NAKHTHORHEB

(reigned 360–343 BC)

The Greek form of his name is Nectanebos, usually rendered as Nectanebo II. Throne nameSenedjemibre setepenanhur. Epithet meryhathor. Last ruler of Dynasty 30. Son of Tjaihepimu, who was the brother of King Djedhor. Nakhthorheb accompanied his uncle, Djedhor, on a campaign in Syria and there rebelled with the assistance of his father, who had been left as regent in Egypt. Nakhthorheb was joined by the Greek mercenaries in the army, and his uncle fled to Persia. He continued the policies of his grandfather, Nakhtnebef, in supporting Egyptian temples.

Nakhthorheb faced continued attempts by Persia to reconquer Egypt, and his armies were eventually defeated in 343 BC, and he was forced to flee to the south, disappearing from history. The sarcophagus, which he prepared for his burial, was reused and is now housed in the British Museum. Later legend views him as a wise magician who escaped to Macedon and through an affair with Queen Olympias fathered Alexander the Great, who drove the Persians from Egypt. The legend is chronologically impossible but reflects the Egyptian tendency to try to give an Egyptian background to their foreign conquerors.