The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) was the last native Dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although others followed). The Dynasty’s reign (664–525 BC) is called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital and marked the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt.
History of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
This Dynasty traced its origins to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. Psamtik I was probably a descendant of Bakenranef.
Following the Assyrian conquest of Egypt by the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the reigns of Taharqa and Tantamani and the subsequent collapse of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, Psamtik I was recognised as sole king over all of Egypt. Psamtik formed alliances with King Gyges of Lydia, who sent mercenaries from Caria and ancient Greece, which Psamtik used to unify all of Egypt under his rule.
With the sack of Nineveh in 612 BC and the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, both Psamtik and his successors attempted to reassert Egyptian power in the Near East. Still, they were driven back by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II. With the help of Greek mercenaries, Pharaoh Apries could hold back Babylonian attempts to conquer Egypt.
The Persians invaded Egypt in 525 BCE, when their king, Cambyses II, captured and later executed Psamtik III in the Achaemenid conquest of Egypt, eventually founding the Achaemenid Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt.
Archaeology
In May 2020, an Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission headed by Esther Ponce revealed a unique cemetery consisting of one room built with glazed limestone dating back to the 26th Dynasty (also known as the El-Sawi era) at the site of ancient Oxyrhynchus. Archaeologists also uncovered bronze coins, clay seals, Roman tombstones and small crosses. On October 3, 2020, Egypt unveiled 59 coffins of priests and clerks from the 26th Dynasty, dating nearly 2,500 years ago.
Pharaohs of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt
The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt may be related to the 24th Dynasty. Manetho begins the Dynasty with:
- Ammeris the Nubian, 12 (or 18) years
- Stephinates, seven years
- Nechepsos, six years
- Necho, eight years.
When the Nubian King Shabaka defeated Bakenranef, son of Tefnakht, he likely installed a Nubian commander as governor at Sais. This may be the man named Ammeris. Stephinates may be a descendant of Bakenrenef. He is sometimes referred to as Tefnakht II in the literature. Nechepsos has been identified with a local king named Nekauba (678–672 BC). Manetho’s Necho was King Necho I (672–664 BC); Manetho gave his reign eight years. Necho was killed during a conflict with the Nubian king Tantamani. Psamtik I fled to Nineveh – the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire – and returned to Egypt when Ashurbanipal defeated Tantamani and drove him back south. Scholars have now started the 26th Dynasty with the reign of Psamtik I.
Sextus Julius Africanus states in his often accurate version of Manetho’s Epitome that the Dynasty numbered nine pharaohs, beginning with a “Stephinates” (Tefnakht II) and ending with Psamtik III. Africanus notes that pharaohs Psamtik I and Necho I ruled for 54 and 8 years, respectively.
Psamtik I
Wahibre Psamtik I (Ancient Egyptian: wꜣḥ-jb-rꜥ psmṯk), known by the Assyrians as Pishamilki and by the Graeco-Romans as Psammeticus or Psammetichus (Ancient Greek: Ψαμμήτιχος Psammḗtikhos; Latin: Psammetichus), was the first pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, the Saite period, ruling from the city of Sais in the Nile delta between 664–610 BC.
Necho II
Necho II (sometimes Nekau, Neku, Nechoh, or Nikuu; Greek: Νεκώς Β’; Hebrew: נְכוֹ, Modern: Nəkō, Tiberian: Nekō) of Egypt was a king of the 26th Dynasty (610–595 BC), which ruled from Sais. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Necho II sent out an expedition of Phoenicians, who, in three years, sailed from the Red Sea around Africa to the Strait of Gibraltar and back to Egypt. Necho undertook several construction projects across his kingdom. Upon succession, his son, Psammetichus II, may have removed Necho’s name from monuments.
Psamtik II
Psamtik II (also spelt Psammetichus or Psammeticus) was a king of the Saite-based Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (595 BC – 589 BC). His prenomen, Nefer-Ib-Re, means “Beautiful [is the] Heart [of] Re.” He was the son of Necho II.
Apries
Apries (Ancient Greek: Ἁπρίης) is the king’s name by which Herodotus (ii. 161) and Diodorus (i. 68) designate Wahibre Haaibre, a pharaoh of Egypt (589 BC – 570 BC), the fourth king (counting from Psamtik I) of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. He was equated with the Waphres of Manetho, who correctly records that he reigned for 19 years. Apries is also called Hophra in Jeremiah 44:30 (Hebrew: חָפְרַע, Modern: Ḥofra’, Tiberian: H̱op̄ra’; Greek: Ουαφρη[ς], romanised: Ouafri[s]).
Amasis II
Amasis II (Ancient Greek: Ἄμασις Ámasis; Phoenician: 𐤇𐤌𐤎 ḤMS) or Ahmose II was a pharaoh (reigned 570 – 526 BCE) of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.
Psamtik III
Psamtik III (also spelt Psammetichus, Psammeticus, or Psammenitus, from Greek Ψαμμήτιχος or Ψαμμήνιτος) was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt from 526 BC to 525 BC. The Greek historian Herodotus documented most of what is known about his reign and life in the 5th century BC. Herodotus states that Psamtik had ruled Egypt for only six months before he was confronted by a Persian invasion of his country led by King Cambyses II of Persia. Psamtik was subsequently defeated at the Battle of Pelusium and fled to Memphis, where he was captured. The deposed pharaoh was carried off to Susa in chains and died by suicide.
