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The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite
Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the
end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the
beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either
case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a
decentralized Egyptian state that had been
ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the
assistance of a powerful family centered in the
Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove
the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this
campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the
height of its power; however, due to civil strife
back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces
from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family
from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his
authority over the entire Nile Valley and found
his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history.
Known as the Saite Period due to the importance
of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like
many before it, sought to emulate the artistic
styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their
own claims to power and legitimize their
authority.
The Saite Pharaoh Haa-ib-re, meaning "Jubilant
is the Heart of Re Forever," is better known by his
Greek name Apries. He succeeded his father,
Psamtik II in February of 589 B.C., and ruled
Egypt until his defeat at the hands of Amasis in
570 B.C. Some sources suggest that Apries was
the Biblical Hophra. The famed historian
Herodutus claimed that the wife of Apries was
called Nitetis. As all Egyptian pharaohs felt was
their duty, he built temples to glorify the deities
in locations such as Athribis (Tell Atrib), in the
Bahariya Oasis, at Memphis and Sais. On the
military front, he was plagued with a number of
problems at home and abroad. Apries vigorously
confronted the Chaldaean problem that had
plagued his predecessors. Although the
Egyptians scored early successes under an
alliance with Phoenician cities and Zedekiah of
Judah, this campaign ended in disaster and
possibly caused an invasion of Egypt in the late
580’s. However, Apries did mount some efficient
campaigns against Cyprus and Phonenicia
between 574 and 570 B.C. Although a mutiny
launched by an important military garrison of
native Egyptian troops stationed at Elephantine
had been successfully suppressed, it set a
dangerous precedant.
Apries sent another army of native Egyptians to
help Libya in their battle against the Greek city of
Cyrene. They were badly beaten and Apris was
blamed for this disastrous defeat. For
sometime, the Greek mercenaries under the
pharaoh’s command had been treated
considerably better than the native Egyptian
army(the machimoi). Tensions that had been
bubbling under the surface finally erupted upon
the survivor's return to Egypt when a
confrontation between the machimoi and the
mercenaries resulted in civil war. When Apries
sent his general Amasis (Ahmose II) to put down
the revolt, he turned against the pharaoh and
assumed the leadership of the rebel army. At this
point, history becomes a bit fuzzy as several
accounts vary. However, it is clear that the
Greek mercenaries met the rebellious Egyptian
army in battle at a location called Momemphis
around January or February of 570 B.C. Apries’
army was defeated and forced to retreat.
Eventually, Amasis caught up to him and Apries
was killed. Yet in death, he was treated with
respect by the new king and his remains were
transported to Sais, where he was buried with
full royal honors.
Although small bronze sculptures depicting
kings in kneeling poses first appeared in the
Middle Kingdom, a noticeably greater number of
such bronzes were created during the Third
Intermediate Period (1070-712 B.C.). This
phenomenon suggests an increased focus on the
pharaoh’s subordinate relationship to the gods,
perhaps reflecting the evolution of religious
philosophies. This sculpture depicts a king
kneeling in an offering pose with his open hands
held just above his knees. He is festooned in the
traditional royal regalia, including a pleated kilt
secured into place by a broad belt, beaded
armbands, and a broad beaded collar. A stripped
cloth nemes headdress crowns his head (the
same type immortalized in the gold bust of
Tutankhamen) featuring a fragmented Uraeus
cobra. His wide face has been expertly rendered
with engraved details such as the tapering
eyebrows. A cartouche has been inscribed onto
the upper portion of his left arm, identifying him
as Apriès (early XXVI dynasty, circa 589-570 BC).
While bronze representation of this little-known
king are extremely rare, there exists another
bronze statuette in the name of this king now in
the collection of the Museum of Cairo (CGC
38245).
- (X.0113)
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