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Dynasty XXVI (Saite Era): 685-525

Dynasty XXVI marks the last time native Egyption monarchs upon the throne. This renaissance is known as the Saite Period, from the capital city of Sais. Art flourished in this period; but largely as a conscious and artificial revival of Old Kingdom traditions, lacking the vitality of the earlier manifestations. This age is best known from the Greek historians. The twenty-sixth dynasty, like others, began with strong rulers. Psamtek or Psammetikhos adopted Greek mercenaries, and formed so strong a basis that his successor Necho was able to enter on a Syrian war, and reached the Euphrates, but was thence driven back by Nebuchadnezzar. Apries depended on the Greek party, but was dethroned by his brother-in-law, Amasis, who relied on native troops. The dynasty then succumbed to the Persians, who held the land for one hundred and twenty years.

The Assyrian ruler Sennacherib was assassinated by his sons in 681 BC. As soon as his son, Esarhaddon, could arrange the affairs of the great empire to which he had succeeded, he determined to resort to the only possible remedy for the constant interference of Egypt with the authority of Assyria in Palestine, viz., the conquest of the Nile country and humiliation of the Pharaoh. With farseeing thoroughness, he laid his plans for the execution of this purpose, and his army was knocking at the frontier fortresses of the eastern Delta in 674 BC. But Taharka, who was a man of far greater ability than his two predecessors on the throne, must have made a supreme effort to meet the crisis. The outcome of the battle (673 BC) was unfavorable for the Assyrian if, as the documents perhaps indicate, he did not suffer positive defeat.

But Esarhaddon nevertheless quietly continued his preparations for the conquest of Egypt. Baal, king of Tyre, perhaps encouraged by the undecisive result of the first Assyrian invasion, then rebelled, making common cause with Taharka. In 670 BC Esarhaddon was again in the West, and the Egyptian army was defeated and scattered. As the Ethiopian fell back upon Memphis, Esarhaddon pressed him closely, and besieged and captured the city, which fell a rich prey to the cruel and rapacious Ninevite army. Lower Egypt, which was immediately organized by Esarhaddon into dependencies of Assyria. Without much delay on the withdrawal of the Assyrian army. Esarhaddon was thus forced to begin his work over again; but in 668 BC, while on the march to resume operations in Egypt, he died.

His successor Ashurbanipal was initially unable to extend his authority to Upper Egypt. By in 661 BC the Assyrians attacked Thebes, and sacked and plundered the magnificent capital of Egypt's days of splendor. The rich cultus images, the gorgeous ritual furniture and implements, with which the pious Theban prince, Mentemhet, had equipped the temples, fell a prey to the fierce Assyrian soldiery. Gyges, king of Lydia, at this juncture, after courting the Assyrians to save himself from the Cimmerian hordes, was anxious to combine with Egypt in common opposition to Ninevite aggression. The Assyrian annals state that he sent assistance to Egypt, and Assyrians abandoned Egypt around 653 BC.

The close of Dynasty XXVI came with the conquest of Egypt, in 525 BC, by the Persians under Cambyses. Hereafter Egypt was never again to gain her freedom, since whatever partial emancipation had been secured during the Persian occupation was ended by the foreign domination of Egypt under the Ptolemeys. In 30 BC Egypt became a Roman province. With the Byzantine and Moslem periods, the ancient glory of Egypt had long departed.