Egypt during the Libyan period

By the beginning of the Twenty-third dynasty, the stability that had characterized earlier periods of Egyptian history was long gone. The most characteristic aspect of this period is the total disintegration of central authority. Egypt was now divided into rivaling fiefdoms, with several competing dynasts ruling at the same time, each claiming royal authority. While each ruler claimed complete overlordship over all of Egypt, in reality, their influence may have extended only a few miles beyond their residence. Extensive inter-marriage between the various competing ruling houses and the rather limited pool of names shared among these rival dynasts, their spouses, and their offspring, further complicates the picture. Three names in particular were almost universally borne by the male members of the rival families: Osorkon, Sheshonq, and Takeloth. Likewise, their queens and princesses shared an almost equally limited number of names. This particular aspect makes the history of this period very difficult to write. The general trend of the period seems to be toward increasing fragmentation such that by the time of the Nubian invasion of Egypt in 730 Bc, multiple dynasts ruled at Tanis, Leontopolis, Bubastis and Sais.54 Along with several other “lesser”55 chiefs, these dynasts rivaled for control over the Egyptian Delta. Anthony Leahy suggested that this set-up did not particularly bother the Libyan rulers themselves who preferred to rule alongside one another in “a loose confederation reinforced by family alliances.”56 Indeed, as Robert Ritner recently pointed out, the “natural Tendency of such tribal units [was] to fragment.”57 In this chaotic time, two cities emerged as particularly important: Tanis and Leontopolis, while the peripheral city of Sais controlled more than a third of the Delta, extending west to the Libyan border and north to the shores of the Mediterranean. In Middle Egypt, Hermopolis and Heracleopolis each had their own king. Such was the situation when the Nubians started their northward march.