Psamtik IIPsamtik II (595-589 BC) inherited a prosperous and united country from his father Nekau II. In 590 BC, he was the first king of Dynasty 26 to mount a significant military campaign to protect the southern border against a threat of invasion which may have been imaginary. This strike against the Kingdom of Napata, which had ruled Egypt during Dynasty 25, and whose leader killed his great-grandfather, appears to have been successful. However, for unknown reasons, the Egyptians returned to their previous border at Elephantine. In the levant, Psamtik II incited revolt against the Babylonians. When they temporarily left the area, he marched his army through the vacated territories, and returned proclaiming victory. Psamtik II gained notoriety by a determined campaign to usurp and/or deface monuments erected by kings of Dynasty 25. For reasons that are even less clear, he later extended his destructive impulses to the memory of his father Nekau II. As the skillful Divine Adoratrice Nitoqret (Nitocris) installed in the commanding post at Thebes by his grandfather Psamtik I was reaching the end of her long tenure, Psamtik II reached a major diplomatic success by convincing her to adopt his daughter Ankhnesneferibre as her successor. Psamtik II reached a major diplomatic success by convincing the skillful Divine Adoratrice Nitoqret (Nitocris) (previously installed in the commanding post at Thebes by Psamtik II’s grandfather, Psamtik I) to adopt his daughter Ankhnesneferibre, and therefore later become her successor when Nitoqret died after ruling for 72 years, thus maintaining Saite control of all of Egypt. Psamtik II died in February 589 BC, leaving the throne to his son Wahibre, better known by the name of Apries given him later by Greek historians. Bibliography (on Psamtik II)Clayton, Peter A.1994 Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson, London, UK. Grimal, Nicolas 1994 A History of Ancient Egypt (Reprint of the 1994 edition, translated by Ian Shaw). Blackwell, Oxford, United Kingdom. Shaw, Ian 2000 The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. |