Egypt
Jewish Community
Persia
Amasis was supposed to send his daughter to the Persian king, but instead sent Nitetis, daughter of Apries. Not clear whether she was intended for Cyrus or Cambyses.
Fall of Babylon 539
Return of Jews to Jerusalem
Sheshbazzar prince of Judah (Ezra 1:8) and governor (Ezra 5:14) ca. 538-522
Temple foundation laid
Persian Empire
Gobryas (Gubaru) governor of Ebir-nari
Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae
Cyrus the Great Website
Guard of Cyrus tomb
Gubaru was governor of Babylon and the land Beyond the River; his successor was Ushtannu. During Ushtannu the western province was under the control of Tattenai (Tattennu) Ezra 5-6
Family tree of Achaemenid Dynasty
Achaemenid dynasty
Cyrus II 559-530
549 defeated Astyages of Media, his
father-in-law
547-546 defeated Croesus king of Lydia
October 29,
539 Cyrus entered Babylon
Edict of Cyrus 538 ANET 315-316 COS 2.14, pp. 314-316. Nabonidus did not worship Marduk
Cyrus Cylinder or Cyrus Cylinder
Coin from time of Cyrus
Nabonidus Chronicle ANET 305-307 describes Cyrus entering Babylon without a battle
Psammetichus III 526-525 last king of 26. dynasty; executed by Cambyses II (27. dynasty)
Beginning of Jewish community at Elephantine
Ahura Mazda
Darius and Gaumata
Cambyses II 530-522 conquered Egypt in 525 and became king there as Pharaoh in 27th dynasty. He had no sons.
Bardiya, brother of Cambyses, revolted (Called Smerdis in Herodotus)
Darius and others claim that Bardiya had been killed, and the revolt was led by an
impostor Gaumata 522. Gaumata was assassinated
Nebuchadnezzar III
(Nidintu-Bel),
probably a son of Nabonidus, and Nebuchadnezzar IV (Arkha), an
Armenian, were impaled
Nebuchadnezzar
IV last king of Babylon
Udjahorresnet sent by Darius I to reconstitute temple colleges (Ezra-like?)
518 Egypt invaded by Persia. A Persian satrap Aryandes advised Darius on how to show respect to Apis bull and other Egyptian deities.
Darius I visits Egypt; completes the Nile-Red Sea canal 519 BCE
Haggai
Zechariah 1-8
Zerubbabel (grandson of King Jehoiachin) governor (ca. 522-516) and Jeshua 520-495 high priest
Dedication of Temple 515
Elnathan 510-490 governor (his "amah" was Shelomith,
1 Chr 3:19) COS 2.78B, p. 203
Belonging to Elnathan the governor
Belonging to Shelomith,
the Amah of Elnathan the govermor COS 2.78C, p. 203
Shecaniah (Davidide) born ca 520 1 Chr 3:21-22
Hattush (Davidide) born ca 495 1 Chr 3:22; Ezra 8:2
Post-Exilic Yehud
Darius I
Gadatas inscription (Gadatas, keeper of a royal garden [cf. Neh 2:8]) is rebuked by Darius I for imposing a tax (similar to documents preserved in Ezra). This may be a forgery. The text is in Greek from the time of Hadrian.
Coin of Darius
Apadana stairway at Persepolis
Map of Persian empire
Darius I 522-486 ANEP 249, 462-463
Began construction at Persepolis
Gaumata killed 9-29-522
divided empire into 20 satrapies.
Darius introduced "daric" coinage (1 Chr 29:7)
Ushtani was ruler over satrapy of Babylon and Ebir Nari
Darius (L) and Xerxes (R):
Behistun
Inscription
Behistun
Inscription
Darius I; Ahura-Mazda above; Gaumata on
ground; 2nd prisoner from left = Nidintu-Bel; 7th from left = Arkha.
The Persian language is written for the first
time in the Behistun inscription. Other languages in this
inscription are Babylonian and Elamite
Behistun
Inscription
Yehoezer 490-470 governor (known from jar impression; some date him after Nehemiah)
Joiakim 495-450 high priest
Tattenu was satrap of Transeuphratene from 520-502; cf. Tattenai in Ezra 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13
Greek cities of Asia Minor revolted against Persians 498
Battle of Marathon 490--Darius defeated
Darius Tomb at Naqsh-i Rustam
485/454 Egyptian rebellion put down by Persia
Herodotus historian 484-420;
Herodotus on the
web
Herodotus
Thucydides historian 460-400
Thucydides
Delian (Greek) league formed against Persia, with Athens at its head 478
Malachi
Ahzai 470- governor (known from jar impression; some date him after Nehemiah)
The story of Esther is placed in this time period.
Tabnit, king of Sidon and priest of Ashtoreth inscription COS 2.56; pp. 181-182; ANET 662 470-465
Xerxes
Xerxes (Ahasuerus in Ezra 4:6 and Esther) 485-465 ANET 316-317 trilingual foundation tablet; destroyed Babylon, including Esagila; he was assassinated, probably on order of his son Artaxerxes
Shamash-eriba led Babylonian revolt
482 Babylonian revolt, in which satrap Zopyrus was killed, put down by Megabyzos
Babylon and Trans-Euphrates became separate satrapies. Yehud part of latter
9-22-480 Persians defeated at Salamis; 479 at Mycale
460 Inaros, son of Psammetichus III rebels, supported by Pericles; satrap Achaemenes, brother of Xerxes killed. Inaros executed by Persians
Subdued by Megabazos, the general of Artaxerxes I and son-in-law of
Xerxes
Arsames, satrap of Egypt
Delian league defeated in 454
Mibtahiah archive from Elephantine 471-410 BCE COS 3.59-3.81; pp. 141-198; ANET 491
Aramaic ostraca COS 3.87A-3.89; pp. 208-219; ANET 491
Ezra 458? Was his sending a reaction to the revolt in Egypt?
Eliashib 450-432 high priest Neh 3:1
Nehemiah 445-425 governor
grandson of Eliashib was son-in-law of Sanballat Neh 13:28
Eshmunazor statue and inscription
Sanballat I 445 (the Horonite),
Tobiah the Ammonite, and
Geshem the Arab oppose Nehemiah
Qaynu son of Gashmu, King of Qedar from
Tell el-Mashkhuta (Egypt)
Yehawmilk king of Byblos, 5-4 c., COS 2.32; pp. 151-152; ANET 656. Made king by "the Lady, the Mistress of Byblos"
Yehawmilk offers a cup to Baalat/Mistress of Byblos
Artaxerxes I 464-424/23
Aswan Dedicatory Inscription COS 2.41; p. 163
Murashu documents from Nippur 455-403 BCE (8 percent of names are Jewish)
449 Peace of Callias between Greece and Persia
448 revolt of Megabyzos against Persian empire. Is the correspondence in Ezra 4:8-23 to be dated in this context?
Elephantine Letters ANET 222-223 (legal documents),
491-492, 548-549 ( legal documents); COS 3.46-3.53; pp. 116-132,
Elephantine Ostraca COS 3.87A-K, 388
Passover Papyrus COS 3.46; pp. 116-117; ANET 491
Passover Papyrus
Temple of Yahu at Elephantine destroyed by followers of Khnum in 410.
Khnum
Complaint about destruction of a storehouse at Elephantine and request to
rebuild the temple COS 3.50, pp. 123-125.
Petitition for Reconstruction of Elephantine Temple to Bigvai, the governor
in Jerusalem COS 3.51, pp. 125-130 ANET 491-492
Verbal Authorization for Temple Reconstruction COS 3.52; pp. 130-131; ANET 492
Joiada 431-410 high priest Neh 12:22; 13:28
Johanan 410-370 high priest Neh 12:22 (also mentioned in Passover Papyrus from Elephantine) murdered his brother Jeshua/Jesus, who had been appointed high priest by Bagoses, and Bagoses subsequently imposed a tax on daily sacrifices (according to Josephus). Some date this incident to the reign of Artaxerxes III
Coin of Johanan the priest--this Johanan may be Onias I
below mid 4th century
Passover Papyrus from Elephantine
Bagohi (Bigvai) governor of Judah ca. 410-370 (Elephantine). He may be the same as the general Bagoses in Josephus (Or Bagoses may be Bagoas, who served under Artaxerxes III) .
Delaiah 410 Son of Sanballat I
Shelemiah Son of Sanballat I mentioned in Elephantine papyri
(Peloponnesian war 431-404)
Xerxes II (ruled for 45 days; killed by Sogdianus while drunk)
Sogdianus Half brother of Xerxes II. Served briefly as king and killed by his half brother Darius II
Darius II 423-405
Egypt lost to Persians 405
28. Dynasty -- Dynasties 28-30 had capital city in Mendes and Sebennytus in the eastern Delta
Amyrtaeus 404-399 drove Persian garrisons out of Egypt
29. Dynasty.
Nefaarud I (Nepherites I) 399-93 invaded Palestine
Hakor (Achoris) 393-380
Hakor
30. Dynasty
Nekhtenebef (Nectanebo I) 380-363
Nectanebo I
Nectanebo I or II
Ezra-Nehemiah
Ezra 398?
4th c. Yehud Coin
4c struck in Jerusalem-Yehud on left, head of Athena on right
Jaddua high priest 370-253; his brother Manasseh married Sanballat III's daughter Nikaso (Josephus; cf. Neh 13:28)
Coin of Jaddua
Yehezqiyah (Hezekiah) the governor ca. 370-253
Coins of Yehezqiyah
Samaria Papyri 375-335 BCE
Jeshua (Sanballatid)
Mazadaeus satrap of the Province Beyond the River and Cilicia
4th century
Artaxerxes II Memnon 405-359
Opposed by his brother Cyrus the Younger (Xenophon, Anabasis); Cyrus the Younger killed in 401
400 Egypt secedes
386 King's Peace with Greece--acknowledged Persian control of Ionian cities
Satraps' Revolt led by Aroandes
Tachos (Teos) 363-360 led army of 90,000 to Syria. Died in Persia.
Nectanebo II 360-343 last native Egyptian Pharaoh; deposed Tachos, his uncle
Nectanebo II sheltered by Horus
Conquered by Persians in 343 under General Bagoas
Joel?
Jonah?
Chronicles
Tennes (king of Sidon) led a rebellion 349-345
Artaxerxes Chronicle--deals with sack of Sidon in 346 BCE
Abd-ashtart, king of Sidon, 345-343 BCE
343 Sidon destroyed
Artaxerxes III Ochos 358-338
Xanthus Inscription (Lycia) approval of cultic initiative by Persians (Did the Persians authorize the Pentateuch as Jewish law?). Can also be dated to Arses = Artaxerxes IV
Philip II 359-256 united Greece
Artaxerxes III poisoned by Bagoas
342-252 The Second Persian Period
Alexander the Great 356-323
Alexander the Great captures Egypt 332
Founding of Alexandria 332
Sanballat III (Josephus claims he built temple on Mt. Gerizim; last half of fourth century, contemporary with Darius III)
Andromachus, governor of Syria appointed by Alexander, was murdered by people of Samaria
Samaria Papyrus
Alexander takes Tyre 332
Alexander destroys Samaria 332
Modern scholars do not believe that Alexander visited Jerusalem (Josephus)
Arses/Artaxerxes IV 338-336 killed by
Bagoas
Artaxerxes IV
Darius III Codomanus/Artashata 336-330 cousin of Artaxerxes IV and grandson of brother of Artaxerxes III
Bagoas himself is poisoned
333 Battle of Issus against Alexander; Persia lost
331 Alexander conquers main Persian centers
330 Darius III murdered by Bessos, the satrap of Bactria, who called himself Artaxerxes V
Darius III
Artaxerxes V 330-329. Executed by Alexander
327-325 Alexander conquers Persian regions of India
Egypt
Jewish Community
Persia