| Pedubast I | |
|---|---|
 Pedubast I's bronze torso at theGulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal. | |
| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 835/824 BC–810/799 BC |
| Predecessor | Takelot II |
| Successor | Shoshenq VI |
| Children | Iuput I |
| Dynasty | 23rd Dynasty |
Pedubastis I orPedubast I was an Upper EgyptianPharaoh ofancient Egypt during the 9th century BC.
Based on lunar dates which are known to belong to the reign of his rivalTakelot II in Upper Egypt and the fact that Pedubast I first appeared as a local king at Thebes around Year 11 of Takelot II's rule, Pedubast I is today believed to have had his accession date in either 835 BC or 824 BC.[1] This local Pharaoh is recorded as being ofLibyan ancestry and ruled Egypt for 25 years according to the redaction ofManetho done by Eusebius. He first became king atThebes in Year 8 ofShoshenq III and his highest dated Year is his 23rd Year according toNile Level Text No. 29. This year is equivalent to Year 31 of Shoshenq III of theTanis based22nd Dynasty of Egypt; however, since Shoshenq II only controlled Lower Egypt in Memphis and the Delta region, Pedubast and Shoshenq III were not political rivals and may even have established a relationship. Indeed, Shoshenq III's son, the general and army leader Pashedbast B "built a vestibule door to Pylon X at Karnak, and in one and the same commemorative text thereon named his father as [king] Sheshonq (III)" but dated his actions here to Pedubast I.[2] This may show some tacit support for the Pedubast faction by the Tanite-based 22nd dynasty king Shoshenq III.[3]
Pedubast I was the main opponent toTakelot II and later,Osorkon B, of the 23rd Dynasty ofLibyan kings of Upper Egypt at Thebes. His accession to power plunged Thebes into a protracted civil war which lasted for nearly three decades between these two competing factions. Each faction had a rival line of High Priests of Amun with Pedubast's beingHarsiese B who is attested in office as early as Year 6 of Shoshenq III and thenTakelot E who appears in office from Year 23 of Pedubast I. Osorkon B was Pedubast I and Harsiese's chief rival. This conflict is obliquely mentioned in the famousChronicle of Prince Osorkon at Karnak. He was succeeded in power byShoshenq VI.
The richly inlaid torso from a bronze statue that originally depicted Pedubast I is today on permanent display in theCalouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Portugal and is considered to be one of the great masterpieces of EgyptianThird Intermediate Period Art.[4] This object was purchased byCalouste Gulbenkian from December 13–16, 1921 from Frederik Muller & Cie through the well-known art dealerJoseph Duveen.[5] The Pedubast statue is extremely rare since it is one of the very few large-sized bronze statues of Egyptian kings in existence and the only large surviving bronze one known for the Third Intermediate Period.[6] The restored cartouches on the belt buckle and feather apron read respectively as: "Usermaatre-Chosen-of-Amun, Pedubaste Son-of-Bastet-Beloved of Amun" and "King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, Usermaatre-Chosen-of-Amun, Son of Re, Lord of Diadems, Pedubastet-Son-of-Bastet-Beloved-of-Amun."[7] This object's provenance is not known but it is first recorded as being in the collection of Count Grigory Stroganoff (1829–1910), a member of the famous Russian family of connoisseurs and collectors, in 1880.[8]
