The Twenty-eighth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVIII, alternatively 28th Dynasty or Dynasty 28) is usually classified as the third dynasty of the
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
ian
Late Period. The 28th Dynasty lasted from 404 BC to 398 BC and it includes only one
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
,
Amyrtaeus
Amyrtaeus of Sais ( , a Hellenization of the original Egyptian name Amenirdisu) 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– ...
(Amenirdis), also known as Psamtik V or Psammetichus V. Amyrtaeus was probably the grandson of the Amyrtaeus of Sais, who carried on a rebellion in 465–463 BC with the Egyptian chief,
Inarus
Inaros (II), also known as Inarus, (fl. 460 BC) was an Egyptian rebel ruler who was the son of an Egyptian prince named Psamtik, presumably of the old Saite line, and grandson of Psamtik III. In 460 BC, he revolted against the Persians with ...
(himself a grandson of
Psamtik III
Psamtik III (Ancient Egyptian: , pronounced ), known by the Graeco-Romans as Psammetichus or Psammeticus (Ancient Greek: ), or Psammenitus (Ancient Greek: ), was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt from 526 BC to 525 BC. Most of ...
), against the
satrap
A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...
Achaemenes
Achaemenes ( ; ; ) was the progenitor ( apical ancestor) of the Achaemenid dynasty of rulers of Persia.
Other than his role as an apical ancestor, nothing is known of his life or actions. It is quite possible that Achaemenes was only the mythi ...
of
Achaemenid Egypt
The history of Persian Egypt refers to the two periods when ancient Egypt was controlled by the Achaemenid Empire:
* Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt (525–404 BC), established by the first Achaemenid conquest of Egypt.
* Thirty-first Dynasty ...
.
History
At the end of the 5th century BC, Amyrtaeus, a native Egyptian, revolted against
Darius II
Darius II ( ; ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC.
Following the death of Artaxerxes I, in 424 BC or 423 BC, there was a struggle for power between his sons. The vic ...
, the
Achaemenid Persian King and the last Pharaoh of the 27th Dynasty. Amyrtaeus succeeded in expelling the Persians from Memphis in 405 BC with assistance from Cretan mercenaries, and in 404 BC, following the death of Darius, proclaimed himself Pharaoh of Egypt.
Artaxerxes II
Arses (; 445 – 359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II ( ; ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 358 BC. He was the son and successor of Darius II () and his mother was Parysatis.
Soon after his accession, Ar ...
, Darius' successor as King of Persia, attempted to lead an expedition to retake Egypt but he failed to do so, due to political problems with his brother,
Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger ( ''Kūruš''; ; died 401 BC) was an Achaemenid prince and general. He ruled as satrap of Lydia and Ionia from 408 to 401 BC. Son of Darius II and Parysatis, he died in 401 BC in battle during a failed attempt to oust his ...
. This allowed Amyrtaeus to consolidate his rule over Egypt.
Very little is known about Amyrtaeus' reign. No monuments from this dynasty have been found.
In 398 BC Amyrtaeus was overthrown and executed by
Nefaarud I
Nefaarud I or Nayfaurud I, better known with his hellenised name Nepherites I, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the founder of the 29th Dynasty in 399 BC.
Reign Accession
It is believed that Nepherites was a general from the deltaic city of Men ...
, ending the 28th Dynasty and beginning the 29th Dynasty.
Pharaohs of the 28th Dynasty
References
Sources
* O. Perdu, 'Saites and Persians (664-332),' in A.B. Lloyd (ed.), ''A Companion to Ancient Egypt'' (Chichester, 2010), 140-58 (at 153–7).
* J.D. Ray, 'Egypt: Dependence and Independence (425-343 B.C.)', in ''Achaemenid History 1'' (Leiden, 1987), 79–95.
See also
*
*
History of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt spans the period of Egyptian history from the early prehistoric Egypt, prehistoric settlements of the northern Nile valley to the Roman Egypt, Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. The pharaonic period, the period in which Egypt wa ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Twenty-Eighth Dynasty Of Egypt
States and territories established in the 5th century BC
States and territories disestablished in the 4th century BC
28
404 BC
5th-century BC establishments in Egypt
398 BC
4th-century BC disestablishments in Egypt