History of Persian Egypt facts for kids

The history of Persian Egypt covers two periods when Egypt was ruled by the Persian Empire. These times were separated by a period when Egypt was independent.

• First Persian Rule (525–404 BCE): This was also known as the First Egyptian Satrapy.
• Second Persian Rule (343–332 BCE): This was also known as the Second Egyptian Satrapy.

Why Persia Wanted Egypt

In the 5th century BCE, Persian leaders, especially Cyrus the Great, wanted to make their empire bigger. Expanding their land was a common goal for ancient empires. It helped them gain military power and control over trade. Egypt was a top target for Cyrus the Great. This was mainly because the Nile river and its valley were very valuable for farming and trade.

The Egyptian pharaoh at the time, Amasis, tried to stop the Persian takeover. He made friends with nearby rulers, like Polycrates of Samos. These rulers also wanted to prevent Persia from growing too strong. Amasis's efforts worked for a while, and Cyrus the Great did not conquer Egypt.

However, Cyrus's son, Cambyses II, later succeeded. He took over Egypt, removing the last pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty, Psammetichus III. This began Persian rule in Egypt, also called the Achaemenid Empire. Egypt became an important and rich part of the Persian Empire. The Achaemenid Empire lasted from 525 to 330 BCE. But Persian rule in Egypt was not continuous. There were times when Egypt became independent again, especially between the first and second periods of Persian control.

History of Persian Rule

First Persian Rule (27th Dynasty)

Cambyses II became the Pharaoh of Egypt after he successfully made Egypt part of the Persian Empire. He took the Pharaoh name Mesuti Ra. This started the 27th Dynasty, which was the first period of Persian rule in Egypt. It lasted from 525 to 404 BCE.

Having a Pharaoh name was a big tradition for Egyptian kings. It showed that people believed the pharaoh was like a god. Even though Cambyses tried to respect Egyptian culture, many people, especially Egyptian priests, did not like him. They felt that becoming part of the Persian Empire meant their own culture was being pushed aside.

This led to Persian customs and laws being introduced into Egyptian life. For example, Cambyses did not think people should pay taxes to support temples, which was an old Egyptian tradition. This made the priests even more unhappy. Temples and priests had always been very important and respected in Egypt. By changing how temples were supported, Cambyses changed a core part of Egyptian life. Also, the conquered Egyptians were treated as less important, which made them dislike Cambyses more.

In 523 BCE, Psammetichus III led a rebellion against the new Persian rulers. This showed how unhappy the Egyptian people were. Persian forces put down the revolt. Some stories say Cambyses then destroyed many important temples as punishment. However, we are not completely sure if this really happened.

After Cambyses, these were the Persian pharaohs:

Darius the Great

Darius ruled from 522 to 486 BCE. He is remembered for the many building projects he started or finished. These buildings show Persian influence, like the new water systems they brought. Persian water systems were better than what Egypt had, as Persia was known for its advanced technology.

Buildings and ancient sites help us understand old societies, especially when there are not many written records. In this case, the old buildings show how Persian rule affected Egyptian architecture. They also show that Egyptians tried to keep their own culture alive, as these temples honored Egyptian gods. Neither Darius nor other Persian pharaohs wanted to completely erase the cultures of the lands they conquered. They just added Persian customs alongside them. Darius's rule also saw some revolts against Persian control, but none of them succeeded in making Egypt independent again.

Xerxes I

Xerxes I ruled from 486 to 465 BCE. He mainly focused on trying to expand Persian rule into Greece. However, he was not successful in this goal. Xerxes's rule ended when he was killed by people in his own court.

Artaxerxes I

Artaxerxes I was another son of Xerxes. He became pharaoh after his father and older brothers died. Artaxerxes ruled from 465 to 424 BCE. During his time, the 27th Dynasty started to weaken. There were growing tensions and threats to Persia's full control.

The biggest threat was a successful uprising led by an Egyptian ruler named Inaros. He took control of part of Egypt. However, Persian rule stayed strong in Memphis, so Egypt was divided for a while. In the end, the Egyptians were defeated, and Persia regained full control.

Xerxes II

Xerxes II followed Artaxerxes I. He ruled for only one year, from 424 to 423 BCE. We don't have much information about his time as pharaoh. This is probably because his rule was too short for him to make a big impact.

Darius II

Darius II ruled from 423 to 404 BCE. He was the last pharaoh of the 27th Dynasty. During his rule, he started a conflict with Athens and then made an alliance with Sparta to help them in a war. This led to Persia conquering part of Ionia.

Darius II's rule ended when an Egyptian leader named Amyrtaeous led a rebellion. Amyrtaeous forced Darius II out of Egypt and brought back Egyptian rule. Darius II's successor, Artaxerxes II, tried to take Egypt back, but he faced many rebellions and failed. So, there is some debate about whether Darius II or Artaxerxes II was the very last ruler of the first period of Persian Egypt. But it was the end of their reigns that marked the end of this first period.

Second Persian Rule (31st Dynasty)

Persian rule in Egypt was re-established less than a century later. This began the Second Egyptian Satrapy. This second period of Persian control, from 358 to 330 BCE, was shorter and more difficult. Persian power in Egypt was not as strong this time. This period ended when Alexander the Great conquered the entire Persian Empire. Even before Alexander, the Persian rulers in Egypt were quite weak. They had just regained control and faced constant problems with who would rule next and disloyalty within their own court.

Artaxerxes III

The first pharaoh of this second period of Persian rule was Artaxerxes III. He ruled from 358 to 338 BCE. Artaxerxes III brought Egypt back under Persian control. He went to war with the Egyptian Pharaoh Nectanebo II, and this caused a lot of damage in Egypt.

Artaxerxes III's rule also saw a lot of building projects and military victories. Military and building achievements were important ways for Egyptian rulers to show how strong and successful their dynasty was. In 338 BCE, Artaxerxes died. How he died is not completely clear. Some sources say he died naturally, while others say he was killed by a military official named Bagoas. This official then made Artaxerxes's youngest son, Arses, the new pharaoh.

Arses

Arses ruled for only 3 years, from 338 to 336 BCE. The details of his death are also unclear. The same sources that suggest Bagoas killed Artaxerxes III also say that Arses was killed by him.

Darius III

Finally, Arses was followed by Darius III, who was a cousin of Arses. He ruled from 336 to 330 BCE. The problems with who would rule next during this period made Persian control weak. This might have helped outside forces take over.

During Darius III's rule, Alexander the Great led the Macedonian army to victory. He conquered the Persian Empire. This ended Darius III's rule. Since the Persian Empire was officially conquered, there was no Persian leader to take Darius III's place. This marked the end of the Achaemenid period in Egypt.

See also

In Spanish: Historia del Egipto persa para niños

• Sasanian Egypt