TheThirty-first Dynasty of Egypt (notatedDynasty XXXI, alternatively31st Dynasty orDynasty 31), also known as theSecond Egyptian Satrapy, was effectively asatrapy of theAchaemenid Empire between 343 BC to 332 BC. It was founded byArtaxerxes III, theKing of Persia, after his reconquest of Egypt and subsequent crowning asPharaoh ofEgypt, and was disestablished upon the conquest of Egypt byAlexander the Great.
The period of the 31st Dynasty was the second occasion in which Persian pharaohs ruled Egypt, hence the term "Second Egyptian Satrapy". Before the 31st Dynasty was founded, Egypt had enjoyed a brief period of independence, during which three indigenous dynasties reigned (the28th,29th, and30th dynasties). The period before this is referred to as the "First Egyptian Satrapy" or the27th Dynasty (525–404 BC).
In around 351 BC, Artaxerxes embarked on a campaign to recover Egypt, which had revolted under his father, Artaxerxes II. At the same time, a rebellion had broken out in Asia Minor, which, being supported byThebes, threatened to become serious.[5] Levying a vast army, Artaxerxes marched into Egypt, and engagedNectanebo II. After a year of fighting the EgyptianPharaoh, Nectanebo inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians with the support of mercenaries led by the Greek generals Diophantus and Lamius.[6] Artaxerxes was compelled to retreat and to postpone his plans to reconquer Egypt.
In 343 BC, Artaxerxes, in addition to his 330,000 Persians, had now a force of 8,000 Greeks furnished by the Greek cities of Asia Minor: 4,000 underMentor, consisting of the troops which he had brought to the aid of Tennes from Egypt; 3,000 sent by Argos; and 1000 from Thebes. He divided these troops into three bodies, and placed at the head of each a Persian and a Greek. The Greek commanders were Lacrates of Thebes,Mentor of Rhodes and Nicostratus of Argos while the Persians were led by Rhossaces, Aristazanes, andBagoas, the chief of the eunuchs.Nectanebo II resisted with an army of 100,000 of whom 20,000 were Greek mercenaries. Nectanebo II occupied theNile and its various branches with his large navy. The character of the country, intersected by numerous canals, and full of strongly fortified towns, was in his favour and Nectanebo II might have been expected to offer a prolonged, if not even a successful, resistance. But he lacked good generals, and over-confident in his own powers of command, he found himself out-manoeuvered and defeated by the combined Persian armies nearPelusium.[11]
Probable portrait of youngArtaxerxes IV as Pharaoh, wearing the Pharaonic crown.[7]
After his defeat, Nectanebo hastily fled toMemphis, leaving the fortified towns to be defended by their garrisons. These garrisons consisted of partlyGreek and partly Egyptian troops, between whom jealousies and suspicions were easily sown by the Persian leaders. As a result, the Persians were able to rapidly defeat numerous towns across Lower Egypt and were advancing upon Memphis when Nectanebo decided to quit the country and flee southwards to Ethiopia.[11] The Persian army then completely routed the Egyptians and occupied the Lower Delta of the Nile. Following Nectanebo's flight to Ethiopia, all of Egypt submitted to Artaxerxes. The Jews in Egypt were sent either toBabylon or to the south coast of theCaspian Sea, the same location where the Jews ofPhoenicia had earlier been sent.[citation needed]
After this victory over the Egyptians, Artaxerxes had the city walls destroyed, started a reign of terror, and set about looting all the temples.Persia gained a significant amount of wealth from this looting. Artaxerxes also imposed high taxes and attempted to weakenEgypt enough that it could never revolt against Persia again. During the 10 years that Persia controlled Egypt, believers in the native religion were persecuted and sacred books were stolen.[12] Before he returned to Persia, he appointed Pherendares assatrap of Egypt. With the wealth gained from his reconquest of Egypt, Artaxerxes was able to amply reward his mercenaries. He then returned to his capital, having successfully completed his invasion and occupation of Egypt.
Portrait ofSabaces, Achaemenid satrap of Egypt, from his coinage. Circa 340-333 BC. Achaemenid Egypt.
It is not known who served assatrap after Artaxerxes III, butPherendates II was an early satrap of Egypt. UnderDarius III (336–330 BC) there wasSabaces, who fought and died atIssus and was succeeded byMazaces. Egyptians also fought at Issus, for example, the nobleman Somtutefnekhet ofHeracleopolis, who described on the "Naples stele" how he escaped during the battle against the Greeks and how Arsaphes, the god of his city, protected him and allowed him to return home.
In 332 BC, Mazaces handed over the country toAlexander the Great without a fight. The Achaemenid empire had ended, and for a while Egypt was a satrapy inAlexander's empire.Cleomenes of Naucratis oversaw the transfer of Egypt's tax revenue to other provinces, possibly under the title of satrap. At Alexander's death,Ptolemy was formally appointed satrap prior to his establishment of thePtolemaic Kingdom. TheRomans eventually replaced thePtolemaic dynasty, maintaining Egypt as the personal property ofAugustus and the subsequent emperors and ruling through local governors.
Egyptian man in a Persian costume, c. 343–332 BC, accession number 71.139,Brooklyn Museum.[13]
Occasionally Egyptians wore foreign costumes and jewelry. The taste for non-Egyptian fashion arose during periods of extensive trade or diplomatic contact with distant courts, or when Egypt was controlled by a foreign power. The Persians, who thrice invaded the Nile Valley from their West Asia homeland, dominated Egypt from 525–404 BCE (27th Dynasty), 342–332 BCE (31st Dynasty), and 619–628 CE (Sasanian Egypt). This statue dates to the later period of Persian rule in Egypt.[13]
According to theBrooklyn Museum, "The long skirt shown wrapped around this statue’s body and tucked in at the upper edge of the garment is typically Persian. The necklace, called a torque, is decorated with images of ibexes, symbols in ancient Persia of agility and sexual prowess. The depiction of this official in Persian dress may have been a demonstration of loyalty to the new rulers."[13]
Coin ofCilicia 343-332 BC, thought to representArtaxerxes III on the obverse, and a young Artaxerxes IV on the reverse, both wearing the Pharaonic crown.[14][7]
^"Another seal, also from Egypt, shows a Persian king, his left hand grasping an Egyptian with an Egyptian hairdo (pschent), whom he thrusts through with his lance while holding four prisoners with a rope around their necks."Briant, Pierre (2002).From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Eisenbrauns. p. 215.ISBN9781575061207.
![Another similar coin. Mazaios, Satrap of Cilicia, 361/0-334 BC.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCILICIA%2c_Myriandros._Mazaios._Satrap_of_Cilicia%2c_361-0-334_BC.jpg)
![Another similar coin. Mazaios, Satrap of Cilicia, 361/0-334 BC.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCILICIA%2c_Myriandros._Mazaios._Satrap_of_Cilicia%2c_361-0-334_BCE.jpg)
![Coin of Cilicia 343-332 BC, thought to represent Artaxerxes III on the obverse, and a young Artaxerxes IV on the reverse, both wearing the Pharaonic crown.[14][7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCILICIA%2c_Myriandros._343-332_BC.jpg)
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