---
title: "Black Pharaohs — AP African American Studies Definition"
description: "The Black Pharaohs were Nubian rulers who conquered Egypt around 750 BCE and founded the 25th dynasty, a key Unit 1 example of African power before colonialism."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/black-pharaohs"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP African American Studies"
unit: "Unit 1"
---

# Black Pharaohs — AP African American Studies Definition

## Definition

The Black Pharaohs were the Nubian (Kushite) rulers who defeated Egypt around 750 BCE and established Egypt's twenty-fifth dynasty, ruling for about a century. In AP African American Studies (Topic 1.4), they show that ancient African societies built and ruled major empires.

## What It Is

The Black Pharaohs were rulers from [Nubia](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/nubia "fv-autolink") (also called Kush or Cush), the powerful society that emerged along the [Nile River](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/4-africas-ancient-societies/study-guide/tYDGKYURzWv9DpBI "fv-autolink") around 3000 BCE alongside Egypt. Nubia was Egypt's source of gold and luxury trade goods, and that wealth created constant conflict between the two neighbors. Around 750 BCE, Nubia flipped the power dynamic completely. Nubian forces defeated Egypt and installed their own kings as pharaohs, founding Egypt's twenty-fifth dynasty.

These Nubian pharaohs ruled Egypt for roughly a century. The takeaway the CED wants you to walk away with is the direction of conquest. Egypt did not absorb Nubia here. A Black African kingdom conquered Egypt and governed one of the ancient world's most famous civilizations. That fact matters for the course's larger argument that complex, large-scale societies arose in Africa long before European contact.

## Why It Matters

The Black Pharaohs live in **Topic 1.4 (Africa's Ancient Societies)** in **[Unit 1](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1 "fv-autolink"): Origins of the African Diaspora**, supporting learning objective [AP African American Studies](/ap-african-american-studies "fv-autolink") 1.4.A and EK 1.4.A.1. They're one of the course's clearest examples that Africa produced complex, large-scale societies in the ancient era, with trade wealth (Nubian gold), military power, and political control over a major empire. They also feed directly into AP African American Studies 1.4.B. From the late eighteenth century onward, African American writers pointed to examples like the Black Pharaohs to counter racist stereotypes about Africa. So this term isn't just ancient history. It's evidence Black thinkers have used for centuries, which is exactly the kind of significance question Unit 1 asks you to answer.

## Connections

### [Nubia (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/nubia)

The Black Pharaohs ARE Nubians, specifically the Kushite kings who took the Egyptian throne. Know the relationship in order: Nubia supplied Egypt's [gold](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/2-the-african-continent-a-varied-landscape/study-guide/L3yyHr3J5cbNL1pD "fv-autolink"), the trade created conflict, and around 750 BCE Nubia won and ruled Egypt as the twenty-fifth dynasty.

### [Aksumite Empire (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/aksumite-empire)

Both are Topic 1.4 East African powers, but they prove different points. The Black Pharaohs show African military and political dominance over Egypt, while [Aksum](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/aksumite-empire "fv-autolink") (under King Ezana) shows an African society adopting Christianity on its own terms, with no colonial pressure involved.

### [Nok society (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/nok-society)

Nok rounds out Topic 1.4's geography. The Black Pharaohs and Nubia cover ancient East Africa, while Nok covers ancient West Africa with its [ironworking](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/ironworking "fv-autolink") and terracotta art. Exam questions on 1.4.A can pull from either region, so keep both in your pocket.

### African American writers on ancient Africa (Unit 1)

EK 1.4.B.2 is the bridge to the rest of the course. Black [writers](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-4/17-evolution-of-african-american-music/study-guide/6C9VmdCuTlY85vin "fv-autolink") since the late 1700s cited ancient African achievements like the twenty-fifth dynasty to push back against racist claims that Africa had no history worth telling.

## On the AP Exam

Multiple-choice questions on this term usually test two things. First, the basic identification: who the Black Pharaohs were (Nubian rulers), what they founded (Egypt's twenty-fifth dynasty), when (around 750 BCE), and how long they ruled (about a century). Second, the interpretation: what their rule demonstrates about ancient African civilizations. Practice questions ask things like which historical pattern the twenty-fifth dynasty demonstrates, and the answer always points toward African societies as powerful, complex actors that could conquer and govern empires. For short-answer or project work, the Black Pharaohs are strong evidence for arguments about Africa's historical significance to Black communities, especially when paired with how later African American writers used ancient Africa to counter stereotypes. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but it fits squarely into the kind of significance-and-evidence reasoning Unit 1 questions reward.

## Black Pharaohs vs Egyptian pharaohs

The Black Pharaohs were not native Egyptian rulers. They were Nubian (Kushite) kings who conquered Egypt and then ruled it as pharaohs. The direction matters on the exam. Nubia defeated Egypt, not the other way around, and the twenty-fifth dynasty was foreign-born African rule over Egypt. If a question implies Egypt absorbed Nubia in 750 BCE, that's the trap answer.

## Key Takeaways

- The Black Pharaohs were Nubian (Kushite) rulers who defeated Egypt around 750 BCE and founded Egypt's twenty-fifth dynasty.
- They ruled Egypt for approximately one century, meaning a Black African kingdom governed one of the ancient world's most powerful civilizations.
- The conflict that led to their rise grew out of trade, since Nubia was Egypt's source of gold and luxury goods.
- The Black Pharaohs support EK 1.4.A.1, the point that complex, large-scale societies emerged in Africa during the ancient era.
- Later African American writers used examples like the Black Pharaohs to counter racist stereotypes about Africa, which connects this term to learning objective 1.4.B.

## FAQs

### What were the Black Pharaohs in AP African American Studies?

The Black Pharaohs were Nubian rulers who defeated Egypt around 750 BCE and established Egypt's twenty-fifth dynasty, ruling for about a century. They appear in Topic 1.4 as evidence of complex ancient African societies.

### Were the Black Pharaohs Egyptian?

No. They were Nubian (Kushite) kings from the kingdom south of Egypt along the Nile. They conquered Egypt and ruled it as pharaohs, which is exactly why the twenty-fifth dynasty matters in this course.

### How are the Black Pharaohs different from Nubia or Kush?

Nubia (also called Kush or Cush) is the society itself, which emerged along the Nile around 3000 BCE. The Black Pharaohs are specifically the Nubian rulers who took the Egyptian throne around 750 BCE and founded the twenty-fifth dynasty.

### Why did Nubia and Egypt fight in the first place?

Trade. Nubia was Egypt's source of gold and luxury goods, and that wealth created conflict between the two societies. Around 750 BCE, Nubia won that conflict decisively and took over Egypt.

### Why do the Black Pharaohs matter for the AP exam?

They're a go-to example for learning objective 1.4.A on complex ancient African societies, and they connect to 1.4.B because African American writers from the late eighteenth century onward cited ancient Africa to counter racist stereotypes.

## Related Study Guides

- [1.4 Africa's Ancient Societies](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/4-africas-ancient-societies/study-guide/tYDGKYURzWv9DpBI)

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