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The feature article for the February 2008 issue of the National Geographic Magazine is on the black pharaohs of Egypt. The following is an excerpt from the article:
In the year 730 B.C., a man by the name of Piye decided the only way to save Egypt from itself was to invade it. Things would get bloody before the salvation came.
“Harness the best steeds of your stable,” he ordered his commanders. The magnificent civilization that had built the great pyramids had lost its way, torn apart by petty warlords. For two decades Piye had ruled over his own kingdom in Nubia, a swath of Africa located mostly in present-day Sudan. But he considered himself the true ruler of Egypt as well, the rightful heir to the spiritual traditions practiced by pharaohs such as Ramses II and Thutmose III. Since Piye had probably never actually visited Lower Egypt, some did not take his boast seriously. Now Piye would witness the subjugation of decadent Egypt firsthand—“I shall let Lower Egypt taste the taste of my fingers,” he would later write.
When Piye died at the end of his 35-year reign in 715 B.C., his subjects honored his wishes by burying him in an Egyptian-style pyramid, with four of his beloved horses nearby. He was the first pharaoh to receive such entombment in more than 500 years. A pity, then, that the great Nubian who accomplished these feats is literally faceless to us. Images of Piye on the elaborate granite slabs, or stelae, memorializing his conquest of Egypt have long since been chiseled away. On a relief in the temple at the Nubian capital of Napata, only Piye’s legs remain. We are left with a single physical detail of the man—namely, that his skin was dark.
This is an excellent article. The National Geographic Magazine always excels in providing accurate and relevant information about archaeological, anthropological, and other scientific issues. To read the article, visit the web page of the National Geographic Magazine by clicking here.
Credit for picture: National Geographic Magazine
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Black Pharaoh, Egypt, Nubia, Piye, Pharaoh
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Thanks for the Great information posted in this article. I am really interested in reading about ancient Egyptian history, but this my first time to know about black pharoahs. While looking for more information about this topic, i found http://egyptopia.com/History+of+Nubia_30_100_3_15_2446_en.html that provides quite useful information about the history of Nubia and it might be useful for those who have the same interest as mine.
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>Hi friendsThanks for this piece of information. i visited the site that Angela suggested and i really think that it is useful and proivde good information about history and monuments in Egypt. The thing that i liked too much in this site is the photo gallery in Photos from Egypt
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>Angela,Thank you for this information. As you can see, another reader (below) has found this information to be useful.Claude Mariottini
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>Dear Friend,Thank you for letting me know the information Angela provided was useful to you. I am glad that we are willing to help one another.Claude Mariottini
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>Great stuff here thanks for all of it but thats not enough BIGGER picture is that the pyramids and sphinx were built by the black race which is a known fact but such a great history to give to black people thats why it reamins hidden, you can see the facts even when you visit the tombs in eygpt thats how funny it is and they are clearly black on there drawrings nad they draw other types of people to which are lighter but are not a magority which with a logical mind you can see they were black and not a lost race.
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