Necho II of Egypt was a king of the 26th Dynasty, which ruled from Sais. Necho undertook a number of construction projects across his kingdom. In his reign, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, Necho II sent out an expedition of Phoenicians, which in three years sailed from the Red Sea around Africa to the Strait of Gibraltar and back to Egypt. His son, Psammetichus II, upon succession may have removed Necho's name from monuments.
Aerial view of Tel Megiddo site of the battle of Megiddo in 609 BC.
The world according to Herodotus, 440 BC
Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC. The dynasty's reign is also called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital, and marks the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt.
Portrait of a Pharaoh of the Saite Dynasty
Pottery vessel showing the face of god Bes from the 26th Dynasty. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
Female figure, Louvre Museum. The name of Psamtik I is inscribed under the feet.
Sphinx of Apries, from the collection of Anne Claude de Caylus