{{Short description|Native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the first Persian invasion}} {{Infobox country |conventional_long_name = Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt |era = |government_type = Monarchy |nation = |image_map = Portrait of a Pharaoh of the Saite Dynasty.jpg |image_map_caption =Portrait of a Pharaoh of the Saite Dynasty |image_flag = |flag = |flag_type = |year_start = 664 BC |year_end = 525 BC |p1 = Assyrian conquest of Egypt |p2 = Third Intermediate Period of Egypt |p3 = Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt |s1 = Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt |capital = Sais |common_languages = Egyptian language |religion = Ancient Egyptian religion |event_start = |event_end = |title_leader=Pharaoh |leader1=Psamtik I (first) |leader2=Psamtik III (last) |year_leader1=664–610 BC |year_leader2=526–525 BC}} 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). The dynasty's reign (664–525 BC) is also called the '''Saite Period''' after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital, and marks the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt.<ref name="DH">Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton. ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. The American University in Cairo Press, London 2004</ref>
==History== This dynasty traced its origins to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. Psamtik I was probably a descendant of Bakenranef. However, other sources describe him as of Libyan descent.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ancient Greece|page=143|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3mtRAQAAIAAJ&dq=Psamtik+Libyan&pg=PA143|author=Henry Bernard|date=1913 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The A to Z of Ancient Egyptian Warfare|page=126|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nJ5XHEG17oC&dq=Psamtik+Libyan&pg=PA126|author=Robert G. Morkot|date=7 June 2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7170-1 }}</ref>
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. Psamtik formed alliances with King Gyges of Lydia, who sent him mercenaries from Caria and ancient Greece that Psamtik used to unify all of Egypt under his rule.
[[File:Battle of Carchemish.png|thumb|left|240px|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. Illustration published in 1915.]] 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. With the help of Greek mercenaries, Pharaoh Apries was able to hold back Babylonian attempts to conquer Egypt, although Apries was later deposed by Amasis II in 570 BC, who became the next Pharaoh of Egypt.
In Amasis' fourth year, around 568–567 BC, Egypt was invaded by the Babylonians, under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar II.<ref name="Eph'al 2003">{{Cite journal|last=Ephʿal|first=Israel|year=2003|title=Nebuchadnezzar the Warrior: Remarks on his Military Achievements|journal=Israel Exploration Journal|volume=53|issue=2|pages=187–188|jstor=27927044}}</ref><ref name="Elayi 2018">{{Cite book|last=Elayi|first=Josette|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv11wjrh|title=The History of Phoenicia|page=201|publisher=Lockwood Press|year=2018|doi=10.2307/j.ctv11wjrh |jstor=j.ctv11wjrh|isbn=978-1937040819|s2cid=198105413}}</ref> This assault was recorded by a fragmentary Babylonian inscription, with the modern designation BM 33041; the inscription from that year records the word "Egypt" as well as possible traces of the name "Amasis". A stele of Amasis from the 4th year of his reign in 567 BC, also fragmentary, may also describe a combined naval and land attack by the Babylonians. Recent evidence suggests that the Babylonians were initially successful during the invasion and gained a foothold in Egypt, but they were repelled by Amasis' forces.<ref name="Kahn">{{cite journal|title=Nebuchadnezzar and Egypt: An Update on the Egyptian Monuments|journal=Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel|url=https://www.academia.edu/37601391|last=Kahn|first=Dan’el|issue=1|volume=7 |pages=65–78|doi=10.1628/hebai-2018-0005|year=2018|s2cid=188600999}}</ref><ref name="Eph'al 2003" /><ref name="Amasis 0">''The Elephantine Stela of Amasis''</ref><ref name="Amasis 1">''The Chronicles of the Babylonian Kings, Nbk 329''.</ref> It is believed that this forced Nebuchadnezzar II to retire plans to conquer Egypt.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lloyd|first=Alan B.|chapter=The Late Period|title=The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt|editor-first=Ian|editor-last=Shaw|editor-link=Ian Shaw (Egyptologist)|publisher=Oxford Univ. Press|orig-year=2002|year=2004|edition=Paperback|pages=381–82|isbn=0-19-280458-8}}</ref> (However, some have suggested that Nebuchadnezzar came to defeat Apries, with the combined forces of Amasis and Nebuchadnezzar managing to kill him, securing Amasis' throne, though as vassal king.)<ref>Josephus, ''Ant.'' 10.9.7, §182.</ref><ref name="Amasis 2">Ladynin, Ivan A. (2006). ''The Elephantine Stela of Amasis: Some Problems and Prospects of Study''</ref>
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, marking the end of the last native dynasty of Egypt. Cambyses founded the First Egyptian Satrapy, a territory of the Achaemenid Empire, and was crowned the first Pharaoh of the Dynasty XXVII.
=== Archaeology === In May 2020, an Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission headed by Esther Ponce revealed a unique cemetery, which consists 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mahmoud|first=Rasha|date=2020-05-26|title=Egypt makes major archaeological discovery amid coronavirus crisis|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/egypt-archaeological-discover-cemetery-coronavirus.html|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Al-Monitor|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-28|title=Unique cemetery dating back to el-Sawi era discovered in Egypt amid coronavirus crisis|url=https://zeenews.india.com/world/unique-cemetery-dating-back-to-el-sawi-era-discovered-in-egypt-amid-coronavirus-crisis-2286500.html|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Zee News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=StackPath|url=https://dailynewsegypt.com/2020/05/18/unique-late-ancient-egyptian-cemetery-discovered-in-minya-governorate/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=dailynewsegypt.com|date=18 May 2020 }}</ref> On October 3, 2020, Egypt unveiled 59 coffins of priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty, dating to nearly 2,500 years ago.<ref>{{cite web |title=Egypt unveils 59 ancient coffins in major archaeological discovery |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-archaeology-sarcophagi/egypt-unveils-59-ancient-coffins-in-major-archaeological-discovery-idUSKBN26O0PD |website=Reuters |access-date=3 October 2020 |date=October 3, 2020}}</ref>
== Art == <gallery widths="200" heights="200"> File:Pottery vessel. Applique face of god Bes on surface. Pink-brown ware. From Egypt. 26th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Pottery vessel showing the face of god Bes from the 26th Dynasty. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London File:Female amulet E17114 mp3h8679.jpg|Female figure, Louvre Museum. The name of Psamtik I is inscribed under the feet. File:Sphinx of Apries-N 515-IMG 0583-gradient.jpg|Sphinx of Apries, from the collection of Anne Claude de Caylus File:Sarcophagus of Harkhebit, 595–526 BCE, 26th dynasty of Egypt.jpg|alt=Sarcophagus of Harkhebit: "Royal Seal Bearer, Sole Companion, Chief Priest of the Shrines of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Overseer of the Cabinet", 595–526 BCE, Saqqara, 26th dynasty of Egypt.|Sarcophagus of Harkhebit "Royal Seal Bearer, Sole Companion, Chief Priest of the Shrines of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Overseer of the Cabinet", 595–526 BCE, Saqqara, 26th dynasty of Egypt.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/548211 |website=www.metmuseum.org}}</ref> </gallery>
==Pharaohs of the 26th Dynasty== {{Mainlist|List of pharaohs}} [[File:Egypt - Psamtek Enters Ashdod.png|thumb|Psamtik I enters Ashdod, in the Fall of Ashdod in 635 BCE.]] The 26th Dynasty may be related to the 24th Dynasty. Manetho begins the dynasty with: * Ammeris the Nubian (= ? Ammeris), 12 (or 18) years * Stephinates (= ? Tefnakht II), 7 years * Nechepsos (= ? Nekauba), 6 years * Necho (= ? Necho I), 8 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 is King Necho I (672–664 BC); Manetho gives his reign as 8 years.<ref name="SIP">Kitchen, Kenneth A. ''The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, 1100-650 B.C.'' (Book & Supplement) Aris & Phillips. 1986 {{ISBN|978-0-85668-298-8}}</ref> Necho was killed during a conflict with the Nubian king Tantamani. Psamtik I fled to Nineveh – capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire – and returned to Egypt when Ashurbanipal defeated Tantamani and drove him back south.<ref name="DH"/> Scholars now start the 26th Dynasty with the reign of Psamtik I.<ref name="DH"/><ref name="SIP"/>
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 also notes that Psamtik I and Necho I ruled for 54 and 8 years respectively.{{full citation needed|date=January 2025}}
{| class="wikitable" |+Dynasty XXVI Kings of Egypt ! style="width:130px" |Pharaoh !Image!! style="width:150px" |Prenomen (Throne name) !! style="width:120px" |Horus-name !! style="width:120px" |Reign !! style="width:60px" |Burial !! style="width:200px" |Consort(s) !Comments |- |Psamtik I<br>Psammetichus I |142x142px|| ''Wahibre'' || Aaib || 664–610 BC ||Sais || Mehytenweskhet || Reunified Egypt and ended the Kushite control of Upper Egypt. Manetho gives his reign as 54 years. |- |Necho II |center|244x244px|| ''Wehemibre'' || Siaib || 610–595 BC || || Khedebneithirbinet I ||Necho II is the Pharaoh most likely mentioned in several books of the Bible. |- |Psamtik II<br>Psammetichus II |[[File:Statue Psamtik II Louvre.jpg|Statue of Psamtitk II. Louvre Museum|center|140x140px]]|| ''Neferibre'' || Menekhib || 595–589 BC || || Takhuit || |- |Wahibre Haaibre<br>Apries) |center|146x146px|| ''Haaibre'' || || 589–570 BC || || Wahib || Overthrown and forced into exile by Amasis II. Returned to Egypt at the head of a Babylonian army, but was defeated and likely killed. Manetho gives his reign as 19 years. |- |Amasis II<br>Ahmose II |133x133px | ''Khnem-ib-re'' || Semenmaat || 570–526 BC || Sais|| Tentkheta <br> Nakhtubasterau || Herodotus claims that when Cambyses II invaded Egypt, realizing he was not able to exact revenge for Amasis's previous misdeeds and trickery, he exhumed his body, desecrated it and burned what remained of the mummy. |- |Psamtik III<br>Psammetichus III |center|150x150px|| ''Ankhkaenre'' || (unknown) || 526–525 BC || || ||Ruled for only 6 months, according to Herodotus, before a Persian invasion led by Cambyses II conquered Egypt and captured Psamtik III. Committed suicide in Persian captivity. |}
== Timeline of the 26th Dynasty == <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:100 bottom:100 right:100 left:100 AlignBars = early
DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:-664 till:-500 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-664
Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:PA value:green id:GP value:red
Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas
BarData = barset:Rulers
PlotData= width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:Rulers
from: -664 till: -610 color:PA text:"Psamtik I (664–610 BC)" from: -610 till: -595 color:PA text:"Necho II (610–595 BC)" from: -595 till: -589 color:PA text:"Psamtik II (595–589 BC)" from: -589 till: -570 color:PA text:"Wahibre Haaibre (589–570 BC)" from: -570 till: -526 color:PA text:"Amasis II (570–526 BC)" from: -526 till: -525 color:PA text:"Psamtik III (526–525 BC)" barset:skip </timeline>
==See also== {{Portal|Ancient Egypt|History}} {{Egyptian Dynasty list}} *History of ancient Egypt *Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt family tree *Late Period of ancient Egypt *Saite Oracle Papyrus
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== * Hussein Bassir, (editor: Pearce Paul Creasman), [https://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~pcreasman/UAEEfiles/WESII-Bassir2014-Complete.pdf Image and Voice in Saite Egypt: Self Presentations of Neshor Named Psamtikmenkhib and Payeftjauemawyneith] University of Arizona Egyptian Expedition, Wilkinson Egyptology Series, 288 pages, Volume 2 2014 [https://web.archive.org/web/20190418182247/https://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~pcreasman/UAEEfiles/WESII-Bassir2014-Complete.pdf PDF] * Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton. ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. The American University in Cairo Press, London, 2004. * Kenneth Kitchen, ''The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, 1100–650 B.C.'' (Book & Supplement) Aris & Phillips. 1986 {{ISBN|978-0-85668-298-8}}. * [https://fu-berlin.academia.edu/KarlJansenWinkeln Karl Jansen-Winkeln], [https://www.academia.edu/10027936/Bild_und_Charakter_der_%C3%A4gyptischen_26._Dynastie ''Bild und Charakter der ägyptischen 26. Dynastie''], ''Altorientalische Forschungen'', '''28''' (2001), 165–182.
{{Ancient Egypt topics}}
Category:Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt Category:States and territories established in the 7th century BC Category:States and territories disestablished in the 6th century BC 26 Category:Nile Delta Category:7th century BC in Egypt Category:6th century BC in Egypt Category:660s BC Category:7th-century BC establishments in Egypt Category:6th-century BC disestablishments Category:525 BC Category:1st-millennium BC disestablishments in Egypt