Psammuthes

Last updated

Psammuthes or Psammuthis, [1] was a pharaoh of the Twenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt during 392/1 BC.

Contents

Biography

The place of this king in the dynasty is a matter of debate. Although he is mentioned in three different epitomes of Manetho's Aegyptiaca (Africanus, Eusebius and the Armenian version of the latter) and in the Demotic Chronicle , the sequence of kings is different among these sources and it is unclear if Psammuthes succeeded Hakor, or vice versa. [1]

According to a hypothesis of the Egyptologist John D. Ray, upon the death of Nepherites I in 393 BC, the throne passed to his son and successor, which is likely to had been Hakor. However, it seems that in his Year 2 a usurper, Psammuthes (a hellenized form of the Egyptian name Pasherienmut [2] ), seized power and deposed Hakor, while proclaiming himself pharaoh. [1]

Relief bearing part of Psammuthes' royal titulary, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Psammuthis-ReliefFragmentBearingNames MetropolitanMuseum.jpg
Relief bearing part of Psammuthes' royal titulary, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Both Manetho and the Demotic Chronicle give to Psammuthes a reign length of a year, agreeing with the highest date given by archaeological records, a Mother of Apis stele recording his "Year 1, fourth month of Peret ". Before the year 2 of Psammuthes, and thus before the "official" year 3 of Hakor, the latter in some way resumed power, and then continued to date his monuments since his first coronation date, simply pretending that the usurper never existed. [1]

Nevertheless, some archaeological records mentioning Psammuthes have survived: the Mother of Apis stele from the Serapeum of Saqqara, a block from Akhmim, and some other findings all from the Theban region. Psammuthes is generally credited to have ordered the construction of a chapel in Karnak, which was later usurped and finished by Hakor. It is also possible, however, that the chapel was started by Hakor before his deposition and further restored by him during his second reign. [1]

Archaeological Evidence

In 2022 and 2023, excavations at Tell Timai conducted by a joint mission of Nottingham Trent University and the University of Hawaii under the directorship of Jay Silverstein and Robert Littman uncovered the remains of a 29th Dynasty temple with a monumental inscription dedicated to Psammuthes. At this time, Thmuis (Tell Timai) was merely an extension of Mendes, then the political capital of Egypt. Like the 29th dynasty tombs and temples at Mendes, this temple appears to have been looted and raised after Artaxerxes III recoquered Egypt. The temple was rebuilt during the reign of Ptolemy II with at least a portion of the new temple dedicated to Arsinoe II in her Isis aspect. This second temple appears to have been destroyed during the Great Rebellion [3] referenced on the Rosetta Stone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amasis II</span> Egyptian pharaoh from 570 to 526 BC

Amasis II or Ahmose II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis, Egypt</span> Ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, Egypt

Memphis, or Men-nefer, was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, the first nome of Lower Egypt that was known as mḥw ("North"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina, in markaz (county) Badrashin, Giza, Egypt. This modern name is probably derived from the late Ancient Egyptian name for Memphis mjt-rhnt meaning "Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djoser</span> Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 3rd dynasty

Djoser was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 3rd Dynasty during the Old Kingdom, and was the founder of that epoch. He is also known by his Hellenized names Tosorthros and Sesorthos. He was the son of King Khasekhemwy and Queen Nimaathap, but whether he was also the direct successor to their throne is unclear. Most Ramesside king lists identify a king named Nebka as preceding him, but there are difficulties in connecting that name with contemporary Horus names, so some Egyptologists question the received throne sequence. Djoser is known for his step pyramid, which is the earliest colossal stone building in ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepi II Neferkare</span> Egyptian pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty for the Old Kingdom

Pepi II Neferkare was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from c. 2278 BC. His second name, Neferkare (Nefer-ka-Re), means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Merenre I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thutmose IV</span> Egyptian Pharaoh

Thutmose IV was the 8th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled in approximately the 14th century BC. His prenomen or royal name, Menkheperure, means "Established in forms is Re." He was the son of Amenhotep II and Tiaa. Thutmose IV was the grandfather of Akhenaten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qa'a</span> Egyptian ruler

Qa'a was the last king of the First Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for 33 years at the end of the 30th century BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Den (pharaoh)</span> Horus name of an early Egyptian king

Den, also known as Hor-Den, Dewen, and Udimu, was the Horus name of a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period who ruled during the First Dynasty of Egypt. He is the best archaeologically-attested ruler of this period, credited with bringing prosperity to his realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepseskare</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Shepseskare or Shepseskara was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the fourth or fifth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. Shepseskare lived in the mid-25th century BC and was probably the owner of an unfinished pyramid in Abusir, which was abandoned after a few weeks of work in the earliest stages of its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amyrtaeus</span> Egyptian pharaoh from 404 to 399 BC

Amyrtaeusof Sais is the only pharaoh of the Twenty-eighth Dynasty of Egypt and is thought to be related to the royal family of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. He ended the first Persian occupation of Egypt and reigned from 404 BC to 399 BC. Amyrtaeus' successful insurrection inaugurated Egypt's last significant phase of independence under native sovereigns, which lasted for about 60 years until the Persians conquered the country again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nectanebo I</span> 4th-century BC Egyptian pharaoh

Nectanebo I was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the 30th.

Nepherites II or Nefaarud II was the last pharaoh of the feeble and short-lived Twenty-ninth Dynasty, the penultimate native dynasty of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakor</span> 29th Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh

Hakor or Hagar, also known by the hellenized forms Achoris or Hakoris, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 29th Dynasty. His reign marks the apex of this feeble and short-lived dynasty, having ruled for 13 years – more than half of its entire duration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepherites I</span> Egyptian pharaoh from 399 BC to 393 BC

Nefaarud I or Nayfaurud I, better known with his hellenised name Nepherites I, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the founder of the 29th Dynasty in 399 BC.

The Ptolemaic Decrees were a series of decrees by synods of ancient Egyptian priests. They were issued in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which controlled Egypt from 305 BC to 30 BC. In each decree, the benefactions of the reigning pharaoh, especially towards the priesthood, are recognised, and religious honours are decreed for him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehesy</span>

Nehesy Aasehre (Nehesi) was a ruler of Lower Egypt during the fragmented Second Intermediate Period. He is placed by most scholars into the early 14th Dynasty, as either the second or the sixth pharaoh of this dynasty. As such he is considered to have reigned for a short time c. 1705 BC and would have ruled from Avaris over the eastern Nile Delta. Recent evidence makes it possible that a second person with this name, a son of a Hyksos king, lived at a slightly later time during the late 15th Dynasty c. 1580 BC. It is possible that most of the artefacts attributed to the king Nehesy mentioned in the Turin canon, in fact belong to this Hyksos prince.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosetta Stone decree</span> Decree passed by a council of priests, inscribed on the Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone decree, or the Decree of Memphis, is a Ptolemaic decree most notable for its bilingual and tri-scriptual nature, which enabled the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Issued by a council of priests confirming the royal cult of Ptolemy V in 196 BC at Memphis, it was written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian Demotic and Ancient Greek. It mentions the Egyptian rebellion against the Greek rulers, otherwise known only through Greek sources and remains of graffiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt</span> 398–380 BC ancient Egyptian dynasty

The Twenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt is usually classified as the fourth Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian Late Period. It was founded after the overthrow of Amyrtaeus, the only Pharaoh of the 28th Dynasty, by Nefaarud I in 398 BC, and disestablished upon the overthrow of Nefaarud II in 380 BC.

Muthis may have been an ephemeral ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Twenty-ninth Dynasty.

The Demotic Chronicle is an ancient Egyptian prophetic text. The work is intended to provide a chronicle of the 28th, 29th and 30th dynasties – thus the independence interval between the two Persian dominations. Rather than providing historical events occurred during the reigns of the pharaohs of the aforementioned period, the Demotic Chronicle judges these rulers on the basis of their behaviour, explaining the length and prosperity of their reigns as an expression of divine will. The Chronicle also emphasizes the misrule of the "Medes" and of the Ptolemies, and prophesies the coming of a native hero who will ascend to the throne and restore an era of order and justice upon Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yanassi</span>

Yanassi was a Hyksos prince, and possibly king, of the Fifteenth Dynasty. He was the eldest son of the pharaoh Khyan, and possibly the crown prince, designated to be Khyan's successor. He may have succeeded his father, thereby giving rise to the mention of a king "Iannas" in Manetho's Aegyptiaca, who, improbably, was said to have ruled after the pharaoh Apophis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ray, J. D., 1986: "Psammuthis and Hakoris", The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology , 72: 149-158.
  2. Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1994 p.203
  3. Silverstein, Jay E.; Littman, Robert J. (2023-05-19). "Archaeological Correlates of the Rosetta Stone's Great Revolt in the Nile Delta: Destruction at Tell Timai". Journal of Field Archaeology. 48 (4): 245–263. doi: 10.1080/00934690.2022.2158569 . ISSN   0093-4690.
Preceded by Pharaoh of Egypt
Twenty-Ninth Dynasty
Succeeded by
Hakor (restored)