SHABAKA

flourished 8th century BC also called Sabacon Cushite king who conquered Egypt and founded its 25th (Ethiopian) dynasty. He ruled Egypt from about 719/718 to 703 BC. Succeeding his brother Piankhi, in Cush (in the modern Sudan), Shabaka moved north, captured Bocchoris, the second king of the 24th dynasty, and, according to tradition, burned him alive. He probably made Memphis, near Cairo, his capital and adopted the titles of the traditional Egyptian pharaohs. He contributed religious buildings at Thebes, home of Amon-Re, his dynastic god. Following Piankhi's ideals, Shabaka fostered religious orthodoxy in Amon's cult and a return to ancient cultural themes, which characterized the 25th and 26th dynasties. He had old texts recopied and also revived the practice of pyramid burials. He was interred in a pyramid at Mount Barkal, his dynastic home between the Third and Fourth cataracts of the Nile.