Necho II (610-595): an active foreign policy

Psamtik I’s successor Necho II ruled for little more than fifteen years, but those years were very eventful. In Egypt itself peace was preserved, and the king continued to meet the needs of the temples (Yoyotte 1960: 367-8), working not only in the northern sites of Buto, Sais, Imu and Mefky, Athribis, Tanis, and Memphis but also at Naga el-Mesheikh, Thebes, and Elephantine in Upper Egypt. He also continued the Saite commitment to the Dakhla Oasis initiated by his predecessor, contributing to a sanctuary in Amheida which also shows the names of Psamtik II and Amasis (Davoli & Kaper 2006: 13).

Herodotos attributes three original initiatives to Necho: the attempt to dig a canal between the eastern branch of the Nile and the Gulf of Suez (2.158), the construction of triremes for military expeditions in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea (2.159), and the despatch of Phoenician vessels on a reconnaissance mission around

Figure 8.1 Kneeling figure of Necho II making a divine offering. Bronze, ht. 14 cm.; prov. not known. Photograph Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.

Africa (4.42). Whilst the first can be verified by archaeology, the second presents a number of problems of detail which have given rise to much discussion, while the third is difficult to accept (Lloyd 1977: 142-54), even if it cannot be totally excluded (Lemaire 1987: 58, n. 53). Whether true or false, these claims present a consistent picture: that of a king resolutely orientated towards the sea (Chevereau 1985: 319-20), in particular, the Red Sea (Lloyd 1977: 154-5; Pernigotti 1996: 96). This justifies us in suspecting that this reign marks the point when, with the assistance of the Greeks and Phoenicians present in the country, Egypt became more deeply involved in maritime expansion, military and commercial, and we should bear in mind a fragmentary inscription from Elephantine which contains the inventory of a major fleet, perhaps part of an expedition by Necho II to Nubia (Junge 1987: 66-7; § 6.2, and pl. 40c; Jansen-Winkeln 1989b).

It is in Asia that the king’s activities are most intense, unlike those of his predecessor, but they are often difficult to understand because the reports left by Herodotos, Josephus, the Bible, and the Babylonian Chronicles give rise to very different interpretations (Yoyotte 1960: 372-3). The involvement of the king in Asia was, above all, dictated by his wish to block Babylonian expansion, always a threat to his interests in the Levant which required him to maintain a presence on the frontier at the Euphrates (Yoyotte 1960: 374-6; Spalinger 1977: 225). However, in May-June 605 after two years of indecisive warfare which left the Babylonians unable to set foot on the right bank of the Euphrates, the Babylonian prince Nebuchadrezzar launched a successful attack against Carchemish inflicting heavy losses on the Egyptians, the last survivors of whom were annihilated in the region of Hamah. Before his hasty return to Babylon in mid-August to get himself crowned, Nebuchadrezzar took advantage of his success and grabbed Syria-Palestine where regular campaigns allowed him to maintain his supremacy at least until 594. Necho’s activities in the area brought him into conflict with Josiah of Judah which led to the defeat of the latter at Megiddo, probably in Spring 609, and his subsequent death (Yoyotte 1960: 377-84; Spalinger 1977: 255-6). According to Herodotos (2.159), Necho II was also responsible, at some stage, for the capture of Migdol and Gaza (Yoyotte 1960: 389-91). These successes are not dated, but there is currently a tendency to place them at the end of the reign. If this is correct, they mark a resurgence of Egyptian influence in southern of Palestine. On the negative side we should note that references to Necho are occasionally erased to be replaced on occasion by his successor. As yet there is no explanation for this (Gozzoli 2000: 71-80).