Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt

History:
– Dynasty originated from the Twenty-fourth Dynasty
– Psamtik I unified Egypt with Greek mercenaries
– Egyptian force under Necho II fought Neo-Babylonian Empire in 605 BCE
– Psamtik and successors tried to assert power in the Near East
– Persians invaded Egypt in 525 BCE, founding the First Egyptian Satrapy

Archaeology:
– Unique cemetery from the 26th Dynasty discovered in Oxyrhynchus
– 59 coffins from the 26th Dynasty unveiled in Egypt in 2020
– Artifacts found include bronze coins, clay seals, Roman tombstones
– Cemetery includes small crosses
– Room built with glazed limestone found in the cemetery

Art:
– Pottery vessel showing god Bes’s face from the 26th Dynasty
– Female figure with Psamtik I’s name inscribed under feet
– Sphinx of Apries from Anne Claude de Caylus’ collection
– Sarcophagus of Harkhebit from Saqqara, 595–526 BCE
– Various artifacts from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and Louvre Museum

Pharaohs of the 26th Dynasty:
– Dynasty starts with Psamtik I as the first pharaoh
– Necho I ruled for 8 years
– Psamtik II ruled from 595–589 BC
– Apries ruled from 589–570 BC
– Amasis II ruled from 570–526 BC

Bibliography:
– Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton’s “The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt”
– Kenneth Kitchen’s “The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, 1100–650 B.C.”
– Karl Jansen-Winkeln’s “Bild und Charakter der ägyptischen 26. Dynastie”

Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (Wikipedia)

The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) was the last native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although other brief periods of rule by Egyptians followed). The dynasty's reign (664–525 BC) is also called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital, and marks the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt.

Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
664 BC–525 BC
Portrait of a Pharaoh of the Saite Dynasty
Capital	Sais
Common languages	Egyptian language
Religion	Ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Monarchy
Pharaoh
• 664–610 BC	Psamtik I (first)
• 526–525 BC	Psamtik III (last)
History
• Established	664 BC
• Disestablished	525 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Assyrian conquest of Egypt Third Intermediate Period of Egypt Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt