Saite Egypt

Abstract

The chapter provides an overview of the political and administrative history of the Twenty-sixth or Saite Dynasty of Egypt (656–526 bc). After a long period of political disintegration in Egypt, Psamtek I, a local dynast from the city of Sais in the western Nile delta, succeeded in reuniting Upper and Lower Egypt in the middle of the seventh century bc. In the course of his long reign, he consolidated his rule in Egypt against local rivals and Libyan incursions and was even able to briefly extend his territory into the southern Levant. After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Egypt came into direct conflict with the succeeding Neo-Babylonian Empire regarding the control over the Levant, but its ambitions were soon confined to its traditional borders. Under the impression of this new eastern threat, the Saite kings focused on building up a fleet in the Mediterranean, as well as on recruiting Ionian and Carian mercenaries, whose presence in Egypt came to greatly influence also internal politics. The Saite period is regarded as a phase of prosperity, characterized by a conscious return to Egypt’s own cultural traditions, as testified prominently by the monuments commissioned by various high officials of the central administration and an extensive temple-building program. The chapter puts the domestic and foreign policies of the Saite rulers into context, outlining also the main initiatives regarding temples and cults, and discusses the significance of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty for the cultural history of ancient Egypt.