The Late Period of Ancient Egypt refers to the last flowering of native Egyptian rulers after the Third Intermediate Period in the 26th Saite Dynasty, founded by King Psamtik I. Still, it includes the time of Achaemenid Persian rule over Egypt after the conquest by Cambyses II in 525 BC. The Late Period existed from 664 BC until 332 BC, following a period of foreign rule by the Nubian 25th Dynasty and beginning with a short period of Neo-Assyrian suzerainty, with Psamtik I initially ruling as their vassal. The period ended with Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire and the establishment of the Ptolemaic Dynasty by his general Ptolemy I Soter, one of the Hellenistic diadochi from Macedon in northern Greece. With the Macedonian Greek conquest in the latter half of the 4th century BC, the age of Hellenistic Egypt began.
History of the Late Period of ancient Egypt
The Late Period of Egypt (525-332 BCE) was the era following the Third Intermediate Period (1069-525) and preceding the brief Hellenistic Period (332-323 BCE) when Egypt was ruled by the Argead officials installed by Alexander the Great before the rise of the Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE).
26th Dynasty
The Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, also known as the Saite Dynasty after its seat of power, the city of Sais, reigned from 672 to 525 BC and consisted of six pharaohs. It started with the unification of Egypt under Psamtik I c. 656 BC, a direct consequence of the Sack of Thebes by the Assyrians in 663 BC. Canal construction from the Nile to the Red Sea began.
Egypt seems to have Expanded into the Near East early in this period. A wide range of archaeological finds from the Levant shows an Egyptian occupation and control in the late decades of the 7th century BC. These include Egyptian objects from several sites, ostraca, documents showing a tribute/tax system, and evidence from the fortress of Mezad Hashavyahu. Egyptian influence reached the Euphrates area in places such as Kimuhu and Quramati. Later, they were pushed back by the defeat at Carchemish, although Egyptian intervention in the Near East seems to have continued after this battle.
Amasis II followed a new policy and directed his interests toward the Greek world. He annexed Cyprus during his reign. To the south, Psamtik II led a great military expedition that reached deep into upper Nubia and defeated them heavily. A demotic papyrus from the reign of Ahmose II describes a small expedition into Nubia, the character of which is unclear. There is archaeological evidence of an Egyptian garrison at Dorginarti in lower Nubia during the Saite period.
One significant contribution from the Late Period of ancient Egypt was the Brooklyn Papyrus. This was a medical papyrus with a collection of medical and magical remedies for victims of snakebites based on snake type or symptoms.
Artwork during this time was representative of animal cults and animal mummies. This image shows the god Pataikos wearing a scarab beetle on his head, supporting two human-headed birds on his shoulders, holding a snake in each hand, and standing atop crocodiles.
27th Dynasty
The First AchDynasty Period (525–404 BC) began with the Battle of Pelusium, which saw Egypt (Old Persian: 𐎸𐎭𐎼𐎠𐎹 Mudrāya) conquered by the expansive Achaemenid Empire under Cambyses, and Egypt becomes a satrapy. The Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt consisted of the Persian emperors – including Cambyses, Xerxes I, and Darius the Great – who ruled Egypt as Pharaohs and governed through their satraps, as well as the Egyptian Petubastis III (522–520 BC) (and possibly the disputed Psammetichus IV), who rebelled in defiance of the Persian authorities. The unsuccessful revolt of Inaros II (460-454), aided by the Athenians as part of the Wars of the Delian League, aspired to the same object. The Persian satraps were Aryandes (525–522 BC; 518–c.496 BC) – whose rule was interrupted by the rebel Pharaoh Petubastis III, Pherendates (c.496–c.486 BC), Achaemenes (c.486–459 BC) – a brother of the emperor Xerxes I, and Arsames (c.454–c.406 BC).
28th–30th Dynasties
The Twenty-Eighth Dynasty consisted of a single king, Amyrtaeus, prince of Sais, who successfully rebelled against the Persians, inaugurating Egypt’s last significant phase of independence under native sovereigns. He left no monuments with his name. This Dynasty reigned from 404 BC to 398 BC.
The Twenty-Ninth Dynasty ruled from Mendes from 398 to 380 BC. King Hakor of this Dynasty defeated a Persian invasion during His reign.
The Thirtieth Dynasty took its art style from the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty. A series of three pharaohs ruled from 380 to 343 BC. The first king of the Dynasty, Nectanebo I, defeated a Persian invasion in 373 BC. His successor, Teos, subsequently led an expedition against the Achaemenid Empire in the Near East. The expedition was beginning to meet with some success and made its way to Phoenicia without particular problems. Unfortunately for Teos, his brother Tjahapimu was plotting against him. Tjahapimu convinced his son Nectanebo II to rebel against Teos and to make himself a pharaoh. The plan was successful, and the betrayed Teos had no alternative but to flee, and the expedition disintegrated. The final ruler of this Dynasty, and the final native rule Dynasty, was Nectanebo II, who was defeated in battle, leading to the re-annexation by the Achaemenid Empire.
31st Dynasty
The Second Achaemenid Dynasty witnessed a re-inclusion of Egypt as a satrapy of the Persian Empire under the rule of the Thirty-First Dynasty (343–332 BC), which consisted of three Persian emperors who ruled as Pharaoh – Artaxerxes III (343–338 BC), Artaxerxes IV (338–336 BC), and Darius III (336–332 BC) – interrupted by the revolt of the non-Achaemenid Khababash (338–335 BC). Persian rule in Egypt ended with the defeat of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, who accepted the surrender of the Persian satrap of Egypt Mazaces in 332BC and marked the beginning of Hellenistic rule in Egypt stabilized after Alexander’s death into the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
