The Saite or Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest (although others followed), and had its capital at Sais. This dynasty, which ruled from 664 to 525 B.C., represented the last great age of pharaonic civilization. This period, from 664 BC to 525 BC, is also called the Saite Period and gets its name from the city of Sais, which was the capital city for these pharaohs.
Map of Egypt in the 6th century BC
The dynasty ended when a Persian invasion force under Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, dethroned the last pharaoh. The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) was the last native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although other brief periods of rule by Egyptians followed).
Origins and Rise to Power
This dynasty traced its origins to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. Psamtik I was probably a descendant of Bakenranef. The Twenty-sixth Dynasty had connections to an earlier group of rulers, the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. Psamtik I, the first pharaoh of this dynasty, was likely related to a ruler named Bakenranef.
Following the Neo-Assyrian conquest of Egypt during the reigns of Taharqa and Tantamani, and the subsequent collapse of the Napata-based Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, Psamtik I was recognized as sole king over all of Egypt. Psamtek I reunited Egypt under Egyptian control and freed it from the Assyrians, thus inaugurating the 26th Dynasty and the Saite period. He reformed Egypt’s government and removed the last vestiges of the Kushite rule.
Read also: Kingdom in Transition
Psammetichus - better known today as Psamtik I - was the first pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from the city of Sais in the Nile delta between 664-610 B.C.
Political and Military Campaigns
In 605 BCE, an Egyptian force under Necho II of Dynasty XXVI fought the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the Battle of Carchemish, helped by the remnants of the military of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, but this was met with defeat. 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 but were driven back by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II. Necho II defeated the army of Josiah of Judah but was later defeated by the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar.
With the help of Greek mercenaries, Pharaoh Apries was able to hold back Babylonian attempts to conquer Egypt. The founder of the 26th dynasty, Psammetichus I (around 664-610 B.C.) strengthened Egypt by the widespread employment of foreigners - Greek and Jewish mercenary troops and Phoenician sailors and merchants. Psamtek I's success was due in part to the help of Greek (Ionian and Carian) mercenaries in his army, and as Assyria declined, Egypt's contacts with foreign countries grew.
During his reign or that of Psammetichus II (around 595-89 B.C.) the famous colony of Jewish mercenary soldiers was established at Elephantine to protect the southern frontier of Egypt. Psamtek (Psammetichus) I controlled Thebes by appointing his daughter, Nitocris, there as "divine votaress" of Amon. Greeks were given a free trading port at Naucratis in the Delta, and Psamtek I led troops to Palestine.
Necho II (610-595 B.C.) continued these policies, campaigning unsuccessfully against the Chaldaeans under Nebuchadnezzar and defeating King Josiah of Juda. Subsequently, the Egyptian kings Apries (589-570) and Amasis (570-526) also struggled against the Chaldaeans.
Read also: The reign of Ramses I
History of Ancient Egypt: Dynasty XXX: The Last True Egyptian Pharaohs
Saite Renaissance and Cultural Aspects
James Allen and Marsha Hill of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote: “When the Assyrians withdrew after their final invasion, Egypt was left in the hands of the Saite kings, though it was actually only in 656 B.C. that the Saite king Psamtik I was able to reassert control over the southern area of the country dominated by Thebes. For the next 130 years, Egypt was able to enjoy the benefits of rule by a single strong, native family, Dynasty 26".
In deference to this ideal, the Saite pharaohs deliberately adopted much from the culture of earlier periods, particularly the Old Kingdom, as the model for their own. Later generations would remember this dynasty as the last truly Egyptian period and would, in turn, recapitulate Saite forms.
Although the Egyptians did not use the term renaissance for the beginning of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, the artistic production that marked its start has caused scholars to call the period the Saite Renaissance. Saite art is characterized by archaistic tendencies and the production of exact replicas of earlier art, especially Old Kingdom reliefs. Sculpture of the period also draws on Old, Middle, and New Kingdom models but often mixes elements from different periods to create entirely new styles.
The sculpture of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty is distinctive in its use of hard stones such as granite and quartzite and the highly polished surfaces of the statues. The Saite Dynasty was also a time of prolific temple construction, especially during the prosperous and peaceful reign of Psamtik I.
The End of the Dynasty
The Persians would eventually invade Egypt in 525 BCE when Emperor Cambyses II captured and later executed Psamtik III in the First Achaemenid conquest of Egypt. But in 525 BCE, the Persians finally invaded Egypt. Emperor Cambyses II captured Psamtik III, the last pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty, and later had him killed.
Read also: Egyptian Fifth Dynasty
The dynasty ended when a Persian invasion force under Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, dethroned the last pharaoh.
Key Figures of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty
The Proto-Twenty-sixth Dynasty consists of three kings who ruled the Nile Delta from Sais and probably descended from the Twenty-fourth Dynasty.
- Manetho's Stephinates.
- Manetho's Nechepsos.
- Manetho's Necho.
Sextus Julius Africanus states in his often accurate version of Manetho's Epitome that this dynasty was comprised of a total of 9 kings beginning with a Stephinates (Tefnakhte II) and ending with Psammetichus III (Psamtik III).
Here's a table summarizing the main rulers of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty:
| Pharaoh | Reign (B.C.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Psamtik I | 664-610 | Reunified Egypt, ended Nubian control. |
| Necho II | 610-595 | Continued policies of Psamtik I, campaigned in the Near East. |
| Psammis | 595-589 | Son of Necho II. |
| Apries | 589-570 | Struggled against the Chaldaeans, faced civil war. |
| Amasis II | 570-526 | Usurped Apries, directed interests toward the Greek world. |
| Psamtik III | 526-525 | Last pharaoh of the dynasty, defeated by the Persians. |
The Twenty-Sixth Dynasty was founded by Psammethichus I, who made Egypt a powerful and united kingdom. Also known as Manetho's Waphres or Herodotus' Apries. The last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest. Son of Ahmose III.
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