Nectanebo I

Lore & Background

Nectanebo I was a great builder and restorer, to an extent not seen in Egypt for centuries. He ordered work on many of the temples across the country. On the sacred island of Philae near Aswan, he began the temple of Isis, which would become one of the most important religious sites in ancient Egypt, by erecting its vestibule. Nectanebo also began the First Pylon in the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, and it is believed that the earliest known mammisi, which was found at Dendera, was built by him. The cult of sacred animals, which became prominent between the two Persian occupation periods (the 27th and 31st dynasties respectively), was supported by Nectanebo as evidenced by archaeological findings at Hermopolis, Hermopolis Parva, Saft el-Hinna and Mendes. Further works ordered by the pharaoh have been found in religious buildings at Memphis, Tanis and El Kab. Nectanebo was also generous towards the priesthood. A decree dated to his first year and discovered on a stele at Naucratis, required that 10 percent of taxes collected both from imports and from local production in this city were to be used for the temple of Neith at Sais. A twin of this stele was recently discovered in the now-submerged city of Heracleion.

Reader's Guide

In 374/373 BC Nectanebo had to face a Persian attempt to retake Egypt, which was still considered by the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes II nothing more than a rebel satrapy. After a six-year preparation and applying pressure on Athens to recall the Greek general Chabrias, Artaxerxes dispatched a great army led by the Athenian general Iphicrates and the Persian Pharnabazus. It has been recorded that the army was composed of over 200,000 troops, including Persian soldiers and Greek mercenaries, and around 500 ships. Nectanebo ordered fortifications built along the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, compelling the enemy fleet to find its way up the less-defended Mendesian branch. At this point, the mutual distrust that had arisen between Iphicrates and Pharnabazus prevented the enemy from reaching Memphis. Then the annual Nile flood and the Egyptian defenders' resolve to defend their territory turned what had initially appeared as certain defeat for Nectanebo I and his troops into a complete victory. From 368 BC many western satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire started to rebel against Artaxerxes II, so Nectanebo provided financial support to the rebelling satraps and re-established ties with both Sparta and Athens. Nectanebo died during his 19th year as ruler. His tomb, sarcophagus and mummy have never been found.

Did You Know?

• Nectanebo's Egyptian personal name was Nḫt-nb.f (Nakhtnebef), meaning 'the strong one of his lord'.
• He began the temple of Isis on the sacred island of Philae by erecting its vestibule.
• A decree from his first year required 10 percent of taxes from imports and local production at Naucratis to go to the temple of Neith at Sais.
• The Persian invasion force he defeated in 374/373 BC was recorded as over 200,000 troops and around 500 ships.
• Toward the end of his reign, in Year 16 (364/363 BC), Nectanebo restored the long-lost practice of co-regency, associating his son Teos to the throne.