Six Empires That Conquered Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt, despite its three-millennium-long civilization, was conquered multiple times by foreign powers. The Hyksos, arriving as migrants from the Levant, established the 15th Dynasty around 1640 BCE, introducing chariots and composite bows. The Kushite Empire from Nubia took control in the 8th century BCE, founding the 25th Dynasty under Piye and Shabaqa. The Assyrians, under Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, invaded in 671 BCE, sacking Thebes in 663 BCE. The Achaemenid Persians conquered Egypt in 525 BCE under Cambyses II, incorporating it as a satrapy. Alexander the Great liberated Egypt in 332 BCE, founding Alexandria; after his death, Ptolemy I Soter established the Ptolemaic Dynasty in 305 BCE. Finally, the Roman Empire annexed Egypt in 30 BCE after Cleopatra VII's defeat, ruling until the Arab conquest in 641 CE.
Key facts
- The Hyksos were the first foreign rulers of Egypt, forming the 15th Dynasty around 1640 BCE.
- Hyksos introduced chariots, composite bows, and the bronze khopesh sword.
- The Kushite king Piye invaded Lower Egypt around 728 BCE, establishing the 25th Dynasty.
- Assyrian king Esarhaddon conquered Memphis in 671 BCE; Ashurbanipal sacked Thebes in 663 BCE.
- Achaemenid Persia under Cambyses II defeated Egypt at the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE.
- Alexander the Great entered Egypt in 332 BCE and founded Alexandria.
- Ptolemy I Soter founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty in 305 BCE, with Alexandria as capital.
- Roman Emperor Octavian (Augustus) annexed Egypt in 30 BCE after the Battle of Actium.
Entities
Artists
- Manetho
- Seqenenre Tau
- Kamose
- Ahmose I
- Thutmose III
- Kashta
- Piye
- Shabaqa
- Taharqa
- Tantamani
- Necho I
- Psamtik I
- Psamtik III
- Cambyses II
- Cyrus the Great
- Darius the Great
- Xerxes I
- Artaxerxes III
- Alexander the Great
- Ptolemy I Soter
- Ptolemy XII
- Ptolemy XIII
- Cleopatra VII
- Julius Caesar
- Pompey Magnus
- Mark Antony
- Octavian (Augustus)
- Queen Zenobia
- Emperor Aurelian
- Esarhaddon
- Ashurbanipal
- Hezekiah
- Mazaces
- Darius III
- Ramesses II
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Louvre Museum
- British Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Art Gallery of South Australia
- Vienna University
- Rashidun Caliphate
- Sasanian Empire
- Palmyrene Empire
Locations
- Egypt
- Avaris (Tell El-Dab'a)
- East Nile Delta
- Thebes
- Upper Egypt
- Lower Egypt
- Nubia
- Kingdom of Kush
- Jebel Barkal
- Napata
- Memphis
- Sais
- Susa
- Babylon
- Alexandria
- Siwa
- Macedon
- Rome
- Jerusalem
- Tyre
- Suez
- Pelusium
- Actium
- Palmyra
- New York
- London
- Paris
- Adelaide
- Levant
- Western Asia
- Near East
- Mediterranean