When the Kushite kings left, the Assyrians backed a family of rulers from Sais in the western Delta. One of them, Psamtek I, became king in 664 BC and, within about eight years, brought the whole country under his rule. From 664 BC on, Egyptian dates are fixed to the year.
Key idea
Psamtek I, king from 664 BC, reunited Egypt from Sais. The 26th (Saite) Dynasty (664–525 BC) copied Old Kingdom art, built a strong, wealthy state, and welcomed Greek traders and soldiers.
How Psamtek took control
- He began as a vassal of Assyria, but as Assyria weakened he acted on his own.
- He hired soldiers from Ionia and Caria, in what is now western Turkey.
- In 656 BC he had his daughter Nitocris adopted at Thebes as the future God's Wife of Amun, the priestess who stood at the head of Amun's cult there. That brought the south under his rule peacefully.
Why it works
A divided Egypt needed money and soldiers to unite it. Greek and Carian mercenaries gave Psamtek a loyal army that owed nothing to the local Libyan chiefs, and trade with the Greek world brought wealth. At the same time, reviving the art and titles of the Old Kingdom presented the new dynasty as heir to Egypt's greatest age.
The Saite kings
| King | Reign | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Psamtek I | 664–610 BC | reunification; mercenaries; a long, stable reign |
| Necho II | 610–595 BC | a fleet; work on a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea; defeat by Babylon at Carchemish (605 BC) |
| Psamtek II | 595–589 BC | a campaign into Nubia, during which his Greek soldiers scratched their names on the colossi at Abu Simbel |
| Apries | 589–570 BC | overthrown in a revolt |
| Amasis | 570–526 BC | a long reign; Herodotus says he gave the Greeks Naukratis as their trading town |
| Psamtek III | 526–525 BC | defeated by the Persians |
Worked example: Looking back
A Saite statue looks so much like Old Kingdom work that experts once dated it two thousand years too early. Why?
- Saite artists studied and copied Old Kingdom tombs and statues on purpose.
- Officials even revived Old Kingdom titles.
- So style alone can mislead; inscriptions and details are needed to date the work.
Answer: Because Saite art deliberately copied the Old Kingdom.
Common mistake
Skipping the Late Period as a time of decline. The Saite kings ran a strong, wealthy state, with an army, a navy, trade with Greece and a great revival of art and learning.