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The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite
Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the
end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the
beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either
case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a
decentralized Egyptian state that had been
ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the
assistance of a powerful family centered in the
Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove
the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this
campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the
height of its power; however, due to civil strife
back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces
from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family
from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his
authority over the entire Nile Valley and found
his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history.
Known as the Saite Period due to the importance
of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like
many before it, sought to emulate the artistic
styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their
own claims to power and legitimize their
authority.
Yet despite that artist sought to replicate models
of the past, Egyptian art of this era was infused
with a heightened sense of naturalism. This fact
is likely due to the influx of Greek culture. The
Saite rulers recognized that Egypt had fallen
behind the rest of the Mediterranean world in
terms of military technology. Thus, they were
forced to rely upon foreign mercenaries, many of
whom were Greek. With ties between these two
cultures firmly established during the 7th
Century B.C., commercial trading quickly
blossomed. Special entrepots for foreign traders
were established, including the famed center of
Naucratis, a Delta town in which Greek
merchants were permitted access. During the
Saite Period, two great powers of the
Mediterranean world became intimately linked,
commercially and culturally. As the exchange of
ideas flowed across the sea, the Greeks began to
experiment on a monumental scale while the
Egyptians began to approach art with an
enhanced sense of realism.
The sacred Apis bull was considered the living
manifestation of the creator god Ptah. In the
temple of Ptah at Memphis, the Apis bull resided,
serving as an intermediary allowing mankind to
communicate with this mighty deity through
oracles. From dedicatory sculptures and the
writings of Greek historian Herodotus, we are
familiar with the special physical attributes that
differentiate the Apis from any other bull. The
bull is colored black, save for a small white
triangular patch on its forehead. Sometimes a
solar disk crowns its head, revealing the divine
nature of the animal. On its back, it features the
wings of a vulture goddess. Here, the wings
have been carefully engraved along the top of
the bulls body. As well, the tail is typically
divided into two stands, perhaps reflecting the
original two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt.
As a representative of Ptah, the Apis bull was
naturally pampered, residing close to the temple
of Ptah in Memphis in a palatial structure
befitting for a pharaoh. The average lifespan of
the Apis was fourteen years during which time
the upper echelons of Memphis society were
able to view the creature at certain annual
ceremonies in the temple of Ptah. After the Apis
passed away, it was mourned as if the pharaoh
himself had died. The bull would be mummified,
and the embalmed and bejeweled carcass would
be paraded through the city on route to the
burial plot in Saqqara. Like Ptah himself, the
origin of the Apis dates back from the earliest
days of Egyptian history, well before the Dynastic
era. After Greek occupation, during the
Ptolemaic Period, the Apis bull would survive in
the form of the composite deity Sarapis.
- (X.0347)
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