Πληροφορίες τοπωνυμίου

Sais

ΣΑΙΣ (Αρχαία πόλη) ΑΙΓΥΠΤΟΣ
  City of Egypt on the Nile delta.
  Sais was the capital of Egypt during the XXVIth dynasty, that is from 664 to 525 B. C., a period of Renaissance (sometimes called the Saitic Renaissance) after the rule of Nubian Pharaohs of the XXVth dynasty and invasions by Assyrian kings, culminating with the sack of Thebes of Egypt by the later in 663. The leadership of Nubian Pharaohs had indeed been loose, leaving room for a multiplicity of local kings in various parts of the delta, including Sais, and some of the kings of Sais had already tried to play a leading role against the dominion of Nubia over Egypt, leading to the short lived XXIVth dynasty (724-712).
  The first Pharaoh of the XXVIth dynasty was Psammetichus I (664-610), who started, following in the footsteps of his father Necos I, in making alliance with Ashurbanipal against the Nubians, but then freed Egypt from Assyrian dominion and, with the help of Greek mercenaries from Ionia and Caria, reunited Egypt under his own leadership. His son, Necos II (610-595), gave Egypt a fleet, with the help of the Greeks, commissioned a trip around Africa and started the building of a canal between the Nile and the Red Sea, which would be completed (or reopenend) by Darius the Great.
  Necos was succeeded by Psammetichus II (595-589), who had to turn against the Nubians trying a comeback and, with the help of Greek mercenaries, put a definitive end to attempts by southern kings to invade Egypt. Amasis had friendly relations with the Greeks, making alliance with those of Cyrene and granting freedom to the colony of Naucratis. Toward the end of his reign, Persia became the leading power in the Middle East, taking over the role assumed earlier by Babylonia, and, under the short reign of Amasis' successor, Psammetichus III (526-525), Cambyses conquered Egypt and proclaimed himself Pharaoh, starting the XXVIIth dynasty by Egyptian count.
  This period of Egyptian history is important because it marks the beginning of relations between Egypt and Greece. Because the Saitic pharaohs employed Greek mercenaries, they created a body of interpreters, and this made the reciprocal knowledge of the two cultures possible. Besides, it came at a time Egypt itself was rediscovering its own roots, rebuilding a lost unity and studying antique traditions. Many Greek thinkers of this time are said to have visited Egypt.
  In the Vth and IVth centuries, Sais was no longer the capital of Egypt, which had become a vassal of Persia before being subjected by Alexander the Great (332). But the relations between the two peoples remained good and nearby Naucratis was a gateway for those Greeks wishing to visit the country. Sais was the center of the cult of the Egyptian goddess Neith, who was identified by the Greeks with Athena.

Bernard Suzanne (page last updated 1998), ed.
This extract is cited July 2003 from the Plato and his dialogues URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks.

• http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/loc/sais.htm