The Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXX, alternatively 30th Dynasty or Dynasty 30) is usually classified as the fifth Dynasty of the Late Period of ancient Egypt. It was founded after the overthrow of Nepherites II in 380 BC by Nectanebo I and was disestablished upon the invasion of Egypt by the Achaemenid emperor Artaxerxes III in 343 BC. This is the final native Dynasty of ancient Egypt; after the deposition of Nectanebo II, Egypt fell under foreign domination.
History of Thirtieth Dynasty of ancient Egypt
Nectanebo I had gained control of all of Egypt by November of 380 BC but spent much of his reign defending his kingdom from Persian reconquest with the occasional help of Sparta or Athens. In 365 BC, Nectanebo made his son, Teos, co-king and heir, and until his death, in 363 BC, father and son reigned together. After his father’s death, Teos invaded the Persian territories of modern Syria and Israel and was beginning to meet with some successes when he lost his throne due to the machinations of his brother Tjahapimu. Tjahepimu took advantage of Teos’ unpopularity within Egypt by declaring his son—and Teos’ nephew, Nectanebo II—king. The Egyptian army rallied around Nectanebo, which forced Teos to flee to the court of the king of Persia.
Nectanebo II’s reign was dominated by the efforts of the Persian rulers to reconquer Egypt, which they considered a satrapy in revolt. For the first ten years, Nectanebo avoided the Persian reconquest because Artaxerxes III was forced to consolidate his control of the realm. Artaxerxes then attempted an unsuccessful invasion of Egypt in the winter of 351/350 BC; the repercussions of his defeat prompted revolts in Cyprus, Phoenicia, and Cilicia. Although Nectanebo gave support to these revolts, Artaxerxes would eventually suppress these rebellions and was once again able to invade Egypt in 343 BC. This second invasion proved successful, and Nectanebo was forced to withdraw from his defences in the Nile Delta to Memphis, where he saw his cause was lost. He fled south to Nubia, where he is assumed to have found refuge at the court of King Nastasen of Napata. Nectanebo, however, may have managed to maintain some form of independent rule in the south of Egypt for two more years since a document from Edfu is dated to his eighteenth year.
Although a shadowy figure named Khababash proclaimed himself king and led a rebellion against the Persians from about 338 to 335 BC, Nectanebo has been considered the last native pharaoh of Egypt. His flight marked the end of Egypt as an independent entity.
Pharaohs of the 30th Dynasty
Nectanebo I
Nectanebo I (Egyptian: Nḫt-nb.f; Greek: Νεκτάνεβις Nectanebis; died 361/60 BCE) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native Dynasty of Egypt, the 30th Dynasty.
Teos
Djedhor, better known as Teos (Ancient Greek: Τέως) or Tachos (Ancient Greek: Τάχως), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 30th Dynasty.
Nectanebo II
Nectanebo II (Egyptian: Nḫt-Ḥr-Ḥbt; Greek: Νεκτανεβώς Nectanebos) was the last native ruler of Ancient Egypt, as well as the third and final pharaoh from the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned from 358 to 340 BC.
Under Nectanebo II, Egypt prospered. During his reign, the Egyptian artists developed a specific style that left a distinctive mark on the reliefs of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Like his indirect predecessor Nectanebo I, Nectanebo II showed enthusiasm for many of the cults of the gods within ancient Egyptian religion, and more than a hundred Egyptian sites bear evidence of his attention. Nectanebo II undertook more constructions and restorations than Nectanebo I, commencing particularly with the enormous Egyptian temple of Isis (the Iseum).
