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Follow Egypt from the Saite renaissance through the Persian conquests and the last native pharaohs to the arrival of Alexander the Great.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

Late Period · c. 664–332 BCE
The Last Pharaohs

The Late Period

From the Saite renaissance of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty and Necho II's wars and canal, through Amasis' golden age, the Persian conquest of Cambyses and the satrapy of the Achaemenids, the restored independence of the last native pharaohs and Nectanebo's temples, to the second Persian conquest and the arrival of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. Slide across the final centuries of pharaonic Egypt, caught between revival and foreign empire.

664 BC
Twenty-sixth Dynasty
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In the year of Our Lord

664 BC

Twenty-sixth Dynasty
  • Cultural

    The Saite renaissance

    Reunited under the kings of Sais, Egypt enjoys a revival of prosperity, art, and tradition, deliberately modelled on the glories of the Old and Middle Kingdoms.

8 milestones
Full Chronicle

The Late Period

From the Saite renaissance of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty and Necho II's wars and canal, through Amasis' golden age, the Persian conquest of Cambyses and the satrapy of the Achaemenids, the restored independence of the last native pharaohs and Nectanebo's temples, to the second Persian conquest and the arrival of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. Slide across the final centuries of pharaonic Egypt, caught between revival and foreign empire.

  1. Twenty-sixth Dynasty

    • The Saite renaissance

      Reunited under the kings of Sais, Egypt enjoys a revival of prosperity, art, and tradition, deliberately modelled on the glories of the Old and Middle Kingdoms.

  2. Twenty-sixth Dynasty

    • Necho II, Carchemish, and a canal to the Red Sea

      Necho II marches into Syria but is checked by Babylon at Carchemish; at home he begins a canal linking the Nile to the Red Sea and reputedly sponsors a voyage around Africa.

  3. Twenty-sixth Dynasty

    • Amasis and the golden age of Sais

      Amasis, the last great Saite king, presides over a wealthy, cosmopolitan Egypt, strengthening ties with the Greek world and prospering through trade.

  4. Twenty-seventh Dynasty

    • The Persian conquest of Cambyses

      The Persian king Cambyses II defeats Psamtik III at Pelusium and annexes Egypt, making it a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire — the First Persian Period.

  5. Last Native Dynasties

    • Egypt throws off Persian rule

      Amyrtaeus of Sais expels the Persians and restores native rule, beginning six decades of independence under the Twenty-eighth to Thirtieth Dynasties.

  6. Thirtieth Dynasty

    • Nectanebo I and the last native pharaohs

      Nectanebo I founds the Thirtieth Dynasty, the last of native Egyptian kings, and adorns the land with a great wave of temple building.

  7. Thirty-first Dynasty

    • The second Persian conquest

      Artaxerxes III reconquers Egypt, driving out Nectanebo II and reimposing Persian rule in the brief and bitter Thirty-first Dynasty.

  8. Macedonian Conquest

    • Alexander the Great enters Egypt

      Alexander the Great takes Egypt from the Persians without a fight, is hailed as liberator and pharaoh, and founds Alexandria, ending the Late Period.