Significance Of The Sphinx Of Taharqo
The Nile River is typically associated with the Egyptians and is even considered to be the “life line” of Egypt. Yet if you take a closer look, you will see that a majority of the Nile River runs through the African country of Sudan. For centuries, the Egyptians have claimed the Nile as their own. The majority of the Nile River runs through Sudan, not Egypt. This has caused many conflicts between the two countries. Kush, which is now modern day Sudan, is one of the oldest African Kingdoms. Egypt has always been the more powerful of the two and often looked down upon their neighbor, Kush. Over the years the relations and interactions between the two civilizations through war, culture, religion and politics have created a new imagery of the
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The origin of the Sphinx is Egyptian yet it has Taharqo’s face that incorporates his Kushite roots. For a brief period in time, the Kushites and Egyptians were equals among one another, accepting each other’s values and beliefs. Taharqo, the son of Pyie took his fathers conquest of Egypt and turned it into a political and cultural statement that has become history. Until the discovery of the Sphinx of Taharqo, many historians and archeologists thought that the Kushites were copying or stealing Egyptian cultural symbols. We know this is no longer true because of The 25th Dynasty. The Kushites were choosing to incorporate the Egyptian way of life in to theirs so that they could expand their worldview and gain more power from combining the two cultures together. Although they adopted Egyptian techniques, they still stayed prominent to their Kushite traditions. I think the Kushites were very intelligent for combining the two ways of life into one. During ancient times it was custom that once you invaded land you force their citizens to adopt and practice your customs. This typically ended in a revolt by the citizens or a war by another civilization that sees you’re failing. Taharqo made the bold decision to infuse his culture with theirs and accept the people for their way of life not change it. This is why he was so successful in ruling over Egypt, a land that once ruled his. Kush was a powerful, cultural and globally aware civilization that used its knowledge of integration to successfully reign over
The origin of the Sphinx is Egyptian yet it has Taharqo’s face that incorporates his Kushite roots. For a brief period in time, the Kushites and Egyptians were equals among one another, accepting each other’s values and beliefs. Taharqo, the son of Pyie took his fathers conquest of Egypt and turned it into a political and cultural statement that has become history. Until the discovery of the Sphinx of Taharqo, many historians and archeologists thought that the Kushites were copying or stealing Egyptian cultural symbols. We know this is no longer true because of The 25th Dynasty. The Kushites were choosing to incorporate the Egyptian way of life in to theirs so that they could expand their worldview and gain more power from combining the two cultures together. Although they adopted Egyptian techniques, they still stayed prominent to their Kushite traditions. I think the Kushites were very intelligent for combining the two ways of life into one. During ancient times it was custom that once you invaded land you force their citizens to adopt and practice your customs. This typically ended in a revolt by the citizens or a war by another civilization that sees you’re failing. Taharqo made the bold decision to infuse his culture with theirs and accept the people for their way of life not change it. This is why he was so successful in ruling over Egypt, a land that once ruled his. Kush was a powerful, cultural and globally aware civilization that used its knowledge of integration to successfully reign over