Late Period
Nepherites I (Nefaarud)
29th Dynasty (Mendesian) · 399-380 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Nepherites I secured his throne by defeating Amyrtaeus and then looked abroad for allies against Persia, but his one major recorded act of foreign policy, a large shipment of grain and warship material for Sparta, ended in a costly and almost accidental loss. Additional detail: UCL Digital Egypt.
Dynastic chronology: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
Founding the 29th Dynasty
Nepherites I defeated and executed Amyrtaeus, establishing himself as pharaoh and moving the capital to Mendes in the delta. He positioned himself as a protector of traditional Saite culture, engaging in building projects and supporting religious centers like the Apis bull cult at Saqqara. To secure Egypt's sovereignty against potential Persian reconquest, he utilized a naval fleet to project power along the eastern Mediterranean coast and formed strategic alliances with Spartan forces.
A shipment lost at Rhodes
In 396 BCE, Nepherites sent the Spartan king Agesilaus a substantial gift meant to support Sparta's war against Persia: roughly 500,000 measures of grain along with enough material to equip 100 warships. The fleet carrying this aid sailed for Rhodes without knowing that the island, previously friendly to Sparta, had just switched allegiance back to Persia. The Egyptian cargo arrived directly into the hands of the pro-Persian Athenian admiral Conon, who seized the entire shipment, turning what was meant to be a decisive contribution to the anti-Persian war effort into a complete loss.
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.