NECHO I

'Necho I' (sometimes 'Nekau') (672 BC–664 BC) was the Prince or Governor of the Egyptian city of Sais. His rule as a local Saite king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt lasted for 8 Years, according to Manetho. Egypt was reunified by his son, Psamtik I. Necho is primarily known from Assyrian documents but is now also attested in one contemporary Egyptian document from his reign. He was officially "installed" at Sais by Assurbanipal around 670 BC, but he already ruled Egypt as a local king prior to this event. According to historical records, Necho I was killed by an invading Kushite force in 664 BC under Tantamani for being an ally of Assyria. The Nubian invasion into the Egyptian Delta was subsequently repelled by the Assyrians who proceeded to advance south into Upper Egypt and sack Thebes.
Necho I's Year 2 is now attested on a privately held donation stela that was first published by Olivier Perdu ^[1] The stela records a large land donation to the Osirian triad of PerHebyt (modern Behbeit el-Hagar near Sebennytos) by the "priest of Isis, Mistress of Hebyt, Great Chief...son of Iuput, Akanosh." The stela is very similar in style, content and epigraphy with the Year 8 donation stela of Shepsesre Tefnakht. This suggests that Shepsesre Tefnakht was Tefnakht II and is a different person from the famous Great Chief of the West Tefnakhte that opposed Piye. Shepsesre Tefnakht would, hence, have been a relatively recent predecessor of Necho I and be the "Stephinates" recorded in Manetho's Epitome. Perdu convincingly argues that the two Saite kings before Necho I, namely Stephinates and Nekauba(or Nechepso) in Manetho's Epitome, belong to the start of the 26th Saite Dynasty.
Necho was perhaps the brother of Nekauba, and possibly a son of Tefnakht II. He married Istemabet, and they were the parents of Psamtik I and his sister.^[2]

Contents

References

References

1. Olivier Perdu, De Stéphinatès à Néchao ou les débuts de la XXVIe dynastie(From Tefnakht II to Necho and the start of the 26th Dynasty), CRAIBL 2002, pp. 1215-1244
2. , 1991, Christian Settipani, p.153, 160, 161 and 162