Subjugation of Egypt to Assyrian authority
After the Assyrian king Sennacherib failed in his invasion of Egypt, his son Esarhaddon succeeded in subjecting Egypt to Assyrian authority.
He paved the way for this by ensuring the loyalty of the Arab tribes in Wadi al-Sham, for the safe passage of his army to Syria and from there to Egypt, so he advanced towards Rafah, south of Gaza, through the Sinai desert, using camels for transportation, which were provided to him by his allies among the Arab kings.
After a fifteen-day journey, he reached the borders of Egypt, and its king, Tahraqa, was unable to confront the Assyrian armies, so he fled to the south of the country, leaving room for the Assyrian army to enter the Pharaonic capital (Memphis).
In the late eighth century BC, Egypt and Nubia were united and ruled by the Kushite pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. The Neo-Assyrian Empire at the same period was already extending its influence over the Levant, and in the spring of 720 BC, Ankhi, or perhaps Shebetku, fought and lost a first battle against the Assyrians near Rafah. The situation did not change due to Assyrian domination until about 705 BC, when the death of Sargon II led to revolts against the Assyrians throughout their empire. Shebetku's successor, Shabaka, took advantage of this occasion and returned to the eastern coast, where he was free to roam until about 701 BC when Sennacherib was finally able to raise an army and triumph over the Egyptians at Tekkiya. . After these events, Shebatku and his successor Taharqa enjoyed a period of peace and were able to once again increase their influence over the Levant and along the Phoenician coast.
This situation remained until about the year 679 BC, at which point Esarhaddon led a military campaign as far as Brook Egypt and then into Phenicia around the year 676 BC. The results of these activities were to place the Levant in Assyrian hands. However, by this time, Esarhaddon realized that the conquest of Lower Egypt was necessary to permanently reduce the Kushite threat to the Levant.
In March 673 BC, Esar-haddon sent a large military force into Egypt, probably via the Wadi Tumilat, but was defeated by the Egyptians under Bemu, who was then the ruler of On of the Kushites. Esarhaddon returned two years later in the summer of 671 BC, and after several battles, he was able to occupy Memphis, capture Taharqa, and capture his brother and son Nes-Anhoret, the heir to the throne. It is possible that Taharqa's surviving son, Atlanersa, was too young to rule and that another brother of Taharqa, named Tanut Amani, eventually ascended to the throne.
As a result, the Kushites were temporarily expelled from Lower Egypt, which came under the control of Assyrian vassals, especially Necho I in Sais.
Despite these successes achieved by the Assyrians, the Egyptian vassals in the Delta region were unprepared and Taharqa was trying to return to Lower Egypt. Esarhaddon launched a new military campaign around 669 BC but died that year, allowing Taharqa to retake Memphis and finally the Delta region in late 668 BC.
In 667 BC, Esarhaddon's heir Ashurbanipal decided to restore Assyrian sovereignty over Egypt, invading the land in October of that year and going to Thebes, where he defeated Taharqa while at the same time suppressing the rebellion in the Delta. Soon after, Taharqa may have won a victory at Thebes that allowed him to hold Upper Egypt. In Lower Egypt, Necho was restored as a vassal king of Sais with his betrayal. The situation did not change until 664 BC with the death of Taharqa.
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Source: History of art in Mesopotamia_