Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt

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Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
𐎸𐎭𐎼𐎠𐎹
Mudrāya (
Old Persian)
Province of the Achaemenid Empire
525 BC–404 BC
Flag of Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
Standard of Cyrus the Great

Western part of the Achaemenid Empire, with the territories of Egypt.[1][2][3][4]
Government
Pharaoh 
• 525–522 BC
Cambyses II (first)
• 423–404 BC
Darius II (last)
Historical era
Battle of Pelusium
525 BC
• Rebellion of Amyrtaeus
404 BC
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
Twenty-eighth Dynasty of Egypt
Svenigorodsky cylinder seal depicting a Persian king thrusting his lance at an Egyptian pharaoh, while holding four captives on a rope.[5][6][7]

The Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVII, alternatively 27th Dynasty or Dynasty 27), also known as the First Egyptian Satrapy (

Battle of Pelusium (525 BC) and the Achaemenid conquest of Egypt, and his subsequent crowning as Pharaoh of Egypt. It was disestablished upon the rebellion and crowning of Amyrtaeus as Pharaoh. A second period of Achaemenid rule in Egypt occurred under the Thirty-first Dynasty of Egypt
(343–332 BC).

History

The last

satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire, with Aryandes as the local satrap
(provincial governor).

As Pharaoh of Egypt, Cambyses' reign saw the fiscal resources of traditional Egyptian temples diminished considerably. One decree, written on papyrus in

Darius I
, suspecting this impersonation, led a coup against "Bardiya" in September of that year, overthrowing him and being crowned as King and Pharaoh the next morning.

As the new Persian King, Darius spent much of his time quelling rebellions throughout his empire. Sometime in late 522 BC or early 521 BC, a local Egyptian prince led a rebellion and declared himself Pharaoh Petubastis III. The main cause of this rebellion is uncertain, but the Ancient Greek military historian Polyaenus states that it was oppressive taxation imposed by the satrap Aryandes. Polyaenus further writes that Darius himself marched to Egypt, arriving during a period of mourning for the death of the sacred Herald of Ptah bull. Darius made a proclamation that he would award a sum of one hundred talents to the man who could produce the next Herald, impressing the Egyptians with his piety such that they flocked en masse to his side, ending the rebellion.[9]

Darius I, discovered in the Palace in Susa.[10]
hieroglyphs reading "Thoth is a protection over me". Circa 6th–5th century BC.[11][12]

Darius took a greater interest in Egyptian internal affairs than Cambyses. He reportedly codified the laws of Egypt, and notably completed the excavation of a canal system at

Bitter Lakes to the Red Sea, much preferable to the arduous desert land route. This feat allowed Darius to import skilled Egyptian laborers and artisans to construct his palaces in Persia. The result of this was a minor brain drain in Egypt, due to the loss of these skilled individuals, creating a demonstrable lowering of quality in Egyptian architecture and art from this period. Nevertheless, Darius was more devoted to supporting Egyptian temples than Cambyses, earning himself a reputation for religious tolerance in the region. In 497 BC, during a visit by Darius to Egypt, Aryandes was executed for treason, most likely for attempting to issue his own coinage, a visible attempt to distance Egypt from the rest of the Persian Empire.[13][14] Darius died in 486 BC, and was succeeded by Xerxes I
.

Egyptian soldier of the Achaemenid army, circa 470 BCE. Xerxes I tomb relief.

Upon the accession of Xerxes, Egypt again rebelled, this time possibly under

Artaxerxes I
being crowned the next King and Pharaoh.

In 460 BC another major Egyptian rebellion took place, led by a Libyan chief named Inaros II, substantially assisted by the Athenians of Greece.[15] Inaros defeated an army led by Achaemenes, killing the satrap in the process, and took Memphis, eventually exerting control over large parts of Egypt. Inaros and his Athenian allies were finally defeated by a Persian army led by general Megabyzus in 454 BC and consequently sent into retreat. Megabyzus promised Inaros no harm would come of him or his followers if he surrendered and submitted to Persian authority, terms Inaros agreed to. Nevertheless, Artaxerxes eventually had Inaros executed, although exactly how and when is a matter of dispute.[16] Artaxerxes died in 424 BC.

Artaxerxes successor,

Artaxerxes II made attempts to begin an expedition to retake Egypt, but due to political difficulty with his brother Cyrus the Younger
, abandoned the effort. Artaxerxes II was still recognized as the rightful Pharaoh in some parts of Egypt as late as 401 BC, although his sluggish response to the situation allowed Egypt to solidify its independence.

During the period of independent rule, three indigenous dynasties reigned: the

Artaxerxes III (358 BC) reconquered the Nile valley for a brief second period (343 BC), which is called the 31st Dynasty of Egypt
.

The Achaemenid rule over Egypt had been often viewed as either weak or oppressive. H. P. Colburn (2019) analyses suggest Achaemenid legacy there was significant and the Egyptians had a wide variety of experiences in this period.[18][19]

Pharaohs of the 27th Dynasty

Egyptian alabaster vase of Darius I with quadrilingual hieroglyphic and cuneiform inscriptions. The hieroglyph reads: "King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, Darius, living forever, year 36".[20][21]

The pharaohs of the 27th Dynasty ruled for approximately 121 years, from 525 BC to 404 BC. Rulers with violet background were native Egyptian pharaohs who rebelled against the Achaemenid rule.

Name of pharaoh Image Reign Throne name Comments
Cambyses II 525–522 BC Mesutire Defeated
Battle of Pelusium
in 525 BC
Bardiya/ Gaumata 522 BC Possible impostor
Petubastis III 522/521–520 BC Seheruibre Rebelled against the Achaemenid Pharaohs
Darius I the Great
522–486 BC Seteture
Psamtik IV
480s BC Proposed rebel against the Achaemenid Pharaohs
Xerxes I the Great 486–465 BC
Artabanus 465–464 BC Assassinated Xerxes I, later killed by Artaxerxes I
Artaxerxes I 465–424 BC
Xerxes II 425–424 BC Claimant to throne
Sogdianus 424–423 BC Claimant to throne
Darius II 423–404 BC Last pharaoh of the 27th Dynasty

Timeline of the 27th Dynasty (Achaemenid Pharaohs only)

Darius IISogdianusXerxes IIArtaxerxes IXerxes IDarius IBardiyaCambyses II

Satraps of the 27th Dynasty

Name of satrap Rule Reigning monarch Comments
Aryandes 525–522 BC;
518–c.496 BC
Cambyses II, Darius I Deposed following a revolt in 522 BC, later restored in 518 BC then deposed again by Darius I
Pherendates c.496–c.486 BC Darius I Possibly killed during a revolt
Achaemenes c.486–459 BC Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I A brother of Xerxes I, later killed by the rebel Inaros II
Arsames c.454–c.406 BC Artaxerxes I, Xerxes II, Artaxerxes II Longest ruling satrap of Egypt

Historical sources

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Philip's Atlas of World History. 1999.
  3. .
  4. .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. .
  8. ^ electricpulp.com. "ACHAEMENID SATRAPIES – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  9. ^ Smith, Andrew. "Polyaenus: Stratagems - Book 7". www.attalus.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  10. ^ Razmjou, Shahrokh (1954). Ars orientalis; the arts of Islam and the East. Freer Gallery of Art. pp. 81–101.
  11. ^ "Museum item, accession number: 36.106.2". www.metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  12. S2CID 193426061
    .
  13. ^ electricpulp.com. "DARIUS iii. Darius I the Great – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  14. ^ Klotz, David (19 September 2015). "UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology - Persian Period". UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  15. ^ Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War.
  16. ^ Photius. "Photius' excerpt of Ctesias' Persica (2)". www.livius.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  17. ^ S. Zawadzki, "The Circumstances of Darius II's Accession" in Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux 34 (1995-1996) 45-49
  18. .
  19. .
  20. ^ Goodnick Westenholz, Joan (2002). "A Stone Jar with Inscriptions of Darius I in Four Languages" (PDF). ARTA: 2.
  21. ^ Qahéri, Sépideh. "Alabastres royaux d'époque achéménide". L’Antiquité à la BnF (in French).

External links

See also