Person

Psamtik I

r. 664–610 BCE · 7th century BCE · Also known as Psammetichus I

Psamtik I was the founder of Egypt's Twenty-sixth, or Saite, Dynasty, reigning from 664 to 610 BCE. Beginning as an Assyrian vassal, he reunited Egypt, threw off Assyrian control and relied on Greek and Carian mercenaries, opening Egypt to Greek traders. Herodotus says his army besieged Ashdod for 29 years.

Psamtik I
Image: CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

AshdodTwenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Psamtik I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/psamtik-i
MLA
“Psamtik I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/psamtik-i. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Psamtik I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/psamtik-i.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Psamtik I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/psamtik-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻