Page:The Pharaohs and their people; scenes of old Egyptian life and history (IA pharaohstheirpeo00berkiala).pdf/299

 CHAPTER XIV.

Psammetichus and the Saite Dynasty—The Persian Conquest—Last Independent Dynasties. (666-340 )

After the capture and sack of Thebes, the successors of Tirhakah made no further attempts to recover their lost dominion. The princes who ruled in the north, more or less as the vassals of Assyria, were often engaged in mutual strife, and the twenty satrapies established there by Esar-haddon had dwindled down to twelve—the 'Dodecarchy,' of Greek writers. Bravest and most conspicuous amongst the twelve princes was Psamtek (Psammetichus), son of that Necho who had been imprisoned and restored by Assur-bani-pal (p.260). Banished by the jealousy of his rivals, Psammetichus determined on a new and energetic*