Apries: The Saite Pharaoh Caught Between Ambition, Rebellion, and Collapse
Wahibre Haaibre
Apries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haaibre. He was a pharaoh of Egypt (589–570 BCE). He was the fourth king (counting from Psamtik I) of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. He was equated with the Ouaphris of Manetho, who correctly records that he reigned for 19 years.
One of the most eccentric pharaohs in the Late Period of Egypt, alternatively named Apries in Greek or Wahibre in Laitic, he stands out in history as a king who fractured the Saite used-to-be set who was vice of his predecessors. Even though he had inherited an affluent, steady, and internationally connected kingdom, his political and military decisions on foreign policy that eventually formed an internal unrest and rebellion were what ripped him off the throne.
Sphinx of Apries
He was not a weak leader. He was an ambitious man who was confident and strongly dedicated to the position of Egypt as a force in the eastern Mediterranean. But his dependence on foreign mercenaries, the expensive wars abroad and his inability to sustain the loyalty of his native soldiers in Egypt weakened his power. His reign indicates how weak Egypt had become as an independent state in a world where empires were growing larger and larger.
Pharaoh Apries Biography
He inherited the throne from his father, Pharaoh Psamtik II, in February 589 BCE. He was an active builder who constructed “additions to the temples at Athribis (Tell Atrib), Bahariya Oasis, Memphis and Sais.”
Educated at court, he was trained in:
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Religious rituals
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Administration
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Military command
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Foreign diplomacy
Unlike Amasis II, who rose from the army, he embodied traditional royal authority from birth.
Statue of Psamtik II
Egypt at the Start of Apries’ Reign
When he ascended the throne around 589 BCE, Egypt was still enjoying the prosperity created by earlier Saite rulers such as Psamtik I, Necho II, and Psamtik II.
Strengths Inherited
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Unified and wealthy state
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Strong agricultural base
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Expanding Mediterranean trade
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Professional army with foreign mercenaries
Underlying Problems
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Tension between native Egyptians and foreign soldiers
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Growing Babylonian power
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Heavy military spending
Hophra inherited both opportunity and danger.
Pharaoh Apries Regin
In the 4th year of his reign, Apries’ sister Ankhnesneferibre was made the new God’s Wife of Amun at Thebes. However, Apries’ reign was also fraught with internal problems. In 588 BCE, he dispatched a force to Jerusalem to protect it from Babylonian forces sent by Nebuchadnezzar II.
His forces quickly withdrew, however, apparently avoiding a major confrontation with the Babylonians. Jerusalem, following an 18-month-long siege, was destroyed by the Babylonians in either 587 or 586 BCE. Apries’s unsuccessful attempt to intervene in the politics of the Kingdom of Judah was followed by a mutiny of soldiers from the strategically important Aswan garrison.
According to classical historians, he campaigned in the Levant, took Sidon and so terrified the other cities of Phoenicia that he secured their submission. However, this supposed submission was likely short-lived. A recently uncovered stela from Tahpanhes records that Nebuchadnezzar II attempted to invade Egypt in 582 BCE, but Apries’ forces were able to repel the invasion.
The Libyan Campaign and Disaster
To the west, in Cyrenaica, Battus II of Cyrene promoted a program of colonisation of Greeks into his cities, especially introduced from the Peloponnese and Crete. A conflict thus developed between the settlers and Libyans; under the leadership of their king, Adicran, the latter appealed to Wahibre for the necessary military help around 570 BCE. Condoning the native force against the colonies, Apries marched against Cyrene only to be ignominiously trashed at Irasa.
Consequences
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Heavy Egyptian casualties
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Loss of confidence in royal leadership
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Growing resentment among native troops
The soldiers blamed Apries for sacrificing Egyptian lives while favoring foreign mercenaries elsewhere.
Naos Sistrum with the name of Apries
Civil War and Loss of Power
The conflict between Apries and Amasis escalated into civil war. When the defeated army returned home, a civil war broke out in the Egyptian army between the indigenous troops and the foreign mercenaries. The Egyptians threw their support to Amasis II, a general who had led Egyptian forces in a highly successful invasion of Nubia in 592 BCE under Pharaoh Psamtik II, Apries’ father. Amasis quickly declared himself pharaoh in 570 BCE, and Apries fled Egypt, seeking refuge in a foreign country.
Apries’ Attempted Return
Wahibre did not accept defeat quietly. When he marched back to Egypt in 567 BCE with the aid of a Babylonian army to reclaim the throne of Egypt, he was likely killed in battle with Amasis’ forces. Alternatively, Herodotus holds that Apries survived the battle, and was captured and treated well by the victorious Amasis, until the Egyptian people demanded justice against him, whereby he was placed into their hands and strangled to death. Amasis thus secured his kingship over Egypt and was then its unchallenged ruler.
Amasis, however, reportedly treated Apries’ mortal remains with respect and observed the proper funerary rituals by having Apries’ body carried to Sais and buried there with “full military honours.” Amasis, the former general who had declared himself pharaoh, also married Apries’ daughter, Khedebneithirbinet II, to legitimise his accession to power. While Herodotus claimed that the wife of Apries was called Nitetis, “there are no contemporary references naming her” in Egyptian records.
Eusebius placed the eclipse of Thales in 585 BCE, in the eighth or twelfth year of his reign.
Pharaoh Apries Monuments
An obelisk that he commissioned at Sais was transferred by the 3rd-century AD Roman Emperor Diocletian and initially located at the Temple of Isis at Rome. It is currently in front of the church of Saint Maria over Minerva in Rome.
Stele Apries Memphis
Religion and Temple Support of Apries
Even during political turmoil, he supported major temples.
Religious Activity
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Donations to cult centers
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Temple restorations
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Royal inscriptions
This shows that this pharaoh did not abandon traditional kingship, even as his authority weakened.
Apries and the Beginning of Decline
His reign exposed the weaknesses of the Saite system.
Structural Problems
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Overreliance on mercenaries
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Costly foreign wars
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Fragile internal unity
Though Egypt remained independent under Amasis II, the foundations had cracked.
Historical Importance of Apries
He matters not because of success, but because of consequence.
Why Apries Is Important
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His reign triggered internal rebellion
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Demonstrated limits of foreign military reliance
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Marked shift from unity to division
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Set the stage for later Persian conquest
His failure reshaped Egypt’s political future.
Apries vs Amasis II: Two Saite Pharaohs, Two Very Different Rulers
Apries and Amasis II ruled Egypt during the same dynasty, yet their reigns could not have been more different. Apries inherited a powerful state and lost it through poor judgment, while Amasis rose from crisis and turned instability into Egypt’s last great age of prosperity. Together, they show how leadership choices shaped the final chapter of native Egyptian rule.
1. Background and Rise to Power
Apries
He was born into the royal family and he inherited the throne. He was authoritative through his blood, custom, and heredity. He considered himself to be divine-guarded and he thought that kingship was hereditary.
Amasis II
Amasis was not born a king. He rose from the ranks of the army during a revolt against Apries. His power came from popular support, military loyalty, and practical leadership rather than ancestry.
Head of Amasis II
2. Leadership Style
Apries
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Confident to the point of arrogance
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Distant from ordinary Egyptians
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Relied heavily on foreign advisers and troops
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Believed divine favor guaranteed success
Amasis II
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Practical and approachable
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Skilled at compromise
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Understood public opinion
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Balanced authority with humility
3. Military Policy
Apries
He relied extensively on Greek mercenaries and often sidelined native Egyptian soldiers. This created resentment and ultimately rebellion. His military campaigns, especially in Libya, ended in disaster.
Amasis II
Amasis kept foreign mercenaries but restored balance by respecting Egyptian troops and commanders. He avoided risky wars and focused on defense and stability.
4. Foreign Policy
Apries
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Aggressive and interventionist
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Challenged Babylonian power
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Supported distant allies like Tyre
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Overextended Egypt’s resources
Amasis II
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Cautious and diplomatic
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Avoided direct conflict with major empires
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Strengthened trade and alliances instead of wars
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Prepared defenses quietly
5. Relationship with the Egyptian People
Apries
He lost the trust of his people, especially soldiers. His belief in invincibility alienated both the army and the population.
Amasis II
Amasis actively worked to gain popular support. Ancient sources describe him as humorous, fair, and close to everyday Egyptians.
6. Economy and Trade
Apries
Although Egypt remained wealthy early in his reign, constant military campaigns drained resources and disrupted stability.
Amasis II
Amasis oversaw economic growth, encouraged Mediterranean trade, and regulated foreign merchants through controlled ports like Naucratis.
7. Religion and Legitimacy
Apries
Supported temples and traditional cults but relied heavily on divine destiny to justify his rule.
Amasis II
Used religion strategically, honoring ancient gods while also legitimizing his rule through marriage and public works.
8. End of Reign
Apries
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Overthrown by rebellion
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Defeated in the Civil War
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Killed after attempting to reclaim the throne
Amasis II
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Ruled for over 40 years
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Died peacefully
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Left Egypt stable and prosperous
Apries Death and Burial
He died around 570 BCE. Ancient accounts differ on whether he was killed in battle or executed afterwards.
Respectful Burial
Despite his rebellion, Amasis reportedly allowed Wahibre to be buried with royal honors, suggesting a desire for reconciliation and legitimacy.
