The Libu (; also transcribed Rebu, Libo, Lebu) were an Ancient Libyan tribe of Berber origin, from which the name Libya derives.
Early history
Their tribal origin in ancient Libya is first attested in Egyptian language texts from the New Kingdom of Egypt, especially from the XXth dynasty.The earliest occurrence is in a Ramesses II inscription.Clark, Desmond J. (ed.) (1982) "Egypt and Libia" The Cambridge History of Africa: From the earliest times to c. 500 BC volume I, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, p. 919,
There were no vowels in the Egyptian script. The name Libu is written as rbw in Egyptian hieroglyphs. In the Great Karnak Inscription, the pharaoh Merneptah describes the Libu as men with pale complexion, tattooed, and with dark hair and eyes.
Hostilities between Egypt and Libya broke out in regnal year 5 (1208 BCE), but the coalition of Libu and Sea Peoples led by the chief of the Libu, Meryey, was defeated.Breasted, James H. (1906) Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Three, Chicago, §§572ff. Libu appears as an ethnic name on the Merneptah Stele. Ramesses III defeated the Libyans in the 5th year of his reign, but six years later the Libyans joined the Meshwesh, invaded the western Nile Delta, and were defeated once again.J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Four, Chicago 1906, §§83ff. Afterward, the name appeared repeatedly in other pharaonic records.
This name Libu was taken over by the Greeks of Cyrenaica, who co-existed with them.Fage, J. D. (ed.) (1978) "The Libyans" The Cambridge History of Africa: From c. 500 BC to AD 1050 volume II, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, p. 141, Geographically, the name of this tribe was adopted by the Greeks for "Cyrenaica" as well as for northwestern Africa in general.
In the neo-Punic inscriptions, Libu was written as Lby for the masculine noun, and Lbt for the feminine noun of Libyan. The name supposedly was used as an ethnic name in those inscriptions.
Great Chiefs of the Libu In the Western Delta sometime during the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt a realm of the Libu flourished under the "Great Chiefs of the Libu".O'Connor, David. "Egyptians and Libyans in the New Kingdom" Expedition Magazine 29.3. Penn Museum, 1987 Those rulers soon formed a dynasty, and they often had local "Chiefs of the Ma(shuash)" as their subordinates. The dynasty culminated with the chiefdom of Tefnakht who, despite holding both the titles of "Great Chief of the Libu" and of "Chief of the Ma" at Sais, was more probably of Egyptian ethnicity rather than either Libu or Ma.P.R. Del Francia, "Di una statuetta dedicata ad Amon-Ra dal grande capo dei Ma Tefnakht nel Museo Egizio di Firenze", S. Russo (ed.) Atti del V Convegno Nazionale di Egittologia e Papirologia, Firenze, 10-12 dicembre 1999, Firenze, 2000, p. 94 Later, Tefnakht claimed for himself even the pharaonic titles, founding the 24th Dynasty., § 249; 306
Below lists the succession of the known "Great Chiefs of the Libu". They used to date their monuments following the regnal years of the contemporary pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty. Name Image Attested in regnal year... Corresponding absolute datation Notes Inamunnifnebu Year 31 of Shoshenq III 795 BCE - Niumateped Year 4 of Shoshenq IVYear 8 of Shoshenq IVYear 10 of Shoshenq IV - BCE Possibly two different rulers with the same name Tjerpahati Year 7 of Shoshenq VYear 15 of Shoshenq V 760 BCE753 BCE Also known in literature as Tjerper or Titaru, son of Didi Ker Year 19 of Shoshenq V 749 BCE - Rudamun Year 30 of Shoshenq V 738 BCE - Ankhhor Year 37 of Shoshenq VYear ? of Shoshenq V 731 BCE? BCE Struggled against Tefnakht and was likely defeated by him Tefnakht Year 36 of Shoshenq VYear 38 of Shoshenq V 732 BCE730 BCE -
See also Ancient Egypt Ancient Libya Garamantes Meshwesh
References