6th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Egypt, Cyrenaica, Cyprus, and the Aegean
Amasis, whose Egyptian name was Ahmose, became sole king of Egypt after the overthrow of Wahibre during a military crisis caused by defeat against Cyrene and resentment toward foreign mercenaries. He restricted Greek movement while preserving the profitable trade through Naukratis and retained Greek and Carian troops. His reign secured Cyprus, cultivated ties with Cyrene and Samos, and ended shortly before the Persian conquest of Egypt.
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The Story
Ahmose, later known to the Greeks as Amasis, rose during a crisis in Wahibre’s reign. After an Egyptian army sent against the Libyans of Cyrenaica was overwhelmingly defeated by the Cyrenaeans, the soldiers mutinied and accused the king of deliberately sending them to destruction. Ahmose was dispatched to calm the rebels but instead placed himself at their head, forcing Wahibre to accept him as co-king in 569 BC.
Three years later Wahibre attempted to recover power with an army of approximately 30,000 Greek and Carian mercenaries. Egyptian forces rallied to Ahmose, defeated the mercenaries, and captured and executed Wahibre. Ahmose then became sole king in 566 BC, although the passage notes that he was a native of Sais and apparently unrelated to the earlier Saite rulers.
Amasis sought to placate Egyptian hostility toward foreigners by restricting the movement of Greeks and confining Greek traders to Naukratis. He did not close Egypt to commerce or disband the mercenaries, because both trade and foreign troops remained valuable. Greek evidence remembered him as a friend of the Greeks who gave gifts to Greek temples, while his dependence on Greek soldiers contributed to his unpopularity among Egyptians.
To protect himself, Amasis moved the Greek and Carian mercenaries from the Stratopeda to Memphis. His foreign policy included an unsuccessful intervention in Syria, an attempt to exploit political divisions at Cyrene, reconciliation with Cyrene through marriage and temple gifts, and the reduction of Cyprus to tribute. He also sought an alliance with Samos as Persia expanded under Cyrus II.
Persian pressure ultimately determined the limits of Amasis’s policy. Cyrus conquered Lydia in 545 BC and Babylon in 538 BC, while Cambyses II prepared an invasion of Egypt. Amasis died in 525 BC, and his son Psamtek III was unable to resist the Persian army effectively. The transition marked the end of Saite independence.
6th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Egypt, Cyrenaica, Cyprus, and the Aegean
Amasis, whose Egyptian name was Ahmose, became sole king of Egypt after the overthrow of Wahibre during a military crisis caused by defeat against Cyrene and resentment toward foreign mercenaries. He restricted Greek movement while preserving the profitable trade through Naukratis and retained Greek and Carian troops. His reign secured Cyprus, cultivated ties with Cyrene and Samos, and ended shortly before the Persian conquest of Egypt.
Continue exploring
The Story
Ahmose, later known to the Greeks as Amasis, rose during a crisis in Wahibre’s reign. After an Egyptian army sent against the Libyans of Cyrenaica was overwhelmingly defeated by the Cyrenaeans, the soldiers mutinied and accused the king of deliberately sending them to destruction. Ahmose was dispatched to calm the rebels but instead placed himself at their head, forcing Wahibre to accept him as co-king in 569 BC.
Three years later Wahibre attempted to recover power with an army of approximately 30,000 Greek and Carian mercenaries. Egyptian forces rallied to Ahmose, defeated the mercenaries, and captured and executed Wahibre. Ahmose then became sole king in 566 BC, although the passage notes that he was a native of Sais and apparently unrelated to the earlier Saite rulers.
Amasis sought to placate Egyptian hostility toward foreigners by restricting the movement of Greeks and confining Greek traders to Naukratis. He did not close Egypt to commerce or disband the mercenaries, because both trade and foreign troops remained valuable. Greek evidence remembered him as a friend of the Greeks who gave gifts to Greek temples, while his dependence on Greek soldiers contributed to his unpopularity among Egyptians.
To protect himself, Amasis moved the Greek and Carian mercenaries from the Stratopeda to Memphis. His foreign policy included an unsuccessful intervention in Syria, an attempt to exploit political divisions at Cyrene, reconciliation with Cyrene through marriage and temple gifts, and the reduction of Cyprus to tribute. He also sought an alliance with Samos as Persia expanded under Cyrus II.
Persian pressure ultimately determined the limits of Amasis’s policy. Cyrus conquered Lydia in 545 BC and Babylon in 538 BC, while Cambyses II prepared an invasion of Egypt. Amasis died in 525 BC, and his son Psamtek III was unable to resist the Persian army effectively. The transition marked the end of Saite independence.