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Egypt

The Nile kingdom, conquered by Cambyses in 525 BCE and ruled as the satrapy of Mudraya

Im Spiel: Level 2: Der Lanzenträger, Level 3: Die Lüge, Level 5: Die Gründungsurkunde, Level 9: Der Kanal

Egypt was the long valley and delta of the Nile, among the oldest and richest kingdoms the Persians ruled. Cambyses conquered it in 525 BCE and took the pharaoh's titles. As the satrapy of Mudraya it paid tribute in silver and grain, sent ships and men, and rose against the King in 522 BCE and again in 486 BCE.

Im Spiel: The Spear-bearer level is set in Egypt, at Memphis in 525-524 BCE. Its houses, palms, wildlife and weather are Egyptian, and Egypt carries its flag among the nations and on the battle banner.

The gift of the river

Antiker Bericht

Herodotus says the part of Egypt the Greeks sailed to was land the Nile had made, "the gift of the river". He describes how the flood each summer covered the fields, so that grain could be sown with little ploughing. The rise and fall of the Nile ruled Egypt's farming year.

Herodotus 2.5, 2.14

Conquest and the pharaoh's titles

Zeitgenössisch belegt

Cambyses beat Psamtik III at Pelusium and took Memphis in 525 BCE. The statue of Udjahorresnet, an Egyptian official, records that Cambyses took the titles of a pharaoh and a throne name, and was shown the temple of Neith at Sais. Egyptian records date by his years as king.

Herodotus 3.10-15; naophorous statue of Udjahorresnet, Vatican Museums

Tribute and the White Wall

Antiker Bericht

Herodotus puts Egypt, with Libya, Cyrene and Barca, in the sixth tribute district, paying 700 talents of silver, plus the income from the fish of Lake Moeris and grain for the 120,000 men of the garrison at the White Wall of Memphis.

Herodotus 3.91

Darius and the canal

Zeitgenössisch belegt

Darius set up stelae along a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, in Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian and Egyptian. The Old Persian text says he ordered it dug from the Nile to the sea that goes from Persia, and that ships went through it to Persia.

DZc; the Chalouf and Kabret stelae

The revolt of 486 BCE

Antiker Bericht

Herodotus says Egypt revolted in the last years of Darius. Xerxes put it down in the second year of his reign, laid a heavier yoke on the country, and made his brother Achaemenes its governor. The revolt delayed the invasion of Greece.

Herodotus 7.1, 7.4-7