Ancient Egypt • Late Period

Ancient Egypt's "Late Period" includes the last phases during which ancient Egypt functioned as an independent political entity.

The Late Period in Ancient Period

During these years, Egyptian culture was under pressure from major civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. The socioeconomic system, however, had a vigour, efficiency, and flexibility that ensured the success of the nation during these years of triumph and disaster.

The Centralized State was Maintained

Throughout the ancient Egypt Late Period, the country made a largely successful effort to maintain an effectively centralized state, which, except for the two periods of Persian occupation (27th and 31st dynasties), was based on earlier indigenous models.

Late Period Egypt, however, displayed certain destabilizing features, such as the emergence of regionally based power centers. These contributed to the revolts against the Persian occupation, but also to the recurrent internal crises of the 28th, 29th, and 30th dynasties.

The 26th Dynasty was founded by Psammethichus I, who made Egypt a united and powerful kingdom. This dynasty, which ruled from 664 to 525 B.C., represented the last great age of pharaonic civilization. The dynasty ended when a Persian invasion force under Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, dethroned the last pharaohs.

Ancient Egypt as a Persian Province

Cambyses established himself as pharaoh and appears to have made some attempts to identify his regime with the Egyptian religious hierarchy. Ancient Egypt became a Persian province serving chiefly as a source of revenue for the far-flung Persian Empire. From Cambyses to Darius II in the years 525 to 404 B.C., the Persian emperors are counted as the 27th Dynasty.

Periodic ancient Egypt Late Period revolts, usually aided by Greek military forces, were unsuccessful until 404 B.C., when Egypt regained an uneasy independence under the short-lived, native 28th, 29th, and 30th dynasties.

Independence was lost again in 343 B.C., and Persian rule was oppressively reinstated and continued until 335 B.C., in what is sometimes called the 31st Dynasty, or The Second Persian occupation of Egypt.

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