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| Psammetichus II | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Psamtik II | |||
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| Fragmentary statue head of Psamtik. | |||
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |||
| Reign | 595–589 BC, 26th dynasty | ||
| Predecessor | Necho II | ||
| Successor | Apries | ||
| Died | 589 BC | ||
Psammetichus II (also spelled Psammeticus or Psamtik) was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt (595 BC-589 BC). His prenomen, Neferibre, means "Beautiful is the Heart of Re."[1] He was the son of Necho II.
Campaigns and battles
We also know that Psammetichus II led a foray into Nubia in 592 BC, marching as far south as the Third or even the Fourth Cataract according to a contemporary stela from Thebes dates to Year 3 of this king's name and refers to a heavy defeat that was inflicted upon the kingdom of Kush.[2] A well-known graffito inscribed in Greek on the left leg of the colossal seated statue of Ramesses II, on the south side of the entrance to the temple of Abu Simbel, records that:
| “ | "When King Psammetichus came to Elephantine, this was written by those who sailed with Psammetichus the son of Theocles, and they came beyond Kerkis as far as the river permits. Those who spoke foreign tongues (Greek and Carians who also scratched their names on the monument) were led by Potasimto, the Egyptians by Amasis.[3] | ” |
Kerkis was located near the Fifth Cataract of the Nile "which stood well within the Cushite Kingdom."[4]
This was the first confrontation between Egypt and Nubia since the reign of Tantamani. A Kushite king named Anlamani had revived the power of the kingdom of Napata. Psammetichus II's campaign was likely initiated to destroy any future aspirations the Kushites may have had to reconquer Egypt.
The Egyptian army seems to have advanced to Pnubs and likely the capital city of Napata, where they looted its temples and destroyed the royal Kushite statues. The Kushite capital was sacked under the reign of the native Kushite king Aspelta who was the younger rother of Anlamani and the son of Senkamanisken. As a result, Kush's power was crushed, and their kings lost any opportunity of ever seizing control of Egypt. In fact, the Nubian rulers appear to have decided to shift their capital further south from Napata to the safety of Meroë. Curiously, however, Psammetichus II does not appear to have capitalized much on his victory. His troops retreated back to the First Cataract, and Elephantine continued to be the southern border of Egypt.
An outcome of this campaign was the deliberate destruction of monuments belonging to the 25th Dynasty Kushite kings in Egypt "by hacking out their names and the emblems of royalty from their statues and reliefs."[5]
In 591 BC, during the fourth year of his reign, Psammetichus II mounted an expedition into Palestine "to foment a general Levantine revolt against the Babylonians" that involved, among other, Zedekiah of the Kingdom of Judah.[6]
Successor
When Psamettichus II died in 589 BC, he was succeeded Apries who was his son by Queen Takhut, a Princess of Athribis. Psamettichus and Queen Takhut were also the parents of Menekhubaste, a Priestess of Atum at Heliopolis, and Ankhenesneferibre, a God's Wife of Amun who died after 525 BC.[7]
References
- ^ Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames and Hudson, 1994. p.195
- ^ The New Encyclopaedia Brittanica: Micropaedia, Vol.9, 15th edition, 2003. p.756
- ^ king Psammetichus II
- ^ Brittanica, op. cit., p.756
- ^ Brittanica, op. cit., p.756
- ^ Alan B. Lloyd, 'The Late Period' in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (ed. Ian Shaw), Oxford Univ. Press 2002 paperback, p.381
- ^ Christian Settipani, Nos ancêtres de l'Antiquité, 1991. p.153 & 161
