Nepherites II or Nefaarud II was the last

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...

of the feeble and short-lived Twenty-ninth Dynasty (399/8–380 BC), the penultimate native dynasty of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Short reign

An "ineffectual" ruler,Wilkinson 2011, p. 456. Nepherites II became pharaoh of Egypt in 380 BC after the death of his father

Hakor Hakor or Hagar, also known by the hellenized forms Achoris or Hakoris, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 29th Dynasty. His reign marks the apex of this feeble and short-lived dynasty, having ruled for 13 years – more than half of its enti ...

(393–380 BC) and was deposed and likely killed by the rebel prince Nakhtnebef of

Sebennytos Samannud ( ar, سمنود ) is a city (''markaz'') located in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. Known in classical antiquity as Sebennytos ( grc-gre, Σεβέννυτος), Samannud is a historic city that has been inhabited since the Ancient Egyptia ...

– the future

Nectanebo I Nectanebo I ( Egyptian: ; grc-gre, Νεκτάνεβις ; died 361/60 BCE) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the 30th. Name Nectanebo's Egyptian personal name was Nḫt-nb.f, which means "the stron ...

, an Egyptian military officer, after ruling Egypt for only 4 months, from June to September 380 BC.Nepherites II
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King Hakor had already to face, towards the end of his reign, frequent riots likely inspired by Nectanebo.Cimmino 2003, p. 390. Pharaoh Nectanebo I, who founded the

Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt The Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXX, alternatively 30th Dynasty or Dynasty 30) is usually classified as the fifth Dynasty of the Late Period of ancient Egypt. It was founded after the overthrow of Nepherites II in 380 BC by Nectan ...

after overthrowing Nepherites II, reigned until his death in 360 BC and represented the third

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

family to assume the rule of the country in just two decades: a signal that Egypt's last phase of independence under native rulers, begun with

Amyrtaeus Amyrtaeus ( , a Hellenization of the original Egyptian name Amenirdisu) of Sais, is the only pharaoh of the Twenty-eighth Dynasty of EgyptCimmino 2003, p. 385. and is thought to be related to the royal family of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664� ...

' coup in 404 BC against Persia, was particularly unstable. A quick reference to Nepherites II's fall can be found in a large

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

stela Nectanebo I commissioned in

Hermopolis Hermopolis ( grc, Ἑρμούπολις ''Hermoúpolis'' "the City of Hermes", also ''Hermopolis Magna'', ''Hermoû pólis megálẽ'', egy, ḫmnw , Egyptological pronunciation: "Khemenu"; cop, Ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ ''Shmun''; ar, الأشموني ...

: The

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Theopompus Theopompus ( grc-gre, Θεόπομπος, ''Theópompos''; c. 380 BCc. 315 BC) was an ancient Greek historian and rhetorician. Biography Theopompus was born on the Aegean island of Chios. In early youth, he seems to have spent some time at Athen ...

(c. 380–315 BC) links Nepherites II's end with the war led by King

Evagoras I Evagoras or Euagoras ( grc, Εὐαγόρας) was the king of Salamis (411–374 BC) in Cyprus, known especially from the work of Isocrates, who presents him as a model ruler. History He claimed descent from Teucer, the son of Telamon and half ...

of Salamis on

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

against Persia. In a desperate attempt to strengthen his own position, Nepherites II proclaimed himself ''

Wehem Mesut The period of ancient Egyptian history known as wehem mesut or, more commonly, Whm Mswt (Manuel de Codage transliteration: wHm msw.t) can be literally translated as ''Repetition of Births'', but is usually referred to as the ''(Era of the) Renaissa ...

'', "Repetitor Of Births" (i.e. Founder of a new era), "like few other sovereigns of the past of very different stature", such as

Amenemhat I :''See Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.'' Amenemhat I ( Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-hꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet I, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the first king of the Twelfth Dynas ...

and

Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom period, ruling c.1294 or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II. The ...

. His ''nomen'' or birth name, meaning "The Great Ones prosper", does not appear on any monument, and it is only attested in Manetho's ''Aegyptiaca'' and in the 3rd century BC ''

Demotic Chronicle The ''Demotic Chronicle'' is an ancient Egyptian prophetic text. The work is intended to provide a chronicle of the 28th, 29th and 30th dynastiesBresciani, op. cit., p. 551 – thus the independence interval between the two Persian domina ...

''.

References

Bibliography

* Cimmino, Franco (2003). Dizionario delle Dinastie Faraoniche. Milan: Bompiani. . * Clayton, Peter A. (1999). Chronicles of the Pharaohs. London: Thames and Hudson. . * Wilkinson, Toby (2011). The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. London: Bloomsbury. . {{authority control 4th-century BC Pharaohs Pharaohs of the Twenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt Year of birth unknown 380 BC deaths Ancient murdered monarchs