Psammetichus III

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Psammetichus III
Psamtik III
Psamtik III wearing the crown of Upper Egypt, from the chapel in the Temple of Karnak
Psamtik III wearing the crown of Upper Egypt, from the chapel in the Temple of Karnak
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign 526–525 BC,  26th dynasty
Predecessor Amasis II
Successor Cambyses II
Royal titulary
Children Amasis
Died 525 BC

Psammetichus III (also spelled Psammeticus or Psamtik) was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt from 526 BC – 525 BC. Most of what we know about his reign and life was documented by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century. He ruled no longer than six months before he was defeated by King Cambyses II of Persia at Pelusium, carried to Susa in chains, and executed.

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[edit] Family

Psammetichus III was the son of the pharaoh Amasis II and one of his wives, Queen Takheta. He succeeded his father as pharaoh in 526 BC, when Amasis died after a long and prosperous reign of some 44 years. According to Herodotus, he had a son named Amasis and a wife and daughter, both unnamed in historical documents.

[edit] Defeat and imprisonment

Further information: Battle of Pelusium (525 BC)

Psammetichus ruled Egypt no more than six months. The young and inexperienced pharaoh probably did all he could to defend his country from invasion, but Egypt was no match for the Persians. After the enemy, led by Cambyses, had crossed Sinai and the desert with the aid of the Arabs, a bloody battle was fought near Pelusium, a city on Egypt's eastern frontier, in the spring of 525 BC. Being defeated at the battle of Pelusium, after he was betrayed by one of his allies, Phanes of Halicarnas, Psametik fled to Memphis. The Persians captured the city after a long siege, and captured Psammetichus shortly after its fall. Shortly thereafter, Cambyses ordered the public execution of two thousand of the principal citizens, including (it is said) a son of the fallen king.

A stone relief fragment bearing the cartouche of the Saite pharaoh Psametik, quite possibly Psammetichus III, in hieroglyphs. On display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
A stone relief fragment bearing the cartouche of the Saite pharaoh Psametik, quite possibly Psammetichus III, in hieroglyphs. On display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

[edit] Captivity and execution

In book III of The History by Herodotus, Psammetichus' daughter was enslaved, his son given a death sentence, and a companion was turned into a beggar. They were all brought before him to test his reaction, and he only became upset over seeing the state of the beggar. Psammetichus was spared but his son was cut to pieces. The deposed pharaoh was imprisoned and taken to Susa in chains where he was at first treated relatively well. After a while, however, Psammetichus began plotting a rebellion against Cambyses and, thus, he was forced to drink bull's blood, causing his death.

[edit] External links