Nectanebo II: The Final Stand of the Last Native Pharaoh

Nectanebo II: The Final Stand of the Last Native Pharaoh

Nectanebo II is the last native Egyptian ever to enjoy his reign in his own land before the period of foreign empires was established. He was a tough leader who could protect his borders against the invasion of the Persians and could afford to build monumental structures on behalf of the gods. The span of the age of the Pharaohs was really terminated by his flight to Nubia in the south.

The Last Native Pharaoh of the Nile

Nectanebo II

Nectanebo II has his niche in the long history of Egypt. He became the last native man who governed the country thousands of years prior to the foreign powers’ overcoming it. Being the third and the final king of the 30th Dynasty, he lived in a world that was evolving very fast. It was turning into a region of huge empires and the Nile valley was an asset that everybody was attempting to seize.

Nectanebo II lived in the period when to be a king is to be a warrior and a priest simultaneously. He did his best to preserve the ancient traditions of his ancestors in the times when the shade of the Persian Empire was extending daily. To determine how the era of the Pharaohs really came to an end, it is best to see his reign in its proper perspective. He was not a name on a list, but the last of the defenders of an independent Egypt.

The Rise of Nectanebo II to the Throne

Isis greeting Nectanebo II

Going to power was not a peaceful process. He was crowned to the throne by a military uprising. His uncle Teos was the king at that time and was absent on a campaign in Phoenicia. The king was preoccupied with the war when Nectanebo II realized that it was time to be on the offensive. The Egyptian army was on his side, and, what might be more significant, he had the assistance of a well-known Greek general, Agesilaus II.

This coalition was sufficient to make the people and the priests believe that something had to be changed. He returned to Egypt in a march and was crowned in Memphis. This introduction indicated that Nectanebo II was an action-oriented person who realized the significance of military support. He was aware that he had to be even more cunning to retain his crown as compared to the men who had preceded him.

Military Conflicts and the Persian Threat

The threat from the east was the greatest to Nectanebo II. The Persian Empire desired Egypt to be its province once more, and they were ready to use tremendous power to achieve it. Nectanebo II demonstrated that he was a good defender in the initial phase of his reign. He halted a great invasion of Artaxerxes III which was a great triumph for the Nile people.

This victory not only gave Egypt ten years of independence but it also enabled Nectanebo II to concentrate on issues in the country. To make his borders more secure, he employed numerous Greek mercenaries because he was aware that his local forces would not be sufficient to resist a second wave. He wasted much money and effort in maintaining the defences at the Delta in readiness to engage in a battle. This vigilance was the guiding principle of his military policy and manifested his devotion to free and independent Egypt.

Building Projects and Religious Devotion

The temple of Isis from Philae

Nectanebo II was among the most prolific constructors in the history of the Late Period, despite the risk of war that was hovering over his head. He was of the opinion that the gods were important in the survival of the country. His name is on temples as far north as the deep south. A significant project that was made was at the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae.

He also wished to ensure that the priesthood was on his side and therefore he presented immense gifts to the temples and had beautiful statues made. This was done as an expression of the fact that a native king of Egypt was still the best guardian of the sacred ways. Nectanebo II attempted to restore a feeling of stability and glory that had been lacking for a long time by filling the land with new monuments. His work was his message to the world.

Sarcophagus of Nectanebo II

Sarcophagus of Nectanebo II

A huge green stone sarcophagus is one of the most well-known artefacts associated with Nectanebo II. It is a work of art, illegible with elaborate texts and drawings of the Amduat that explains the journey of the sun at night. But the history of this beautiful object is a very strange one. It had never been employed to bury the body of Nectanebo II.

Once he had fled the land, his intended tomb was probably plundered by the Persians. The sarcophagus was discovered centuries later in Alexandria where it was converted into a ritual bath. There is even a famous story that Alexander the Great could have been interred in it to unite him with the previous native king of the territory. And this stone box still is a reminder of the excellence of Egyptian art at the 30 th Dynasty and the unfortunate fate of the last king.

How did Nectanebo II die?

Nectanebo II passed away in mystery since there is no official record of his demise. We also learn how he had known the war was lost after the Persians had overpowered his army at the Delta. He made his way back to Memphis and fled even Southwards to Nubia. There died some historians believe that he died in exile, far away from the throne to which he laboured so hard to retain.

Nevertheless, folklore narrates otherwise. There was a well-known book titled the Alexander Romance which states that Nectanebo II did visit Macedonia. He was even a secret father of Alexander the Great, in this story, he was a magician. This is probably nothing more than a myth to make Alexander appear like a bona fide Pharaoh but it indicates the degree to which people desired to ensure that the memory of Nectanebo II remained. The fact is that he vanished into history completely.

Was Nectanebo II black?

Most frequently, people will question the physical appearance and ethnicity of Nectanebo II. His family, as was the case with many of the rulers of the Late Period, was of the Nile Delta, the town of Sebennytos. Ancient Egyptians identified themselves as a different community of individuals, independent of their neighbors to the north and south. These features and skin tones of kings were used to depict Nectanebo II in the art of his reign which spans thousands of years.

Although his life was marked by significant migration and intermingling, he does not give any evidence that he was a resident of the southern parts of the world that were generally linked to any of the black African kingdoms such as the Kush. As an alternative, he belonged to the Mediterranean and North African world that constituted the Egyptian identity. His looks would have shown the Delta people whose family had been dominating the place since time immemorial.

Nectanebo II children and Family Legacy

Shabti of pharaoh Nectanebos II

The family of Nectanebo II is known very little, which is typical of the kings who lose their authority in a war. The name and children of the latter are not well known. This is important since it implies that his line was totally broken when the Persians conquered. Had he had sons still alive they would have been a formidable danger to the new monarchs, and they were probably either put to silence or murdered. Loss of Nectanebo II children to history means that this Dynasty died away with him as the 30th.

One was left to continue with the struggle to have a native monarchy. The foreign empires that came after wiped out his family legacy. This silence in the books demonstrates the complete disintegration of the old order and the onset of an extended phase of foreign domination over the Nile.

The End of an Era and the Flight to Nubia

Egyptian Temple Relief of Nectanebo II Walters

The rule of Nectanebo II was conclusive with the event of the year 343 BC when the Persian army finally crashed through the Egyptian line. It was a black day for the people who had so long been under native rule. By taking flight to the south the king had left the country to be without another Egyptian ruler in more than two thousand years.

The Nectanebo II was not only a military defeat, but a door into the ancient world was shut. He would be followed by the Persians, then the Greeks and the Romans who would make their turn to govern the Nile. He is the only man to have been born and traditionally referred to as Pharaoh. His narrative is a strong recall of a civilization that struggled until the end to remain authentic to itself. He is the last protector of the pharaonic era.