Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt 𐎸𐎭𐎼𐎠𐎹 Mudrāya ( Old Persian) | |||||||||
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Province of the Achaemenid Empire | |||||||||
525 BC–404 BC | |||||||||
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 | ||||||||
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The Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVII, alternatively 27th Dynasty or Dynasty 27), also known as the First Egyptian Satrapy (
History
The last
(provincial governor).As Pharaoh of Egypt, Cambyses' reign saw the fiscal resources of traditional Egyptian temples diminished considerably. One decree, written on papyrus in
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 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
Upon the accession of Xerxes, Egypt again rebelled, this time possibly under
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,
During the period of independent rule, three indigenous dynasties reigned: the
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
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
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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)
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
Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt | ||
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All years are BC | ||
XXXIII | 305–30 |
- Histories)
- Fragments of Ctesias (Persica)
- Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War)
- Diodorus Siculus (Bibliotheca historica)
- Fragments of Manetho (Aegyptiaca)
- Flavius Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews)
References
- ISBN 9780195219210.
- ^ Philip's Atlas of World History. 1999.
- ISBN 9781620082881.
- ISBN 0723003041.
- ISBN 9781139789387.
- ISBN 9789004039025.
- ISBN 9781575061207.
- ^ electricpulp.com. "ACHAEMENID SATRAPIES – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Smith, Andrew. "Polyaenus: Stratagems - Book 7". www.attalus.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
- ^ Razmjou, Shahrokh (1954). Ars orientalis; the arts of Islam and the East. Freer Gallery of Art. pp. 81–101.
- ^ "Museum item, accession number: 36.106.2". www.metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- S2CID 193426061.
- ^ electricpulp.com. "DARIUS iii. Darius I the Great – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
- ^ Klotz, David (19 September 2015). "UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology - Persian Period". UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War.
- ^ Photius. "Photius' excerpt of Ctesias' Persica (2)". www.livius.org. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
- ^ S. Zawadzki, "The Circumstances of Darius II's Accession" in Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux 34 (1995-1996) 45-49
- JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctvss3wvv.
- hdl:2027.42/107318.
- ^ Goodnick Westenholz, Joan (2002). "A Stone Jar with Inscriptions of Darius I in Four Languages" (PDF). ARTA: 2.
- ^ Qahéri, Sépideh. "Alabastres royaux d'époque achéménide". L’Antiquité à la BnF (in French).
External links
- Bresciani, Edda (1998). "EGYPT i. Persians in Egypt in the Achaemenid period". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol VIII, Fasc. 3. pp. 247–249.
- Colburn, Henry P. (2017). "KHARGA OASIS". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- Wijnsma, Uzume Z. (2019). ""And in the fourth year Egypt rebelled ..." The Chronology of and Sources for Egypt's Second Revolt (ca. 487–484 BC)". Journal of Ancient History. 7 (1): 32–61. S2CID 195790613.
- Persian Period from the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology
See also
- Thirty-first Dynasty of Egypt (343 BC–332 BC) — also known as the 2nd Egyptian Satrapy.