Cambyses II

Conquered Egypt and founded the 27th Dynasty under Persian rule.

Life

Inheriting the Empire

Cambyses II was the eldest son of Cyrus the Great. When he came to the throne, the Persian Empire already encompassed the former lands of Media, Lydia and the Neo-Babylonian Empire and stretched across West Asia; only Egypt remained an independent power in the Nile valley, and it became his first target of conquest after his accession.

Conquest of Egypt

In 525 BCE he defeated the army of Pharaoh Psamtik III of Egypt at the Battle of Pelusium and then took Memphis, founding the 27th Dynasty of Egypt under Persian rule and being crowned pharaoh according to ancient Egyptian rites. He then campaigned in Nubia but returned without success because of supply shortages.

Image of a Tyrant

Herodotus portrays Cambyses as a cruel and deranged tyrant, recording episodes such as his stabbing of the sacred Apis bull and his persecution of Egyptian priests. These accounts, however, were likely colored by the Egyptian priestly class's hostility toward the Persian conquerors and by later political propaganda, and historians have long questioned their accuracy.

Legacy

Cambyses II completed the conquests Cyrus had left unfinished, bringing Egypt into the Persian Empire so that the Achaemenid dynasty encompassed the ancient centers of civilization in Western Asia and North Africa. Herodotus depicted him as a mad tyrant, but Egyptian sources show that he respected local religion and held a funeral for the sacred Apis bull, so his image as a tyrant may be exaggerated. After his death the empire fell into a struggle over the throne, which Darius I used to seize power.

Major works & achievements

• Defeated Egypt at the Battle of Pelusium
• Crowned pharaoh according to Egyptian rites
• Founded Egypt's 27th Dynasty
• Expedition to Nubia (unsuccessful)

Did you know? Herodotus records that an army of 50,000 he sent to the Siwa Oasis was swallowed by a sandstorm, though this has never been confirmed by archaeology.

Key dates

• 530 BCESucceeded Cyrus on the throne
• 525 BCEDefeated Egypt at the Battle of Pelusium
• 525 BCEAlso became pharaoh of Egypt
• 524 BCEExpedition to Nubia failed
• 522 BCEHearing of a coup at home, died on the way back