Psamtik I

Psamtik I was an Egyptian pharaoh who reunited Egypt after Assyrian rule and founded the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. He ruled from 664 to 610 BCE.

Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt: The dynasty that ruled Egypt from 664 to 525 BCE, beginning with Psamtik I and ending with Persian conquest. Psamtik founded this dynasty, which restored centralized kingship.
Sais: An ancient city in the Nile Delta that served as the capital of Egypt under the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. Psamtik’s power base at Sais became the center of his rule.
Gyges of Lydia: A king of Lydia in western Anatolia who ruled during the seventh century BCE. Greek sources associate Gyges with military support for Psamtik’s consolidation of power.
Ancient Egyptian Late Period: The final centuries of ancient Egyptian history, marked by successive native dynasties and foreign conquests. Psamtik’s dynasty began the Late Period’s renewed phase of native Egyptian kingship.
Assyrian conquest of Egypt: The campaigns by Assyrian kings that brought much of Egypt under Assyrian control in the seventh century BCE. Assyrian intervention created the political conditions Psamtik exploited to reunify Egypt.
Amun: A major Egyptian deity whose cult was centered at Thebes and whose priesthood wielded substantial political influence. Psamtik secured authority in Upper Egypt by managing relations with Amun’s powerful priesthood.
Greek mercenaries: Soldiers from Greek-speaking communities who served foreign rulers in return for payment. Psamtik employed Greek fighters, whose presence reflected Egypt’s growing connections across the Mediterranean.
Saite Renaissance: A revival of older Egyptian artistic and cultural forms during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, centered on Sais. The stability Psamtik established enabled a deliberate revival of earlier Egyptian styles.
Taharqa: A king of Egypt’s Twenty-fifth Dynasty who resisted Assyrian invasions before losing control of Egypt. Taharqa’s retreat and the Twenty-fifth Dynasty’s collapse opened the way for Psamtik’s rise.
Divine Adoratrice of Amun: A high-ranking religious office held by royal women who served the god Amun at Thebes. Psamtik placed his daughter Nitocris in this office to strengthen royal influence in Thebes.

Linked from 9 pages