Barkal. He also began the practice of entombing horses in a cemetery near the royal burial site of el-Kurru, located just east of the Nile's fourth cataract. Three of his successors also had horse burials. Although Piankhi attempted to identify with his Egyptian predecessors and emulated them, he built the first true pyramid in Nubia, and the anger he experienced when faced with the conditions under which the horses were kept demonstrated that he maintained his Nubian values.

Paragraphs 49–54: Additional Rulers Surrender

Following Namlot, the ruler of Heracleopolis as well as rulers from additional towns announce their surrender and bring tribute to Piankhi. The presentation of tribute and their throwing themselves upon their bellies were customary practices of the defeated. Piankhi was slowly regaining control over Egypt.

Paragraphs 55–66: The Capture of Memphis

The second major military episode was Piankhi's surprise attack and victory at Memphis. Even though the army did not experience great victories until Piankhi joined them in Egypt, they were respectably victorious, and therefore Piankhi's constant raging “like a panther” was unwarranted. Mention of this might have been included to justify Piankhi's decision to join his forces and personally fight his enemies.

Piankhi details that the Memphite contingency consisted of eight thousand troops. This is a direct parallel with Thutmose III's mention that at the Battle of Megiddo his army faced forces totaling one thousand settlements and all the chiefs of the northern countries. Although the numbers are clearly exaggerated, they are inflated to emphasize the victories of the kings.

Paragraphs 67 and 68: The Surrender of Three Additional Rulers

Following the capture of Memphis, “every nome” in the region hears the news, “opening their fortifications and fleeing in flight.” King Iuput, ruler of Leontopolis in the delta region of Lower Egypt, along with the ruler Akanosh and the prince Padiese, surrendered and brought tribute to present to Piankhi.

Paragraphs 69–71: Piankhi Visits Heliopolis

The day after King Iuput, Akanosh, and Padiese surrender, Piankhi travels east to Heliopolis, giving offerings along the way to the god Atum and to the “Ennead,” a group of nine gods, including Ra (spelled “Re” in the document), his children Shu and Tefnut, and their descendants Geb, Isis, Nephthys, Mut, Osiris, and Se. This he does to ensure that he would live a life of prosperity and health.

Paragraphs 72–80: Padiese and Other Northern Rulers Surrender

In paragraphs 72–77 the prince Padiese surrenders directly to Piankhi and invites him to visit his palace at Athribis in Lower Egypt. Piankhi goes to the palace and receives tribute in the form of gold, gemstones, jewelry, and royal linen. Padiese also offers any of his horses to Piankhi, an offer that have appealed to a Nubian in his love of horses. Paragraph 78 lists northern rulers, all of whom were defeated and bring tribute offerings to Piankhi. The last two paragraphs, with breaks in the text, seem to describe an episode of resistance on the part of Padiese's troops. Piankhi's forces quell it, killing everyone.

Paragraphs 81–85: Tefnakhte's Submission

Piankhi's second personal victory was the submission of Tefnakhte, who never participated in battle against Piankhi. After Piankhi returned to Nubia, Tefnakhte might have regained some of his power but no longer attempted to rule all of Egypt. In submitting, he suggests that the two rulers come to an agreement that would prevent Piankhi from having to fight beyond the Egyptian borders. The oath of Tefnakhte is taken at Thebes in the presence of witnesses. The location used, the temple of Neith at Sais, was probably chosen because Tefnakhte would give his oath before the city's patron deity. The witnesses, representatives of Theban religious and military factions, were there presumably because they were the ones who originally had pleaded for Piankhi's aid and they would be responsible for ensuring that Tefnakhte followed through with his oath after Piankhi returned to Nubia.

Paragraphs 86–89: Piankhi Returns to Nubia

In these final paragraphs, the remaining rebels surrender to Piankhi and his forces. Piankhi has achieved total victory, as he is told that “there is no nome sealed against His Majesty among the nomes of the South and North, while the West, the East and the islands in between are upon their bellies through fear of him.” At dawn, the rulers bowed in subservience to him. After the display of submission, Piankhi's loot was loaded onto boats and the king returned to Nubia as his subjects recited a chant of jubilation to him, ending with the words “You are eternal, your victory enduring, / O ruler beloved of Thebes!”