Statue of Psamtik I
Late Period, Dynasty 26, reign of Psamtik I, ca. 664–610 B.C
Egyptian
?Granite; H. 12 in
(30.5 cm)
?Museum Accession
(X.358)
Psamtik I, third king of Dynasty 26, called the Saite Dynasty after the town of Sais in the eastern Delta, was part of a group of local rulers who had fought against the Kushite Dynasty 25. After the Assyrian and Kushite withdrawal from Lower Egypt, he took control of Upper Egypt as well. During his long reign, he fortified the borders of Egypt, maintained peaceful relations with Assyria, and hired foreign mercenaries, who settled permanently in separate communities in Egypt. These included Greeks and Carians in the Delta and a Jewish community on the island of Elephantine in Aswan
This bust of the king, wearing the traditional nemes headcloth with uraeus and false beard, is probably from a kneeling statue
