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> Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of A

> Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C., after Caesar Augustus (at that time still called Octavian) defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, Actually, the fall of Egypt is much earlier. Nectanebo II in 342 BC was the last native ruler of Egypt (and even he was part of a rebel dynasty that ruled for around 40 years after successfully revolting against the Persians who had conquered Egypt under Cambyses in the 500's. The Rosetta Stone, was probably the single greatest archeological discovery to date. It opened up the written history of arguably one of the oldest civilizations in the world and which was throughout much of history either one of or involved with the greatest empires in history.

estaseuropano 5y ago
If I remember my history well Egypt was basically like China: a more or less coherent empire that was however many times conquered and reconquered or had internal political takeovers. So you may be right that 342 is a better date but some could probably argue that an even earlier one should be taken, e.g. when the various mesopotamian empires conquered it. On the other hand the Roman takeover seems to be when Egypt truly became a vassal and lost its independence.
User23 5y ago
> the last native ruler of Egypt What exactly does "native" mean in this context? The entire Mediterranean coast was the equivalent of a highway off-ramp for as long as boats have been a thing, which is far longer ago than the 4th century BC. I'm no Egyptologist, but given that there were 32 different dynasties (supposedly), I assume some "foreign" conquest must have been involved on more than one occasion in the millennia the Egyptian kingdoms existed. It's an area where Internet search provides no quality results, so if you can help clarify I'd greatly appreciate it.
- barry-cotter 5y ago
  This was the last time that someone whose high culture was Egyptian ruled Egypt. After that Egypt was ruled by people who spoke a different language and looked outside Egypt for cultural touchstones. Cleopatra was the first Ptolemy to speak Egyptian. Until the Arabs conquered it from the Romans it was ruled by Greek speakers.

estaseuropano 5y ago

If I remember my history well Egypt was basically like China: a more or less coherent empire that was however many times conquered and reconquered or had internal political takeovers. So you may be right that 342 is a better date but some could probably argue that an even earlier one should be taken, e.g. when the various mesopotamian empires conquered it. On the other hand the Roman takeover seems to be when Egypt truly became a vassal and lost its independence.

User23 5y ago

> the last native ruler of Egypt What exactly does "native" mean in this context? The entire Mediterranean coast was the equivalent of a highway off-ramp for as long as boats have been a thing, which is far longer ago than the 4th century BC. I'm no Egyptologist, but given that there were 32 different dynasties (supposedly), I assume some "foreign" conquest must have been involved on more than one occasion in the millennia the Egyptian kingdoms existed. It's an area where Internet search provides no quality results, so if you can help clarify I'd greatly appreciate it.

barry-cotter 5y ago
This was the last time that someone whose high culture was Egyptian ruled Egypt. After that Egypt was ruled by people who spoke a different language and looked outside Egypt for cultural touchstones. Cleopatra was the first Ptolemy to speak Egyptian. Until the Arabs conquered it from the Romans it was ruled by Greek speakers.