Second Egyptian Empire

After the defeat of the Assyrian-Egyptian alliance in 609 BCE, Psamtik I named Sais as capitol of Egypt and named the country as Second Egyptian Empire.

Mesopotamia in 600 BCE

## The Second Egyptian Empire

### Succeded by

The Persian Empire

The Twenty-Sixth Dynasty of Egypt is also sometimes referred to as the Second Egyptian Empire. This dynasty marked a significant period in ancient Egyptian history. Here's an overview of the key events and a timeline for the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty:

# Necho II

Following in the footsteps of his father, Psamtik I, Necho II ascended to the throne and carried with him grand ambitions. Necho II dreamt of linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the construction of a grand canal.

However, war made him to stop the work on the canal and he deployed ships engaged in a battle at Magdolos with the Syrians, and conquered them and after this he took Cadytis (Kadesh) and moved forward, joining forces with Ashur-uballit and together they crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Harran. Although Necho became the first pharaoh to cross the Euphrates since Thutmose III, he failed to capture Harran, and retreated back to northern Syria.

In 605 BCE, the Egyptian army fought the Babylonians at Battle of Carchemish, Necho was unable to win. Assyria ceased to exist as an independent power, and Egypt retreated. Necho II died in 595 BCE and was succeeded by his son, Psamtik II.

# Civil war

Psamtik II raged a conflict with Kush in nubia and south Egypt, Psamtik II solidified his rule, however he died in 589 BCE, and was succeeded by Apries who was his son by Queen Takhut, a Princess of Athribis.

Nebuchadnezzar II attempted to invade Egypt in 582 BCE, Apries' forces were capable to repel the invasion.

In Cyrenaica to the west, Battus II of Cyrene had encouraged further Greek settlement in his city, especially from the Peloponnese and Crete. This sparked conflict with the indigenous Libyans, whose king Adicran appealed to Apries for help around 570 BCE. Apries launched a military expedition against Cyrene, but was decisively defeated at the Battle of Irasa.

When the defeated army returned home, a civil war broke out in the Egyptian army between the indigenous troops and the foreign mercenaries. The Egyptians threw their support to General Amasis II, Amasis quickly declared himself pharaoh in 570 BCE, and Apries fled Egypt and sought refuge in a foreign country.

When Apries marched back to Egypt in 567 BCE with the aid of a Babylonian army to reclaim the throne of Egypt, he was captured and treated well by the victorious Amasis, until the Egyptian people demanded justice against him, where he was placed into their hands and strangled to death. Amasis thus secured his kingship over Egypt and was then its unchallenged ruler.

# Amasis II

Amasis II, rule was marked by various achievements, diplomacy, and cultural exchange with foreign powers. He encouraged Greek mercenaries and traders to settle in Egypt, fostering cultural exchange and trade. This interaction led to the establishment of a Greek quarter in the city of Naucratis in the Nile Delta, serving as a hub for Greek merchants and residents.

He constructed and renovated temples throughout Egypt, expressing his devotion to the Pagan pantheon. One of his most significant religious acts was the restoration of the Serapeum in Memphis, which was dedicated to the god Serapis, a deity with both Greek and Egyptian attributes.

# Persian Empire

In the later years of Amasis II's reign, The Persian Empire, under the leadership of Cambyses II, set its sights on the land of Egypt.

Cambyses II led the Persian forces against Amasis II and the Egyptian army at The Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE, an city located near the eastern edge of the Nile Delta. The battle ended with a decisive victory for the Persians. The outcome of the Battle allowed the Persians to conquer Egypt, marking the end of the Second Egyptian Empire.

Egypt was now under the dominion of the Persian Empire.