Rudamon

Rudamon was the sixth and last ruler of the 23rd Dynasty, who ruled from 665 to 664 B.C. and possibly until 646 B.C. in Nubia. He succeeded Takelot III, and his reign was followed by the Assyrian occupation and the 21st Dynasty. More is known about this pharaoh in the revised history than in the traditional history.

Rudamon was the son of Piankh, son of an unnamed king of Nubia. Piankh was also the son-in-law of Osorkon III, who was the son of Takelot II. This connects Rudamon to the following 21st Dynasty, as his father was the founder. He had several sons, but the most important of his sons was Shabaka of the 25th Dynasty.

In 665 B.C., Rudamon’s uncle, Takelot III, led a rebellion against the ongoing Assyrian occupation. He died in this attack and so Rudamon, his eldest living relative, was chosen as his successor. A year into his reign, he led another attack on Assyrian forces in the Nile delta. They defeated him easily, and for the rest of their occupation they would go unchallenged. Rudamon was driven into Nubia, where he had a son, Shabaka, who would go on to rule Egypt decades later.

The evidence for the revised history can be found at Displaced Dynasties. Evidence about this pharaoh can be found here.