by
Damien F. Mackey
“The
Chronicle of John of Nikiu who wrote of Cambyses[’] exploits after his name
change to Nebuchadnezzar. He wrote of how Cambyses under his new name
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and desolated Egypt. It becomes apparent
therefore that John gave credit to Cambyses for what Nebuchadnezzar
accomplished”.
Too many invasions of Egypt
Introduction
Between c. 670
BC and c. 525 BC, nearly 150 years, three separate great world powers (Assyria,
Babylonia and Persia) invaded Egypt.
Or so the
history books tell us.
The king-invaders
were (i) neo-Assyria’s Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal; (ii) neo-Babylonia’s
Nebuchednezzar II; and (iii) Persia’s Cambyses.
However, if
Esarhaddon - thought to have been the father of Ashurbanipal - were actually
the same person as Ashurbanipal - see my multi-part series beginning with:
"Nebuchednezzar
Syndrome": dreams, illness-madness, Egyptophobia. Part One: Brief
Introductory Section
in the very
fashion that I have suggested regarding the supposed father and son
combination:
Assyrian
King Sargon II, Otherwise Known As Sennacherib
and if
Ashurbanipal/Esarhaddon were also Nebuchednezzar II himself:
Esarhaddon a
tolerable fit for King Nebuchednezzar
https://www.academia.edu/38017900/Esarhaddon_a_tolerable_fit_for_King_Nebuchednezzar
then two (i) and
(ii) of those three major invasion eras above would become just the one.
But there is
more.
I have also
hinted that Cambyses was something of a mirror-image of Nebuchednezzar II:
"Nebuchednezzar
Syndrome": dreams, illness-madness, Egyptophobia. Part Two: Ashurbanipal;
Nabonidus; Cambyses; Artaxerxes III
In this last
article I had noted that Cambyses even bore the name of “Nebuchednezzar”:
“The
Chronicle of John of Nikiu who wrote of Cambyses[’] exploits after his name
change to Nebuchadnezzar. He wrote of how Cambyses under his new name
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and desolated Egypt. It becomes apparent
therefore that John gave credit to Cambyses for what Nebuchadnezzar
accomplished”.
So basically
what I am getting at here is that the above presumed century and a half of
history (c. 670 BC and c. 525 BC) may need to be collapsed, like a star into a
presumed black hole, into just the one point in time.
Three major
invasion eras of Egypt becoming reduced to just the one.
Meeting and
identifying Udjahorresne
If
this Ushanahuru were Udjahorresne, then it would provide a
chronological
connecting link between c. 670 BC and c. 525 BC.
Cambyses’ (and
later Darius’) assistant or mentor (tour guide) in Egypt was one Udjahorresne (or Udjahorresnet, Wedjaḥorresnet, and many other
variants).
We read about
this important official as “Wedjahor-Resne” in the following account:
The … Egyptian inscription was written over
a naophoros-statue, i.e., a statue representing a man carrying
("phoros") a small shrine ("naos") with an
image of a god. In this case, the god can be identified with Osiris, the ruler
of the Underworld. The text commemorates all pious acts of the carrier, an
important courtier named Wedjahor-Resne or Udjahor-Resnet. The statue, which is
about 70 centimeters high, was brought to Italy by the Roman emperor Hadrian (r.
117-138), who kept it in his villa in Tivoli. Currently, it is displayed in the
Egyptian department of the Vatican Museums.
Wedjahor-Resne was not only the pharaoh's
personal physician, but was also responsible for the royal navy. In 526 BCE,
king Amasis died
and was succeeded by his son Psammetichus
III. During the transitional period, the Persian king
Cambyses
attacked Egypt and defeated his unprepared enemies near the Pelusian branch of
the Nile. The
standard account is written by Herodotus.
It is probable that Wedjahor-Resne defected
to the Persians at some stage before or during this war, because nothing is
known about naval operations, although the Egyptians owned a large navy and had
occupied Cyprus.note[Herodotus, Histories 2.182.] The
Greek historian Ctesias of
Cnidus, who is not known for his reliability but may for once
have had access to reliable information, explicitly mentions a traitor,
although his name is Combaphis.note[Ctesias, Persica 10.] It should be
noted that an ally of Egypt, the Greek leader Polycrates of Samos,
allowed himself to be bribed away.
Cartouche
of Cambyses ("Mesuti-Ra Cambyses")
When Cambyses had taken the Egyptian
capital Memphis, he
was recognized as the new king. Wedjahor-Resne was reinstated in almost all his
former functions and helped Cambyses to behave like a true Egyptian king. For
example, he persuaded Cambyses to direct the Persian garrison in the holy city
of Sais to another camp, making sure that the ancient sanctuary of Neith, the
mother of the supreme god Ra, and the shrine of Osiris were purified. Wedjahor-Resne
also composed Cambyses' new royal name, Mesuti-Ra ("born of Ra").
…
Cambyses left Egypt in the spring of 522,
taking Wedjahor-Resne with him as his physician. Unfortunately, the king had an
accident on his way back, and his doctor was unable to cure him.
After Cambyses' death and a violent civil
war (described in the Behistun Inscription), Darius
became king. The new ruler allowed Wedjahor-Resne to return home and ordered
him to supervise the medical schools - the "houses of life" in the
text - that had been destroyed (by Cambyses?). Since the text does not
mention Darius' visit to Egypt in 519/518, it is likely that the
naophoros-statue was made soon after Wedjahor-Resne's return.
His tomb has been discovered in 1995 at
Abusir. Except for two damaged sarcophagi, little was found in the burial
chamber. It is interesting to note that in c.340 BCE, Wedjahor-Resne seems
to have been venerated as a more or less holy person in Memphis.
[End of
quote]
What I am
interested in within my new historical context is: Does our Udjahorresne emerge elsewhere, in an era other than the supposed Persian
era, in, say, the neo-Assyrian period?
I think that he Udjahorresne may well thus emerge.
My suggestion is that Udjahorresne was the same person as Tirhakah’s
(Taharqa’s) son and heir, Ushanahuru, as referred to by Esarhaddon (N. Grimal’s
A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell,
1994, p. 350):
I laid siege to Memphis, [Taharqa’s] royal residence and conquered it in
half a day by means of mines, breaches and assault ladders. His queen, the
women of his palace, Ushanahuru his ‘heir apparent’, his other children, his
possessions, horses, large and small cattle beyond counting I carried away as
booty to Assyria ….
[Pritchard 1955: 293].
If this Ushanahuru were
Udjahorresne, then it would provide a chronological connecting link between c.
670 BC and c. 525 BC.
I think that we find the
very same elements in the two names, Ushanahuru and Udjahorresne, the latter of
which the Assyrians may well have found rather difficult to transliterate:
Udja - horre[s] - ne
Usha – huru - na
It would make
perfect sense that Esarhaddon (= Ashurbanipal = Nebuchednezzar II) might later
have used a man of such culture, education and high-standing as his Egyptian
prisoner Ushanahuru,
to take back with him to Egypt - as Cambyses (named “Nebuchednezzar”).
The
Udjahorresne Inscription
- Offering by
the king to [the god] Osiris-Hemag: thousands of bread and beer,
beef and birds and all other things good and pure, for the ka of a
man honored with the gods of the province of Sais, the chief physician Wedjahor-Resne.
- Offering by
the king to Osiris, who lives in Khet-Bjet: a funeral offering of bread
and beer, beef and birds, alabaster vases and garments, incense and
perfumes and all other good things, for the ka of a man honored by the
gods of the province of Sais, the chief physician Wedjahor-Resne.
- Oh Osiris,
Lord of Eternity! The chief physician
- Wedjahor-Resne
keeps you in his arms to
- protect you.
May your ka order that people do all kinds of useful things to him
- because he
stands guard behind your eternal shrine.
- This man
honored with the great [goddess] Neit, the mother of the god [Re],
and with the gods of Sais, the prince, the royal chancellor, the unique
companion,
- the one truly
known and loved by the king, the scribe, the inspector of the scribes of
the dedet-court, the first among the great scribes of the prison,
the director of the palace,
- the admiral of
the royal navy of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Khnemibre [Amasis],
the admiral of the royal navy of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt,
- Ankhkaenre [Psammetichus
III], Wedjahor-Resne, son of the director of the castles, khrjep-priest,
renep-priest, khepetwedet-priest, prophet of Neit, who is
the head of the province of Sais Peftuôneit,
- says: 'The
great king of all foreign countries Cambyses came to
Egypt, taking the foreigners of every foreign country with him. When he
had taken possession of the entire country,
- they settled
themselves down therein, and he was made great sovereign of Egypt and
great king of all foreign countries. His Majesty appointed me his chief
physician
- and caused me
to stay with him in my quality of companion and director of the palace,
and ordered me to compose his titulary, his name as king of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Mesuti-Ra [born of Ra]. And I made sure that His
Majesty knew of the greatness of Sais,
- which is the
seat of the great Neit, the mother who brought forth Re, and who unveiled
birth when birth did not exist. [And I made sure that His Majesty knew]
the significance of the temple of Neit, which is the sky in all its
dispositions, and knew the greatness of the castles of the Red Crown
- and all the
gods and goddesses who live there, and knew significance of the greatness
of Khet-Bjet, which is the dwelling of the sovereign, the lord of heaven [Osiris],
and knew the greatness of the Resenet and the Mekhnet, of the dwelling of
Re and the dwelling of Atum, which are the mysteries of all gods.'
- The man
honored with his town's god [Osiris] and all other gods, the
prince, the royal chancellor, the unique companion, the one truly known
and loved by the king,
- the chief
physician Wedjahor-Resne, son of Atemirtis, says: 'I made a petition
- to His Majesty
the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Cambyses concerning the many foreigners
billeted on the temple of Neit
- that they
should be driven thence, so that the temple of Neit was restored to its
former greatness. And His Majesty ordered that all the foreigners
- who were
living in the premises of Neit should be driven out, that all their houses
and all their garbage should be thrown out of the temple, and that
- all their
baggage should be carried away from its premises, His Majesty ordered the
purification of the temple of Neit and its restoration to the people
- [lacuna] and the
schedule of the priests. His Majesty ordered to restitute the revenues of
the wakf-estate to the great Neit, the mother of the god, and to
the gods of Sais. His Majesty ordered
- to conduct all
their festivities and all their processions as they had always been. His
Majesty ordered these things because I had informed him about the
greatness of Sais, which is the town where all gods have placed their
eternal thrones.'
- The man
honored with the gods of Sais,
- the chief
physician Wedjahor-Resne, says: 'The king of Upper and Lower Egypt
Cambyses came to Sais. His Majesty came to the temple of Neit in person.
Like all kings before, he prostrated himself before Her Majesty [Neit].
Like all good kings, he made a large sacrifice
- of all good
things to the great Neit, mother of the god, and to all great gods of
Sais. His Majesty did this because I had informed His Majesty about the
greatness of Her Majesty,
- who is the
mother of Re himself.'
- The man
honored with Osiris-Hemag,
- the chief
physician Wedjahor-Resne, says: 'His Majesty did all useful things in the
temple of Neit. Like all kings before him, he established libations to the
lord of eternity in the interior of the temple of Neit.
- His Majesty
did this because I had informed His Majesty about all useful things which
had been done in the temple by all kings because of the greatness of this
temple, which is the eternal dwelling of all gods.'
- The man
honored with the gods of the province Sais, the chief physician
Wedjahor-Resne, says: 'I restored the revenues of the wakf-estate
of the great Neit, the mother of the god,
- for eternity,
as per His Majesty's orders. I established [new and] pious funds
for Neit, the mistress of Sais, like a servant
- excelling his
master does. I am the benefactor of my city: I have saved its inhabitants
from the very large troubles
- which had come
over the whole country and which had not yet existed before in this
country. I defended the meek
- against the
powerful; I saved those who were afraid after an accident had happened to
them; I gave them all useful things
- when they were
unable to take care of themselves.'
- The man
honored with his town's god, the chief physician Wedjahor-Resne, says: 'I
am honored by my father, praised by my mother,
- trusted by my
brothers. As per His Majesty's orders, I established them in the function
of prophet and gave them a fief
- for eternity.
I made a fine tomb for those who had no tomb. I nourished all their
children. I made their houses strong. I did
- all useful
things for them, like a father does for his children, when trouble came
over
- this province,
when very large troubles came
- over the
country as a whole.'
- The prince,
the royal chancellor, the unique companion, the prophet of the one who
lives with them, the chief physician Wedjahor-Resne, son of Atemirtis,
says: 'His Majesty the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Darius (may he live
forever!) sent me back to Egypt, while His Majesty was in Elam, having
become great king of all foreign countries and great sovereign of Egypt,
ordering me to restore the Houses of Life
- and the [lacuna]
after they had been ruined. The foreigners carried me from country to
country until we reached Egypt, as per orders of the lord of both
countries [Upper and Lower Egypt]. I did what His Majesty had
ordered. I provided the [Houses of Life] with students, all sons of
fine people; there were no sons of common men. I placed them under
the direction of all teachers
- [lacuna] all their
works. His Majesty ordered to provide them with all necessary means to
ensure that they could do their work. [Consequently], I gave them
all they needed and all the scribes' accessories, as it had always been.
His Majesty did this, because he knew how useful this art can be to
survive illness and to ensure that the names of the gods, their temples, the
revenues of their wakf-estates and their rituals are remembered for
eternity.'
- The chief
physician Wedjahor-Resne, says: 'I was honored by all my masters for all
my life. They gave me golden ornaments and all kinds of useful things.'
- The man who
was honored with Neit, says: 'Oh great gods of Sais,
- remember all
merituous actions done by the chief physician Wedjahor-Resne. Ensure that
all kinds of useful things are done for him and ensure that his good
reputation will remain unshattered in this country for ever.'
Psammetichus and
other links
Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt at the time of
Psammetichus I (c. 664 BC);
Nebuchednezzar II invaded Egypt at the time of
Psammetichus II (c. 595-589 BC);
Cambyses invaded Egypt at the time of Psammetichus
III (c. 526-525 BC).
Psammetichus coincidences
We are told
that:
Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt at the time of
Psammetichus I (c. 664 BC);
Nebuchednezzar II invaded Egypt at the time of
Psammetichus II (c. 595-589 BC);
Cambyses invaded Egypt at the time of
Psammetichus III (c. 526-525 BC).
Greek coincidences
Each of the
above phases was said to be a time when Egypt was ‘opening itself up to the
world’, including the Greeks. Thus we read in N. Grimal’s A History of Ancient Egypt:
P. 355: “Egypt opened up
increasingly to the outside world during the fifty-four years of Psammetichus
[I]’s reign. Foreign merchants arrived on the heels of foreign soldiers, and
diplomatic relations between Egypt and Greece evolved …”.
P. 360: “Necho II [presumed
father of Psammetichus II] pursued a policy of opening Egypt up to the Greek
world …”.
P. 262: “Psammetichus [II] …
had troops – including numerous Carians …”.
P. 363: “[Psammetichus III] …
there was a peculiar mixture of Egyptian, Greek, Jewish and Oriental themes”.
Divine Adoratrice
P. 361: “Psammetichus I had
Nitocris adopted by the Divine Adoratrices of the time, Shepenwepet II and
Amenirdis II”.
P. 361: “Psammetichus [II]
made sure that Ankhnesneferibre … was adopted by the Divine Adoratrice
Nitocris”.
P. 365: “Saites and Kushites
were moreover agreed on the maintenance of the office of Divine Adoratrice at
Thebes”.
