Tree sheltered a divine cat being, called mau,dedicated to
protecting the god RÉ.
When the serpent APOPHISattacked Ré on his nightly
journeys in the TUAT, or Underworld, the cat in the Persea
Tree slew him. Trees were part of the cosmogonic tradi-
tions of Egypt and were deemed essential elements of the
various paradises awaiting the deceased beyond the grave.
Persen (fl. 25th century B.C.E.) Official of the Fifth
Dynasty
He served SAHURÉ(r. 2458–2446 B.C.E.) as an overseer of
various royal projects and offices. An inscription from
Persen’s tomb depicts the honors he received from Queen
NEFERHETEPES(3), the mother of Sahuré. She provided
mortuary offerings at his tomb as a gesture of her appre-
ciation for his services.
Persenti(fl. 26th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Fourth Dynasty
Persenti was a lesser consort of KHAFRE(Chephren; r.
2520–2494 B.C.E.). She was not the favorite and she was
not the mother of the heir. Her son was NEKAURE. She
was buried in the royal mortuary complex at GIZA.
Persia One of the major empires that competed with
Egypt in the Late Period (712–332 B.C.E.), the Persian
Empire was vast and well controlled, despite the rising
power of the Greeks and the dominance of the MEDESin
the Persian homeland. Cyrus the Great forged the true
Persian Empire c. 550 B.C.E.
The original Persians, members of the Indo-Euro-
peans, were evident on the western Iranian plateau by
850 B.C.E. They were a nomadic people who claimed the
name Parsa. By 600 B.C.E., they were on the southwestern
Iranian plateau, dominated by the native Medes. The
original capital of the Persians was Susa.
By 500 B.C.E., the Persian Empire extended from
modern Pakistan in the Indus Valley to Thrace in the
west and to Egypt in the south. The Persians ruled 1 mil-
lion square miles of the earth at the height of their power.
The raids of DARIUS I(r. 521–486 B.C.E.) into Thrace and
Macedonia aroused a response that would result in the
empire’s destruction two centuries later. ALEXANDER III
THE GREATwould bring about Persia’s downfall in 332
B.C.E.
The first Persian to rule Egypt was CAMBYSES (r.
525–522 B.C.E.), who opened the Twenty-seventh Dy-
nasty on the Nile. Cambyses was followed on the Persian
throne by DARIUS I, XERXES I(r. 486–446 B.C.E.), ARTAX-
ERXES I (r. 465–424 B.C.E.), and Darius II (r. 423–
405 B.C.E.).
The Persians returned to rule as the Thirty-first
Dynasty, or the Second Persian Period, in 343 B.C.E. This
royal line, as were their predecessors, was plagued by
profound internal problems in their homeland, with
many emperors being slain. The rulers of Egypt during
the Thirty-first Dynasty were ARTAXERXES III OCHUS (r.
343–338 B.C.E.), Artaxerxes IV ARSES(r. 338–336 B.C.E.),
and DARIUS III CODOMAN(335–332 B.C.E.).Per-Temu This was a site on the western edge of the
Delta, the modern Tell el-Maskhuta, near Ismaliya and
the Suez Canal. Originally a HYKSOSenclave, the site was
used by NECHO II(r. 610–595 B.C.E.) to serve as a new
city. Per-Temu was part of the WADI TIMULATtrade route.Pert-er-Kheru This was an ancient Egyptian phrase
meaning “from the mouth of the god,” designating a
moral or spiritual saying, normally those contained in the
sacred texts from early periods. Adages, counsels, and the
didactic literary works called “instructions,” which had
been handed down over the centuries, were incorporated
into rituals. By repeating the Pert-er-Kheruover and over,
the present was linked to the past and to the future.Peru-Nefer It was the principal naval base of Egypt,
located near MEMPHIS. Egypt had always maintained fleets
of ships for Nile travel, opening the cataracts of the Nile
River in order to reach Nubian (modern Sudanese)
FORTRESSESand TRADEcenters. In the Eighteenth Dynasty
(1550–1307 B.C.E.) the need for such ships and the use of
larger vessels for Mediterranean travel demanded an
increase in naval training. As early as the Sixth Dynasty
(2323–2150 B.C.E.) troops had been transported to
Mediterranean campaign sites by boat.
The base of Peru-Nefer contained a ship dock and a
repair complex for Nile and Mediterranean vessels
employed in the trade and military campaigns of the his-
torical period. TUTHMOSISIII(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) and
AMENHOTEPII(r. 1427–1401 B.C.E.) served as commanders
of the naval base before assuming the throne. Peru-Nefer
declined at the end of the New Kingdom in 1070 B.C.E.
See also MILITARY.Peryneb (fl. 24th century B.C.E.)Royal palace chamber-
lain of the Fifth Dynasty
He served both IZEZI(r. 2388–2356 B.C.E.) and UNIS(r.
2356–2323 B.C.E.) as lord chamberlain of the royal
household. Peryneb was the son of the VIZIERShepses-ré,
and he was buried near the pyramid of USERKHAF.
His actual MASTABAis in the Metropolitan Museum in
New York.Pesuir(fl. 13th century B.C.E.)Honored viceroy of the
Nineteenth Dynasty
He served RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) as viceroy of
Kush, or NUBIA(modern Sudan). This office carried the
title “King’s Son of Kush.” A sandstone statue of Pesuir
was discovered in ABU SIMBEL, in the second hall of302 Persen