Phanes of Halicarnassus: The Ancient Greek Mercenary Who Helped the Persians Conquer Egypt

Greek mercenary Phanes who served Pharaoh Amasis II was kicked retired of the Egyptian service and joined the Persians who invaded Egypt and conquered the land. Photo of Amasis II caput arsenic exhibited astatine the Neues Museum successful Berlin, Germany. Credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) CC BY-SA 4.0

The communicative of ancient Greek mercenary Phanes of Halicarnassus, a skipper who aided the Persians successful the conquest of Egypt, is 1 of the astir intriguing accounts arsenic related by Herodotus. The Greek historian’s melodramatic relationship blends the reign of Pharaoh Amasis II, Egyptian culture, subject history, betrayal, governmental intrigue, and revenge into a azygous vivid occurrence successful The Histories.

Phanes was calved successful the Greek metropolis of Halicarnassus, a coastal colony of mixed Greek and Carian civilization that would aboriginal go known arsenic Herodotus’ ain birthplace. By the 6th period BC, Greeks from Ionia and Caria often served arsenic mercenaries crossed the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt, peculiarly nether the Saite pharaohs, employed ample numbers of Greek soldiers to fortify its armies and frontier garrisons. Phanes roseate among these overseas soldiers until helium became 1 of the trusted subject advisers to the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II.

Herodotus describes Phanes arsenic a antheral of intelligence, courage, and applicable ability. He was not simply a worker of luck but a strategist profoundly acquainted with Egypt’s subject system, defenses, and politics. For reasons Herodotus admits stay uncertain, Phanes yet quarreled with Amasis and fled Egypt. The Pharaoh rapidly realized however unsafe this defection mightiness become. Phanes knew the eastbound inroads into Egypt, the disposition of Egyptian forces, and the weaknesses of the kingdom. If helium entered Persian service, helium could go the precise limb that would yet destruct Egypt.

Amasis sends his men to drawback Phanes

Amasis, disquieted that Phanes of Halicarnassus would crook against him, sent 1 of his trusted eunuchs successful pursuit of the fugitive Greek mercenary. The pursuit stretched crossed the Eastern Mediterranean into Lycia, wherever the Egyptian agents yet caught him. Yet Herodotus presents the Greek skipper arsenic resourceful adjacent successful captivity. He supposedly got his guards drunk and escaped during the night, continuing eastward until helium reached the tribunal of Persian King Cambyses II.

At that moment, the Persian Empire already dominated overmuch of the Near East. The conquests of Cyrus the Great had brought Lydia, Babylon, and immense Asian territories nether Persian rule. Egypt remained 1 of the past large autarkic powers. Cambyses intended to invade it, but the way crossed the Sinai wilderness posed tremendous logistical difficulties. According to Herodotus, Phanes offered the important solution.

The Greek mercenary advised Cambyses to negociate with the Arabian tribes controlling the godforsaken routes betwixt Palestine and Egypt. Water was the indispensable obstacle. Without reliable supplies, a Persian service crossing the Sinai could perish earlier reaching Egyptian territory. Through diplomacy and alliance, the Arabs agreed to assistance the Persians, providing h2o and harmless passage. Herodotus adjacent describes pipelines and camel caravans carrying h2o crossed the godforsaken to enactment the invasion.

The Greek mercenary Phanes of Halicarnassus watches his sons get killed

Before Cambyses could invade, however, Pharaoh Amasis died aft a agelong reign. His lad Psamtik III inherited the throne nether catastrophic circumstances. Young, inexperienced, and abruptly confronted by the top empire of the age, Psamtik had small clip to consolidate his regularisation earlier the Persian beforehand began.

The decisive clash came astatine the Battle of Pelusium successful 525 BC adjacent Egypt’s eastbound frontier. Ancient writers aboriginal embroidered the conflict with legends involving ineffable cats and intelligence warfare, but Herodotus focuses connected a darker and much idiosyncratic play connected straight to Phanes of Halicarnassus.

The Greek mercenaries inactive serving Egypt burned with hatred toward the antheral who had betrayed their adopted kingdom to the Persians. Before the battle, they seized the sons of Phanes of Halicarnassus, who had remained down successful Egypt. In 1 of the grimmest scenes successful Herodotus, his children were brought betwixt the opposing armies wherever their throats were chopped implicit a ample bowl. Their humor was mixed with vino and water, and the Egyptian mercenaries drank from it arsenic a ritual of vengeance earlier entering battle.

Some aboriginal traditions spot work for the killings straight upon Psamtik III himself, portraying the young Pharaoh arsenic ordering oregon approving the execution of Phanes of Halicarnassus’ sons successful fury implicit the betrayal. In these retellings, Psamtik not lone executed the boys but made their deaths a symbolic informing against treason. Whether the killings were carried retired by enraged Greek mercenaries acting independently, arsenic Herodotus suggests, oregon by royal bid nether Psamtik, the lawsuit reveals the extent of bitterness surrounding Phanes of Halicarnassus’ defection.

The Persians decision Cambyses and instrumentality power of Egypt

The conflict itself was fiercely contested. According to Herodotus, the warring was brutal and bloody with dense casualties connected some sides earlier the Egyptians yet broke and retreated. The Persians pursued them toward Memphis, the past capital. There, Cambyses laid siege to the metropolis and yet captured it, bringing an extremity to the Twenty-sixth Dynasty and Egypt’s independence.

With his service defeated, Psamtik III was taken prisoner. Herodotus offers details connected the humiliation of the defeated Pharaoh. Cambyses sought to trial the Egyptian king’s tone done calculated cruelty. Psamtik was forced to ticker arsenic his daughter, dressed arsenic a servant, carried h2o similar a slave. He remained silent. Then his lad was led retired with different noble youths to execution. Again, Psamtik restrained himself. Only erstwhile helium saw an aged companion reduced to beggary did helium yet weep openly. Herodotus uses the country to exemplify the unusual depths of quality suffering successful that immense grief tin numb the soul, portion smaller sorrows abruptly marque the bosom bleed.

Although Cambyses initially spared Psamtik, the erstwhile Pharaoh aboriginal attempted to incite rebellion against Persian rule. According to Herodotus, Cambyses responded by ordering his death. Some traditions assertion helium was forced to portion bull’s blood, an enactment believed to bring decease done poison oregon ritual impurity.

A bitter triumph for the Greek mercenary Phanes of Halicarnassus

For Phanes of Halicarnassus, the conquest brought triumph mixed with idiosyncratic ruin. He had guided the Persians successfully into Egypt and helped overthrow the kingdom that had erstwhile employed him, yet the terms was the slaughter of his ain children. Herodotus does not archer america overmuch astir Phanes aft the conquest, though aboriginal accounts suggest helium remained successful Persian work and assisted Cambyses successful diplomacy with neighboring Libyan rulers. Still, his sanction endured little arsenic that of a victorious Greek mercenary skipper than arsenic the archetype of the exile whose betrayal reshaped history.

Modern historians admit that Herodotus sometimes blended rumor and melodramatic storytelling with factual history. Certain details surrounding Cambyses and the conquest of Egypt whitethorn person been exaggerated oregon shaped by oral tradition. Nevertheless, the wide outline of events is historically accepted: Phanes of Halicarnassus defected from Egypt, advised Cambyses during the invasion, and played a captious relation successful the Persian conquest of Egypt.