Scope: At the end of the last dynasty, we saw Egypt dominated by Assyrians. Here we will see three distinct periods: (1) Egypt under Assyrian control, (2) Egypt free of Assyrians, and (3) Egypt threatened by a new menace, Babylon. We will also see a phenomenon unique to this dynasty: archaising. As if they knew it was Egypt’s last gasp, the pharaohs of this dynasty looked back to the Old Kingdom for inspiration in art and language. Sculptures created in this period look like statues from 1,500 years earlier; language used archaic phrases. These kings were living in the past.
Outline
I. Necho I (665-664 BC) was placed on the throne by Ashurbanipal as his vassal.
II. Psamtik I (664-610 BC) was the son and successor of Necho I. So began a stable period of succession.
A. Psamtik was told by the Assyrians to control the Egyptians. He sent Nitocris, his daughter, to Thebes as Divine Adoratrice of Amun.
B. He increased the Egyptian army by using mercenaries from the Mediterranean, many of them Greek.
C. Naucratis became a great Greek city in the Delta with temples to the Greek gods.
D. During this period, many Jews settled in Elephantine at Aswan.
E. In the twelfth year of his reign, Psamtik I ousted the Assyrians, who were having internal problems. The Assyrian domination was over.
F. Archaising, or living in the past, was an attempt to regain the “good old days” during this period.
III. Necho II (610-595 BC), the son of Psamtik, looked outward to other nations.
A. He recaptured Palestine, as mentioned in the Second Book of Kings.
B. He enlisted Greeks to form an Egyptian navy.
C. He dug a “Suez Canal” from a branch of the Nile to the Red Sea.
IV. Psamtik II (595-589 BC) was Necho’s son and successor, but not much is known about him.
A. He campaigned into Nubia as far as the third cataract.
B. His soldiers carved graffito on the leg of the colossal statue of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, telling of foreigners in his campaign.
C. He campaigned briefly in Palestine to support a revolt of Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, which turns out to have been a crucial period for the Jews.
1. Jerusalem was destroyed (587 BC).
2. During the “Babylonian Captivity” (587-539 BC), one-third of the Jewish population was taken to Babylon (“Gate of God”), another third settled on Elephantine Island in Egypt, and another third was left behind.
3. Why, the Jews wondered, was their fate so terrible? The answer: They were being tested by Yaweh, who would give his law to all people by dispersing the Jews.
4. Of the three centers of Judaism, Egypt was probably the most important in terms of preserving the faith. Much of Judaism in Europe and America may be derived from Jews who immigrated to Egypt during this time.
V. Apries (589-570 BC) was the son and successor of Psamtik II.
A. First he battled the Syrians.
B. Then he made a mistake: He helped the Libyans against Greek invaders—and lost.
C. Civil war erupted. The Egyptian general Amasis, a commoner, defeated Apries and seized the throne.
VI. Amasis (570-526 BC), seemingly pro-Greek, made peace with foreigners.
A. He helped rebuild the Temple of Apollo at Delphi that burned (year 22).
B. During his reign, Naucratis became a great city. Excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1884, following a reference from Herodotus, the city had Greek gods and temples.
1. Located ideally for trade, not far from the capital, the city was navigated in flat-bottomed boats during inundation.
2. There was a huge enclosure wall, 850 by 750 feet long, 40 feet high, and 50 feet thick. To maximize security, there was only one entrance.
3. Two buildings were found, one of them a granary in case the inhabitants had to withstand prolonged attack.
4. Petrie also found a Greek scarab factory where amulets were manufactured in molds by the thousands.
C. By this time, Babylon, the enemy, was destroyed, only to have the Persians as a new threat.
VII. Psamtik III (526-525 BC), Amasis’s successor, inherited the Persian problem.
A. He was defeated by the Persians at Pelusium, the eastern entrance to Egypt. When he fled to Memphis, he was captured.
B. He became probably the first Egyptian king captured by foreigners, and he was taken to Susa, the Persian capital.
Essential Reading:
Aidan Dodson, Monarchs of the Nile, Chapter XVII.
Supplementary Reading:
Peter A. Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, pp. 194-198.
Questions to Consider:
1. How did the Assyrians view Egyptian culture?
2. Why were the Egyptians interested in archaising?