Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt

This dynasty traced its origins to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. Psamtik I was probably a descendant of Bakenranef.

Following the Assyrian conquest of Egypt by the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the reigns of Taharqa and Tantamani, and the subsequent collapse of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, Psamtik I was recognized as sole king over all of Egypt. Psamtik formed alliances with King Gyges of Lydia, who sent him mercenaries from Caria and ancient Greece which Psamtik used to unify all of Egypt under his rule.

In 605 BCE, an Egyptian force under Necho II of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty fought the Babylonians at the Battle of Carchemish, helped by the remnants of the army of the former Assyria, but this was met with defeat.

With the sack of Nineveh in 612 BC and the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, both Psamtik and his successors attempted to reassert Egyptian power in the Near East, but were driven back by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II. With the help of Greek mercenaries, Pharaoh Apries was able to hold back Babylonian attempts to conquer Egypt.

The Persians would eventually invade Egypt in 525 BCE, when their king, Cambyses II, captured and later executed Psamtik III, in the Achaemenid conquest of Egypt, eventually founding the Achaemenid Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt.

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  Pottery vessel showing the face of god Bes, from the 26th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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  Female figure, Louvre Museum. The name of Psamtik I is inscribed under the feet.
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  Sphinx of Apries, from the collection of Count Caylus
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  Sarcophagus of Harkhebit "Royal Seal Bearer, Sole Companion, Chief Priest of the Shrines of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Overseer of the Cabinet", 595–526 BCE, Saqqara, 26th dynasty of Egypt.[6]

Psamtik I enters Ashdod, in the Fall of Ashdod in 635 BCE.

The 26th Dynasty may be related to the 24th Dynasty. Manetho begins the dynasty with:

• Ammeris the Nubian, 12 (or 18) years
• Stephinates, 7 years
• Nechepsos, 6 years
• Necho, 8 years.

When the Nubian King Shabaka defeated Bakenranef, son of Tefnakht, he likely installed a Nubian commander as governor at Sais. This may be the man named Ammeris. Stephinates may be a descendant of Bakenrenef. He is sometimes referred to as Tefnakht II in the literature. Nechepsos has been identified with a local king named Nekauba (678–672 BC). Manetho's Necho is King Necho I (672–664 BC); Manetho gives his reign as 8 years.[7] Necho was killed during a conflict with the Nubian king Tantamani. Psamtik I fled to Nineveh – capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire – and returned to Egypt when Ashurbanipal defeated Tantamani and drove him back south.[1] Scholars now start the 26th Dynasty with the reign of Psamtik I.[1][7]

Sextus Julius Africanus states in his often accurate version of Manetho's Epitome that the dynasty numbered 9 pharaohs, beginning with a "Stephinates" (Tefnakht II) and ending with Psamtik III. Africanus also notes that Psamtik I and Necho I ruled for 54 and 8 years respectively.

Name of Pharaoh	Image	Reign	Throne name	Burial	Consort(s)	Comments
Psamtik I Psammetichus I		664–610 BC	Wahibre	Sais	Mehytenweskhet	Reunified Egypt and ended the Nubian control of Upper Egypt. Manetho gives his reign as 54 years.
Necho II		610–595 BC	Wehemibre		Khedebneithirbinet I	Necho II is the Pharaoh most likely mentioned in several books of the Bible.
Psamtik II Psammetichus II	Statue of Psamtitk II. Louvre Museum	595–589 BC	Neferibre		Takhuit
Wahibre Haaibre (Apries)		589–570 BC	Haaibre			Overthrown and forced into exile by Amasis II. Returned to Egypt at the head of a Babylonian army, but was defeated and likely killed. Manetho gives his reign as 19 years.
Amasis II Ahmose II		570–526 BC	Khnem-ib-re	Sais	Tentkheta Nakhtubasterau	Herodotus claims that when Cambyses II invaded Egypt, realizing he was not able to exact revenge for Amasis's previous misdeeds and trickery, he exhumed his body, desecrated it and burned what remained of the mummy.
Psamtik III Psammetichus III		526–525 BC	Ankhkaenre			Ruled for only 6 months according to Herodotus before a Persian invasion led by Cambyses II.

• History of ancient Egypt
• Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt family tree
• Late Period of ancient Egypt
• Saite Oracle Papyrus

• Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, London, 2004.
• Kenneth Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, 1100–650 B.C. (Book & Supplement) Aris & Phillips. 1986 ISBN 978-0-85668-298-8.
• Karl Jansen-Winkeln, Bild und Charakter der ägyptischen 26. Dynastie, Altorientalische Forschungen, 28 (2001), 165–182.