Twenty-seventh Dynasty—
The First Persian Period (525–404 B.C.E.)
This was not a dynasty of native Egyptians but a period
of foreign occupation, also recorded as the First Persian
Period. Egypt survived under foreign rule, prosper-
ing under some of the satraps and Persian kings, as
the ACHAEMENIANShad problems in their own land. A
court eunuch murdered some of the rulers, along with
their sons, and the survivors had to endure political
complications.
The Egyptians categorized CAMBYSES as a criminal
lunatic, but he treated the nation with a certain discretion
in most instances. A large unit of the Persian army, sent
by Cambyses to loot the Oasis of SIWAin the Western
Desert, disappeared to a man. DARIUS I,XERXES I,ARTAX-
ERXES I, and DARIUS IIfollowed Cambyses, but they faced
rebellions and political intrigues at home as well as rebel-
lions on the Nile. Darius II reigned over the Nile Valley
from Persia and was viewed as tolerable as far as the
Egyptians were concerned.
Twenty-eighth Dynasty (404–393 B.C.E.)
AMYRTAIOS(2) was a rebel in the Delta, holding the rank
of prince in Sais. Egyptians felt loyal to him, and he
exerted influence even as far south as ASWAN. His dynasty
was doomed, however, because he was judged a violator
of the laws of Egypt and was not allowed to name his son
as heir to the throne. NEPHRITES I, the founder of the
Twenty-ninth Dynasty, captured and killed him.
Twenty-ninth Dynasty (393–380 B.C.E.)
NEPHRITES Ifounded this line of rulers at MENDESand
began to rebuild in many areas of Egypt. He maintained
the APIScult and regulated trade and government in the
land. Nephrites I was followed by PSAMMUTHIS, whose
brief reign was cut short by the usurper HAKORIS, who
expanded the dynasty’s building programs. NEPHRITES II,
Hakoris’s son and heir, did not succeed him, as
NECTANEBO Itook the throne.
Thirtieth Dynasty (380–343 B.C.E.)
This royal line was founded from Sebennytos, and
Nectanebo I faced a Persian army, using Greek mercenar-
ies. The Persians bypassed a strategic fortress at Pelu-
sium, and Nectanebo I launched a counterattack and
defeated the invaders. He had a stable, prosperous reign
in which he restored temples and sites and built at PHI-
LAE. His son and heir, TEOS, began wars to regain lost
imperial lands but took temple treasures to pay for his
military campaigns. He was ousted from the throne by his
own royal family after only two years and fled to Susa.
NECTANEBO II, chosen to replace Teos, faced the Persian
ARTAXERXES III, who came with a vast army and reoccu-
pied the Nile Valley.
Thirty-first Dynasty—
The Second Persian Period (343–332 B.C.E.)
Artaxerxes III lasted only about five years and was poi-
soned in his own court by the eunuch BAGOAS.ARSES, his
heir, reigned only two years before meeting the same fate.
DARIUS III, wise to the machinations of Bagoas, made him
drink the cup that he was offering to the king, and
Bagoas died as a result. Darius III faced ALEXANDER III THE
GREAT, however, and he was defeated in three separate
battles and then slain by one of his own associates.
Alexander the Great now ruled Egypt.GRECO-ROMAN PERIOD (332 B.C.E.–395 C.E.)
Thirty-second Dynasty—
Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.)
The brief period of Macedonian rule (332–304 B.C.E.) was
ended by PTOLEMY I SOTER, the Macedonian general of
Alexander the Great, who stole the body of Alexander
and declared himself and his heirs the rulers of Egypt.
The Ptolemies modernized and Hellenized much of
Egypt’s agricultural and governmental agencies but also
instituted a dual system in the land.
They did not relate to the native Egyptians, did not
intermarry with nome heiresses, and imported their con-
sorts from other Greek city-states. The Ptolemaic rulers
also did not speak the ancient language and seldom trav-
eled out of ALEXANDRIA. They were warrior kings in the
Greek world, but at home they maintained the traditions
of the god-kings of the Nile. Greek citizens were treated
according to Greeklaws, while the traditional courts of
Egypt served the natives.
The land prospered under their rule, particularly the
agricultural bases, and the Egyptians were allowed to
exist in peace, despite the rivalries within the Ptolemaic
family and the alliances made with other Greek states.
The Ptolemies were not remarkable for their reigns, and
queens were politically powerful and at times murdered.
Such activities, however, did not impact on the daily lives
of the Egyptians beyond Alexandria.
The dynasty was fatally wounded in the reign of
CLEOPATRA VII, who killed herself to escape the inevitable
humiliation at the hands of Octavian (Emperor AUGUS-
TUS) in 30 B.C.E. Her son was slain as well to halt the
Ptolemaic influence. Egypt became a special territory of
Rome, closely guarded by the emperor as a province with
unique assets and unique needs.dynasty histories 113