Editing Dynastic Egypt (section)

== 28th Dynasty ==
The Twenty-Eighth Dynasty of Egypt, conventionally dated 404–398 BCE, is the briefest of all dynasties: it consisted of a single king, Amyrtaeus (Amenirdisu) of Sais. Amyrtaeus is a shadowy figure, known primarily through later Greek sources (notably Diodorus Siculus and references in Demotic documents) and a few demotic papyri from his reign. No monumental inscriptions or large-scale building projects of his are known to survive. His genealogical background places him in the Saite line that had once ruled as the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty. Specifically, he is described as a descendant of the princes of Sais and may have been related by marriage or collateral descent to Psamtik III, the last Saite pharaoh overthrown by Cambyses in 525 BCE. This claim of Saite ancestry gave Amyrtaeus a dynastic legitimacy that resonated in the Delta.

His opportunity arose in the early 400s BCE, when the Achaemenid Empire was weakened by revolts across its vast territory, including Babylonia and Asia Minor, and by its draining conflict with Athens during the Peloponnesian War. In Egypt, local resentment against Persian taxation and interference remained high. Amyrtaeus, already active as a rebel leader in the Delta, capitalized on this instability. With support from native Egyptian elites and, crucially, Greek mercenaries (particularly those connected with Athens) he succeeded in driving out the Persian satraps. By 404 BCE, the year of Darius II’s death, Amyrtaeus declared himself king, and '''Egypt was effectively independent'''.

Amyrtaeus adopted full pharaonic titulary, though we know it only from later king lists and a few papyri. His authority appears to have been strongest in the Delta, where '''Sais''' served as his capital. The degree of his control over Upper Egypt is less clear. Thebes and its priesthood may have acknowledged him, but evidence is scant. What is certain is that his reign was not long enough to establish deep ideological or monumental foundations. Unlike the Saite kings of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, he left no major temples or inscriptions. His kingship was defined by the fact of independence rather than by the elaboration of a long reign.

The precariousness of his position is evident. Persia remained powerful, and though temporarily distracted, it did not abandon its ambitions in Egypt. Meanwhile, Amyrtaeus faced opposition from internal rivals. After only six years, he was overthrown and executed by '''Nepherites I''', who founded the Twenty-Ninth Dynasty. According to Greek sources, Amyrtaeus was strangled after his capture, a fate that reflects the violence of dynastic transitions in this turbulent era.