APPENDIX III. 485 



adventurers, by their means he reduced all the other kings of Lower Egypt, 

 vanquishing them at the decisive battle of Momemphis. He followed up 

 this success by throwing off the yoke of the Assyrian monarchs, and after 

 expelling the Ethiopians from the Thebais, once more established a united 

 Egypt from the Mediterranean to the Nubian frontier. Thus was founded 

 the 



XXYI. Dynasty: Saite 



M. 665, B. 666. 



PsAMMETicnus (Psametik) I., Under whom the Greeks for the first time obtained a 

 permanent footing in Lower Egypt, chiefly as mercenaries and traders in 

 the Mediterranean seaports. B. 666. He encouraged foreign trade, 

 established continuous relations with Greece and Phœnicia, and thus 

 broke away from the old traditions of isolation and seclusion which had 

 formed the guiding principle in the policy of the native sovereigns for 

 many generations. 



Necho (Neco), son of Psametik I., who equipped a fleet to circumnavigate Africa, and 

 attempted to reopen Sethi's canal between the Nile and the Eed Sea. He 

 warred at first successfully against the Assyrians, overthrowing their ally 

 Josiah, King of Judah, at the battle of Megiddo ; but was himself 

 ultimately defeated by Nebuchadnezzar at Kar-Khemish, in the Euphrates 

 Valley. B. 612. But this check was compensated by a great increase of 

 internal prosperity and the development of commercial relations with the 

 surrounding nations. In his time the native arts and industries again 

 experienced a short and last revival on the banks of the Nile. 



' PSAMMETICHUS II. B. 596. 



HoPHRA (Uahbra), or Apries, son of Psammetichus IL, during whose reign many Jews 

 settled in Egypt. He went to the aid of Zedekiah, who was besieged by 

 Nebuchadnezzar ; but afterwards withdrew, allowing the Babylonians to 

 capture the city and destroy the kingdom of Judah. His fleets gained 

 some considerable triumphs in the Syrian waters ; but he was afterwards 

 completely defeated in a war against the Greeks of Gyrene, who had 

 already acquired great political power. Thereupon his army revolted, 

 and proclaimed king his general Ahmes. Hophra was dethroned and put 

 to death by the rebels in 571 b.c. 



Ahmes (Amasis), under whose long and flourishing reign Egypt recovered much of her 

 former greatness. Amasis was a fortunate and able ruler, who distin- 

 guished himself in the arts of war and peace. He even extended the 

 limits of the monarchy by the acquisition of the island of Cyprus, which 

 had been successively subject to the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. 

 Of all the kings of this dynasty Ahmes most favoured the Greeks, and 

 during his reign they were encouraged by many privileges to settle in the 

 country. In the Delta was now founded the Hellenic city of Naucratis, 

 whose prosperity already foreshadowed that of the neighbouring Alexan- 

 dria. 



Nevertheless this momentary revival of the ancient glories of the Egyptian 

 empire could scarcely disguise the inherent weakness and decay of the national 



