Fesseha 20

Ethiopia's 5000 Year History, from Noah until the EPRDF, Fesseha Yaze Kassa, AD 2011

translated and annotated by Ras Feqade, AD 2021

### Chapter 20 - Reign of King Tantamun 665-661 BC

[These dates correspond to 658-653 BC Gregorian, and are thus correct for Tantamani's reign in Napata following Ard'amen Awsya; it seems he had directly succeeded Taharqa in Thebes in 664 BC and held the title there until Psamtik I reunified Egypt in 656 BC.]

King Tantamun is the grandson of Tiharqa. And meaning, his daughter's son. Tantamun just like his father had various names. They call him Amenmirinut, Nu'atmeymun, Mey'amun, Tantamun. And while we call him by his so-called last justified name Tantamun, let us see for him, the histories he fulfilled in his short reign in four years.

[Egyptological studies seem to say Tantamani was nephew of Taharqa, and son of Shabaka. However, Tantamani is sometimes called the son of Shebitku, and this is what Tekletsadek states.]

Within the monuments of five kings of Ethiopia that M Mariette, M Rouge, M Lepsius et al., found in Jebel Barka and translated, one is the monument of this king Tantamun. The monument for which much was written including the chronicle, found for this king of Ethiopia, has the name "The dream monument".

The monument's length being 1 meter 32, its width 72 cm, on the lines where its writing was set, a customary preface is seen saying "Son of the sun, son of Amon, the king of the two countries /Ethiopia and Egypt/ who lives forever....."

Next from that, the history continues, that he said "In my dream I saw when one snake arose on the right, one on the left. Interpret this for me," and that, on the morrow, plenty of dream interpreters and savants being called, they interpreted for him; and where, at the time they said "the two snakes is a sign showing that thou wilt in future rule South Ethiopia and Northern Egypt", rejoicing in the dream interpretation, he fed a banquet to the invited priests and savant nobles, and presented a sacrifice for his god Amon.

Tantamun, before his reigning, and including in the era when Tiharqa was and when he died, is a royal seed who endured while he shared authority and dominion. And after he reigned at Napata, after the interpretation of his dream, he has made toward Thebes continuing his journey to Elephantine. Because these countries moreover were for much time, a holding of the kings of Ethiopia and their god Amon, Tantamun found none who fight him or oppose him until he reached Thebes.

Rather, it has been written that on the way they told him "Enter in peace, give life to Egypt, raise the fallen temples, straighten up monuments and statues, offer to the gods their sacrifices, give their vows, line up priests in each of their temples, that they might honor their holidays."

But when Tantamun arose from Thebes and reached Memphis, the twenty-five kings of Northern Egypt who reigned beneath the authority of the kingdom of Assyria, fought him, being with the native soldiers of Assyria. However, having defeated them in great sacrifice, because they went fleeing and hid, he quit the pursuit and returned to Memphis.

And when he was in Memphis, the kings who fled and sheltered, came led by one prince and begged mercy. And being before him, they told him "Give us spirit of life; for it has no life that denied thee. Like thou spoke it on thy coronation day, we shall be beneath thee." King Tantamun received their request with joy and made a banquet for them.

But because the Nikawo, whom the Asurbanipal we called King of Assyria had appointed over Egypt from Nineveh, and had sent in rank of kingship, fought Tantamun saying 'I won't be ruled', Tantamun defeated his army, captured Nikawo and killed him. And after Nikawo died, his son Psametik, fleeing from Memphis, went to Nineveh; and meeting with Asurbanipal king of Assyria, recounted for him all that happened. And when the powerful Asurbanipal heard this, being angry, he came to Egypt leading the army himself. At that time, as Tantamun had returned to Thebes, having earlier gathered the loot, they would not meet with Asurbanipal.

[This Nikawo is Necho I, an Assyrian vassal Pharaoh at Sais in Lower Egypt, from 671 until 664 BC when he was killed by Tantamani.]

And so because he arrived at Thebes without considering it, he left Thebes and came to Napata. The Assyrian soldiers evilly plundered the famous city of Thebes that Tantamun along with his army left, the temple of Amon and all the beautiful palaces. While whatever item of gold, silver, clothes, weapon, found from palace or temple, was plundered, it journeyed to Nineveh with the monuments.

[The Assyrian sack of Thebes took place in 663 BC; this must have been while Ard'amen still ruled at Napata.]

The massacre and plunder that arrived on Thebes in that era, meaning 6 and a half hundred years before the birth of Christ, has made her lest she recover until many eras. What is amazing, when the prophet called Nahom who arose in Israel 50 years before this happened, revealed the downfall that in future arrives upon the city of Nineveh in its era, he had also said thus arising from what reached Thebes in the present hour:

"Behold I am against thee /Nineveh/ says JAH Lord of hosts; and I shall expose thy clothes before thee; and I showed the peoples thy nakedness; and thy rudeness for kingdom... and while all who see thee flee from thee, they will say Nineveh was loosened... Dost thou surpass the city of Amon, et al? If she sat between streams; she also had water around her; and her rampart was within the sea. Kush and Mesr /Ethiopia and Egypt/ were her innumerable power. Futh /Egypt/ were innumerable, and Libu /and Libya/ were who help thee. However she was deported. And plunder was captured. And her infants head was cut in every way. And they cast lots on her lords. And all her great ones were bound by a chain...." Prophecy of Nahom 3:5-10.

And like the Prophet Nahom said it, this city of Thebes where was the temple of Amon, would resemble a great city unruinable, that beginning from formerly, the powerful pharaohs would ornament with different monuments.

However, all like the first shall be last, the last first; as it is known that a bright city that is tarnished being ruined, will brighten more; when a downfall like this encountered Thebes, and like the Prophet Nahom said it, the King of Media Cyaxar, after 50 years, demolished moreover in her turn Nineveh, the city of Thebes' demolishers, the Assyrians; and he has been able to cast off the kingdom of Assyria itself. And in this the world has confirmed the Prophet Nahom's prophecy was fulfilled in that era.

[Sack of Nineveh 612 BC.]

And at last when the Ethiopian king Tantamun fled to be safe from the Assyrians' attack, after he journeyed from Memphis to Thebes, he has been able to sit going to Napata. Even though it wasn't in flight that he led his first journey meaning from Memphis to Thebes, yet when he ascertained that the Assyrians were following him, he made his journey to Napata, and his fulfillment has been there in Napata.

And as soon as the Ethiopian King Tantamun was there at Napata, when he died in 661 BC after a four year pause in kingship, the realm of Ethiopia and Egypt also has been twisted in his era. And after that time, the rulership of Ethiopians over Egypt was eliminated, and other powerful countries Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Arabia.. Turkey, began to alternate on it.

Overall, by what we have seen so far, and when the era beginning from Piyanki II until Tantamun when the rule of Ethiopia lasted over Egypt was 127 years, this also covers the time from 810-661 BC. Without the 22 years of Piyanki being counted.

[As we have seen, the date 810 BC, or 802 BC Gregorian, is certainly miscalculated for Piankhi II, who ruled from 744 BC. Perhaps we should count from Piankhi's invasion in 725 BC, until Psamtik I took over Thebes in 656 BC, overall only about 69 years.]

* Next: Fesseha 21