Tefnakht II

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Tefnakht II was a native Saite king who ruled Sais during the 25th Nubian Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He is attested by a Year 8 donation stela, according to both Karl-Heinz Priese and Olivier Perdu. Tefnakht II was a separate king from the illustrious Great Chief of the West Tefnakhte, who is mentioned in Piye's Year 20 Victory Stela and would have ruled part of Lower Egypt around 685 to 678 BC as a minor Saite king when the Nubian Dynasty still controlled all of Egypt. He appears in Manetho's Epitome as a certain Stephinates and is assigned a reign of 7 Years – a figure which is supported by the discovery of his Year 8 Athens stela. Manetho also writes that he was succeeded by an unknown king named Nekauba at Sais. The father of Tefnkaht II is unknown and he may or may not have been a descendant of the last ruling Saite king, Bakenranef who was executed in Year 2 of Shabaka. According to Sextus Africanus's reasonably reliable version of Manetho's Epitome, the 26th Dynasty was comprised of 9 kings which began with a Stephinates and ended with a Psammetichus(ie: Psamtik III). Africanus copy of Manetho's Epitome also accurately records Psamtik I's reign of the 26th Dynasty as being 54 Years and Apries's reign at 19 Years. Consequently, it appears that Manetho regarded Tefnakht II to be the founder of the 26th Dynasty of Sais.

Karl-Heinz Priese noted long ago in a 1970 article that there was no compelling reason to identify this king with the more famous Tefnakht—Piye's chief rival in Lower Egypt—aside from the similarity of their names. The earlier Tefnakht is only attested as a "Chief of the West", rather than an actual king of Sais. More significantly, however, a recent 2002 CRAIBL article by Olivier Perdu publishes a newly discovered Year 2 donation stela discovered near Sebennytos which dates to Necho I's reign. Perdu reveals that it is almost identical in style, form and content with the Year 8 donation stela of Shepsesre Tefnakht. Perdu's arguments demonstrate that these two Saite kings were close contemporaries. Hence, Shepsesre Tefnakht was rather a 7th Century BC king who ruled Sais around the same time as king Necho I (672-664 BC) and likely ruled Sais around 685 BC-678 BC. He was succeeded by an unknown Nekauba, (plausibly his son), who was, in turn, succeeded by, (another probable son of Tefnakht II), the well-documented Necho I, father of Psamtik I.

[edit] External References

• Olivier Perdu, "De Stéphinatès à Néchao ou les débuts de la XXVIe dynastie," CRAIBL 2002, pp. 1215-1244
• Karl-Heinz Priese, "Der Beginn der kuschitischen Herrschaft in Ägypten," ZÄS 98(1970), pp.16-32

Preceded by ?

Pharaoh of Egypt Twenty-sixth Dynasty

Succeeded by Nekauba