5th century BCE – 4th century BCE
Egypt
The final phase of indigenous Egyptian kingship before the renewed Persian conquest. Beginning with the revolt of 404 BC, Egypt maintained precarious independence for roughly six decades under the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Dynasties. Political instability, coups, temple exactions, and reliance on Greek mercenaries shaped the period, which ended with Persian reconquest in 343 BC.
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The Story
In 404 BC, after the death of Darius II and amid Persian civil wars, the Egyptians revolted once more and established a precarious independence. The restoration was the last period before modern times in which Egypt was ruled by Egyptians. Temple revenues were recovered and construction resumed, yet the kingdom lacked the cohesion and power of earlier eras.
Eight kings belonging conventionally to three dynasties ruled during sixty-one years. Authority was repeatedly disrupted by rebellions, coups, and rival claims, while Greek mercenaries increasingly replaced or supplemented the indigenous warrior class known as the machimoi. Egyptian rulers also failed to restore effective power in Syria and could not seriously threaten Cyrenaica or Meroe.
The Thirtieth Dynasty under Nekhtnebef, Djeho, and Nekhtharehbe brought considerable prosperity, as surviving monuments attest, but internal tensions remained acute. Djeho’s systematic exactions from Egyptian temples provoked unrest and rebellion. After military defeat, Nekhtharehbe fled to Kush, and Egypt fell again to Persia in 343 BC.
5th century BCE – 4th century BCE
Egypt
The final phase of indigenous Egyptian kingship before the renewed Persian conquest. Beginning with the revolt of 404 BC, Egypt maintained precarious independence for roughly six decades under the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Dynasties. Political instability, coups, temple exactions, and reliance on Greek mercenaries shaped the period, which ended with Persian reconquest in 343 BC.
Continue exploring
The Story
In 404 BC, after the death of Darius II and amid Persian civil wars, the Egyptians revolted once more and established a precarious independence. The restoration was the last period before modern times in which Egypt was ruled by Egyptians. Temple revenues were recovered and construction resumed, yet the kingdom lacked the cohesion and power of earlier eras.
Eight kings belonging conventionally to three dynasties ruled during sixty-one years. Authority was repeatedly disrupted by rebellions, coups, and rival claims, while Greek mercenaries increasingly replaced or supplemented the indigenous warrior class known as the machimoi. Egyptian rulers also failed to restore effective power in Syria and could not seriously threaten Cyrenaica or Meroe.
The Thirtieth Dynasty under Nekhtnebef, Djeho, and Nekhtharehbe brought considerable prosperity, as surviving monuments attest, but internal tensions remained acute. Djeho’s systematic exactions from Egyptian temples provoked unrest and rebellion. After military defeat, Nekhtharehbe fled to Kush, and Egypt fell again to Persia in 343 BC.
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