Return of the Black Pharaohs:
Expansion of the Neo-Kushite Empire
Expansion of the Neo-Kushite Empire (304 BCE - 63 CE)
Aryamani the Conqueror (304 — 281 BCE)
After centuries of lording over a rump state beyond southward of the First Cataract — being driven out by the Assyrians, in 304 BCE, Aryamani ascended to the throne after the sudden death of his father, Amanibakh. His reign, erupted by the tribes of the Blue Nile refusing to pay tribute, marked an epoch of fierce and meteoric expansion motivated by divine right and mercantile monopoly.
Within 24 years, Aryamani united the entirety of Nubia and secured exotic riches such as ebony, gold, and ivory for the aggrandizement of his military. The death of Ptolemy I in 288 BCE and the surprise Seleukid-Antipatrid incursion over the Levant provided the king the opportunity to conquer Upper Egypt, in which he defeated Ptolemy II in the Battle of Philae and moved his capital to Swenett.
Despite facing little resistance in his march towards Thebes, he abruptly died in 281 BCE, with his plans to conquer all lands under the former 25th Dynasty following suit.
Kushite-Ptolemaic Relations (281 — 138 BCE)
Relations between the two powers are sporadic; either shifting from being cordial neighbors, or ambivalent trading partners, to outright malevolent rivals
Their ties peaked under Aryamani's youngest son, Shabaka II. Posthumously monikered as the Philhellene - the Lover of Greeks, the Kushite king bestowed an elaborate tributary envoy towards Alexandria. Impressed by the excessive aggrandizement, Ptolemy II titled the king as Viceroy of Kush and his kingdom as the nominal suzerainty of Egypt.
While the death of the Philhellene marked the decline of their cordial ties, trade still flowed to Lower Egypt and Lower Nubia. 243 BCE marked a relatively consistent relationship based on the equal exchange of goods between two civilizations: While the Kushite Kingdom exported exotic goods such as gold, ivory, and bush elephants, Ptolemaic Egypt provided them papyrus, marble, and wood.
However, their ties could culminate into a fierce rivalry on disastrous occasions, with the tugging exchange of Lower Egypt becoming a frequent escapade between both powers. The First Kushite-Egyptian War (202 BCE) and War of the First Cataract (188-175 BCE) represent the worst culmination of its rivalry, but the most consequential comes after Narhiqo ascended to the throne in 138 BCE, which precedes the eventual overthrow of Ptolemaic rule over Egypt.
Nahirqo the Great (138 — 84 BCE)
In 138 BCE, Narhiqo ascended to the throne through the religious sanctions imposed by Amenhotep III; the lack of a male heir forced her father to enforce an exemption to secure the dynastic line. Following her father's passing, she decreed the construction of a pyramid that would surpass the scale and splendor of Menfe's.
The queen's reign was relatively peaceful, content with trading with Egypt until the Greek incursion over Upper Egypt. Thrawting their advances in the Battle of Zawty in 114 BCE and crushing their last resistance during the Battle of Faiyum in 113 BCE, all of Egypt is united for the first time since the reign of the 25th Dynasty.
Moving the capital to Memfe and eventually Rhakote to establish her maritime ambitions, the queen once again entrenched herself in purely domestic affairs for the next 14 years. While the Nubian populace revered her reign as a golden age, few dissidents and Greek minorities viewed the queen with sheer disdain.
Kushite-Judean Relations and the Cyrenaican War (84 BCE — 63 CE)
Judean independence after the downfall of Ptolemaic Egypt was brief; it lasted for 17 years until Harsiotef II waged an expeditionary campaign to prevent the Kingdom of Pontus from claiming the region. Praising the Jews as reliable warriors and scholars, while Pharaoh didn't bestow autonomy to Judea, he exempted its people from obligations to the Nubian pantheon while allowing them to enforce their local religious affairs.
The Kushites eventually confronted the Romans in 21 CE when Amantekha II launched an expedition to subjugate the Ptolemaic rump state of Cyrenaica. With Cleopatra V's plea for protection heard, four legions under the command of Aggripa Magnus embarked to assist the Ptolemies in reclaiming their lost dominions, culminating in the Cyrenaican War.
Initially successful — defeating the Rhakote Standard in the Battle of Psenemphaia in 22 CE and sieged the Memfe for five months, their efforts were eventually thwarted by both the approaching Swenett Standard and Jewish levies organized by its local viceroy, culminating in a Nubian triumph in the Battle of Momemphis. Both powers eventually established peace by ceding territories eastward of Cyrenaica proper to Nubians, only to be fully annexed in 63 CE.
Great Monuments of the Neo-Kushite Empire
Second Great Pyramid
Built during the mourning of her father's death, the pyramid decreed by Queen Nahirqo was the tallest superstructure in antiquity; being estimated as 183 meters tall and 289 meters wide. Under the collaboration of Nubian, Egyptian, and Greek architects and artisans, the pyramid featured both Kemetic grand designs with meticulous details provided by the Macedonian Greeks.
Basing itself on stone, the pyramid is mostly plated in limestone, with gold and ebony covering its capstone. Unlike the claustrophobic passages of Khufu's tomb, Amenhotep III's is extravagant: The base interior is four-story high and 25 meters wide, easily accessible by its caretakers and dynastic members through a hallway; and the mausoleum is enamored with decorative murals, luxurious pottery and silverworks, and a life-sized terracotta army — sculpted and schemed by the Greeks, guarding the central sarcophagus.
Per-Hay
The Per-Hay — meaning the "House of Rejoicing", is a Neo-Kushite palace complex in the Faiyum Oasis. Years after Nahirqo moved the administrative capital to Alexandria — later renamed Rhakote, Baskakeren II commissioned the construction of a household superstructure meant to house members of the dynasty. The project lasted 11 years and was completed in 32 BCE, a year after the Pharaoh's demise by shallow drowning.
Serving as its dynastic capital, the Per-Hay is three-story and 131 meters wide and features chambers and sub-complexes of either administrative or recreational nature, including the following: a botanical garden, personal armory, sub-complex housing servants, a zoo containing local and foreign wildlife, royal treasury, administrative chambers, indoor swimming pool, etc.
Great Necropolis
Constructed and maintained by its Nubian vassal, the Blemmyes, the Great Necropolis is a burial site carved from the desolated ranges of the Red Sea Hills. Despite its nebulous origin, the area was disclosed under the demand of King Piye III after his expedition to subjugate Blemmia.
Stretching at least a mile, the graveyard is characterized by rows and columns of rectangular holes carved by the Blemmyes people themselves. While the burial of nobility and commoners isn't segregated, the latter is enamored with ornate offerings and grave goods while the former is merely of simple necessity.