Victory Stela of Piankhi

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: The rulers of ancient dynasties often believed that they had to justify their rulership. Select another document—possibilities include Mandate of Heaven and Divine Birth and Coronation Inscriptions of Hatshepsut—and compare and contrast the nature of the justifications they used.
• 2.: Historians, particularly Egyptologists (those who study ancient Egypt), often have to rely on incomplete information or on such documents as the Victory Stela of Piankhi. What are some of the possible difficulties that historians face in reconstructing the history of any ancient culture on the basis of these kinds of records?
• 3.: What can modern readers learn about the religious beliefs of ancient Egyptians by reading the Victory Stela of Piankhi?
• 4.: What conditions in ancient Egypt enabled the Nubians under Piankhi to take control of Egypt?
• 5.: Why were the Nubians bent on conquering Egypt? What material or political advantages did they gain by doing so?