Revolt Breaks Out

(Chapter 161, last part) It was now 569 BC, and Pharaoh Apries (Hophra), of the true Saite (XXVI) dynasty established when Psammetichus (Psamtik) I expelled the Assyrians around 663, had ruled since 588. His military adventures had, apparently, become unpopular, and a particularly disastrous campaign against the Doric Greeks of Cyrenaica (Libya) led to his overthrow. The beginning of the revolt is related here. Apries had naturally sent his native Egyptian troops, the Hermotybies and the Calasiries, to attack Cyrene, not his Greek and Carian mercenaries. They suspected that Apries was just trying to eliminate them in favor of the foreigners. The attack on Cyrene was motivated by Cyrenaican pressure on the Libyans, who had long been settling in the Delta.

[Text]

[Vocabulary]

Herodotus uses the Ionic form of the third person plural prounoun, shown in the vocabulary box. Also note the disappearance of rough breathing in compound verbs, and eta after rho and iota. For more information, look up the words in a lexicon. I will try to show the forms of the words that are listed in a lexicon when these are not obvious, as well as pointing out Ionic forms. Words that are straightforward to look up will not be included in the vocabulary box unless they are specially interesting.

Apries suffered a great defeat against the Cyreneans. So, the Egyptians blaming [him] for this, revolted from him, believing that Apries, with foreknowledge, had sent them into a bad position so their destruction would take place, and he could rule the remaining Egyptians more safely. Motivated by such things, those who returned home and the friends of the slain revolted from their allegiance.


Return to Pharaoh

Composed by J. B. Calvert
Last revised 14 July 1999