6th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Egypt and Kush
Psamtek II was a Saite pharaoh whose reign was marked by an Egyptian invasion of Kush in 593 BC. His army included Greek and Carian mercenaries and apparently sacked Napata, while Egyptian garrisons may have extended control toward the Second Cataract and the gold-producing Wadi Allaqi. The invasion weakened Kush without producing permanent Egyptian occupation.
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The Story
Psamtek II succeeded Necho II in 595 BC and became involved in a war against Kush under circumstances that remain uncertain. In 593 BC, an Egyptian army containing Greek and Carian mercenaries invaded the Kushite kingdom and appears to have sacked Napata, the Kushite capital. The campaign demonstrated that Saite Egypt could still project military power far south along the Nile.
Egyptian control may have reached the Second Cataract. Evidence cited in the passage points to Carian garrisons at Ikhmindi and Buhen, suggesting an effort to secure the southern frontier and the approaches into Nubia. These installations were connected with a broader attempt to control strategic movement and resources rather than with a permanent occupation of Kush itself.
The campaign gave Egypt access to the gold mines of Wadi Allaqi, located in the eastern desert between the First and Second Cataracts. Kush itself did not remain under Egyptian occupation, but it ceased to threaten Egypt in the same way. During the sixth century BC, perhaps partly because of the invasion, the Kushite political center shifted southward from Napata to Meroe.
6th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Egypt and Kush
Psamtek II was a Saite pharaoh whose reign was marked by an Egyptian invasion of Kush in 593 BC. His army included Greek and Carian mercenaries and apparently sacked Napata, while Egyptian garrisons may have extended control toward the Second Cataract and the gold-producing Wadi Allaqi. The invasion weakened Kush without producing permanent Egyptian occupation.
Continue exploring
The Story
Psamtek II succeeded Necho II in 595 BC and became involved in a war against Kush under circumstances that remain uncertain. In 593 BC, an Egyptian army containing Greek and Carian mercenaries invaded the Kushite kingdom and appears to have sacked Napata, the Kushite capital. The campaign demonstrated that Saite Egypt could still project military power far south along the Nile.
Egyptian control may have reached the Second Cataract. Evidence cited in the passage points to Carian garrisons at Ikhmindi and Buhen, suggesting an effort to secure the southern frontier and the approaches into Nubia. These installations were connected with a broader attempt to control strategic movement and resources rather than with a permanent occupation of Kush itself.
The campaign gave Egypt access to the gold mines of Wadi Allaqi, located in the eastern desert between the First and Second Cataracts. Kush itself did not remain under Egyptian occupation, but it ceased to threaten Egypt in the same way. During the sixth century BC, perhaps partly because of the invasion, the Kushite political center shifted southward from Napata to Meroe.
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