🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamiahard
Battle of Pelusium
525 BCE · Nile Delta, Egypt
Quick Facts
- Year
- 525 BCE
- Location
- Nile Delta, Egypt
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Difficulty
- hard
The Persian king Cambyses II invaded Egypt and met the forces of Pharaoh Psamtik III at Pelusium, the fortress guarding the eastern Nile Delta. Ancient sources claim the Persians placed cats and other animals sacred to the Egyptians on their shields, causing the defenders to hesitate. The Egyptians were routed, and Memphis fell shortly after. Egypt became a Persian satrapy, ending the 26th Dynasty and beginning centuries of foreign domination.
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The Persian use of cats as shields at Pelusium exploited the Egyptian reverence for the cat-goddess Bastet. Harming a cat in ancient Egypt could carry the death penalty.