Royal Ideology and Imperialism in Hieroglyphic and Cuneiform Inscriptions from Achaemenid Egypt

Abstract

Various monumental royal inscriptions have survived from the First Achaemenid Period in Egypt (525–404 BCE), in which the Persian rulers are legitimized as Egyptian pharaohs. In addition to the texts passed down in hieroglyphs, there are also cuneiform royal inscriptions from Egypt, which can be compared to one another in terms of content and form. This talk aims to address the following questions that arise from examining this textual corpus: What similarities and differences do these texts have? What do these similarities and differences say about the underlying ruling ideology? To what extent are imperialistic ideas and aspirations of the Persian Empire reflected in inscriptions in Egypt? Which groups were addressed? By dealing with these questions, the representation and legitimacy of the rule of the Persian kings over Egypt should be examined.