Late Period
Hakor (Achoris)
29th Dynasty (Mendesian) · 399-380 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Hakor held Egypt's throne for roughly thirteen years by weathering repeated Persian invasion attempts and playing foreign alliances to Egypt's advantage, backing the Cypriot rebel king Evagoras and the Athenian general Chabrias only for as long as each remained useful, then dropping both once the political winds shifted. Additional detail: UCL Digital Egypt.
Reign dates: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
Resisting the Achaemenids
Hakor navigated a complex succession struggle following early instability in the dynasty to rule for over a decade. He aggressively expanded building and restoration works throughout Egypt and maintained a firm anti-Persian foreign policy. He supported regional rebellions and Mediterranean coalitions, backing the Cypriot king Evagoras and hiring foreign mercenary commanders like Chabrias to fortify Egypt's defenses against Artaxerxes II before dying shortly before a fresh political crisis.
An ally supported, then dropped
In 381 BCE, Hakor sent the rebel Cypriot king Evagoras of Salamis money and a fleet of fifty triremes to help him hold out against a Persian counter-offensive following Persia's failed invasion of Egypt. When Evagoras's position collapsed and he travelled to Egypt in person the following year to beg for further help, Hakor judged the cause lost and sent him home with only a modest cash gift instead of renewed military support, leaving Evagoras to negotiate his own surrender to Persia soon after. Hakor's use of foreign military talent followed a similar pattern: he recruited the Athenian general Chabrias to help organize Egypt's defenses, then lost him again once the Persian general Pharnabazus successfully pressured Athens into recalling its citizen from Egyptian service.
Sources for this profile
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
- Leprohon, R. J. (2013). The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Society of Biblical Literature.
- UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. Chronology. UCLA.
- University College London. Digital Egypt for Universities.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.