Late Period
Nectanebo II (Nakhthorheb)
30th Dynasty (Sebennytos) · 380-343 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Nectanebo II was the last native pharaoh, and his final defeat in 343 BCE turned partly on inside knowledge supplied by a Greek mercenary commander who had once fought for Egypt, an ending later reworked by legend into a much stranger story about where the fallen king went next. Background from: UCL Digital Egypt.
Reign dates: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
The final native pharaoh
Nectanebo II ascended the throne following the coup against his uncle Teos and presided over a vibrant cultural renaissance, marked by magnificent artistic achievements and major temple construction. He actively supported anti-Persian revolts in Phoenicia and Cyprus, successfully repelling an initial invasion by Artaxerxes III in 351 BCE. However, a massive subsequent Persian assault in 343 BCE, aided by the betrayal of Greek commander Mentor of Rhodes, shattered Egypt's defenses, prompting Nectanebo II to flee south to Nubia and ending over three millennia of native dynastic rule.
A traitor with inside knowledge, and a legend of exile
Mentor of Rhodes had once led 4,000 Greek mercenaries on Nectanebo's behalf to support Sidon's revolt against Persia, but by 343 BCE he was fighting for Artaxerxes III instead, and his intimate knowledge of Egypt's fortifications and defense plans from his earlier service proved decisive: the frontier garrisons at Pelusium and Bubastis fell in quick succession, and Nectanebo abandoned the Delta rather than risk a final battle. What actually became of him afterward in Nubia is not recorded. Centuries later, the popular Alexander Romance offered a very different, explicitly legendary ending, claiming Nectanebo fled all the way to Macedon and secretly fathered Alexander the Great with Queen Olympias, a story with no historical basis that appears to reflect a later Egyptian wish to claim continuity with their most famous conqueror rather than any real event.
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.