The stable conditions which allowed such construction were maintained until the 670s, during the second decade of the reign of Taharqa. However, his final years witnessed repeated attacks by the armies of the Assyrian empire. Egypt had played a less active role on the international stage since losing its empire at the end of the New Kingdom. At the beginning of the Twenty-second Dynasty, Shoshenq I had led a successful campaign into Syria-Palestine to assert Egypt’s suzerainty over the various cities of the region (Grimal 1992: 323), but this situation was not maintained for very long. By the reign of Osorkon II, the Assyrian empire, under Ashurnasirpal and his successor Shalmaneser III, had expanded westwards from its capital at Nimrud. Egypt’s foreign policy from this time onwards was based on the provision of support for the polities of Syria-Palestine in their struggle against the Assyrians (Grimal 1992: 326). Despite periods of some internal turmoil, the Assyrian Empire would remain the dominant presence in the near and middle east for the next century. By the time the Kushite Pharaohs had asserted themselves as rulers of Egypt they were able to do little more than to aid the insurgencies led by various governors in the region. According to Assyrian records Egyptian forces were defeated in battle at Raphiah in 720, shortly after Shabaqa’s conquest (Kahn 2006: 251), but the latter’s reign was otherwise a time of peace between Egypt and the Assyrians (Kitchen 1986: 380). His successor, Shabtaqa, was more active and attempted to take advantage of a revolt in the Assyrian empire brought about by the death of the great emperor, Sargon II in 705 (Kahn 2006: 251). by entering into an alliance with the kingdoms of Palestine and, with their help, engaged the Assyrians in battle at Eltekeh in 701. The Assyrians emerged triumphant but were later forced into retreat, their armies having divided in an attempt to capture further territory. The Egyptians then withdrew and would not engage the enemy again until the reign of Taharqa (Kahn 2006: 251). By 677/6, however, the Assyrians, now under Esarhaddon, had quelled a revolt in Phoenicia and established a firm grip over the Levant (Kahn 2006: 252). Esarhad-don regarded Egypt as the cause of agitation at his south-western frontier and sought to eliminate the threat by invading Egypt to drive Taharqa’s forces as far south as possible. The first invasion took place in 673 and was defeated (Kahn 2004: 111), but a second in 671 was successful: Esarhaddon’s forces advanced as far as Memphis which was sacked; Taharqa was wounded and his son and brothers taken captive (Kahn 2004: 112). More significantly, the Assyrians imposed a yearly tribute and appointed new administrators in the conquered Delta towns, which were renamed.
Taharqa seems to have regained control of Memphis after 671. However, shortly afterwards he was again defeated by an Assyrian expedition brought also about the submission of the Delta and Upper Egyptian rulers. Taharqa died not long after this and was succeeded by a son of Shabaqa, Tanutamun, who quickly took it upon himself to re-establish Kushite rule in Egypt. He was able to recapture Memphis and to occupy the Delta briefly, but Assyrian forces were soon despatched, and this time not only defeated the Kushite king, but marched as far south as Thebes, which was sacked (Kitchen 1986: 394). Egypt was left in the charge of the Assyrians’ approved local rulers, one of whom, Psamtik (I) of Sais, would establish himself shortly thereafter as the new ruler of a united Egypt, the first of Manetho’s Twenty-sixth dynasty to assume such a role.
World History
