In 525 B., Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, led a Persian invasion force that dethroned the last pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty. |
|
There may have been religious overtones in the quarrel between Cambyses and Darius on the one hand and the false Bardiya a magus, or Median priest on the other. |
|
According to Darius, six leading Achaemenian nobles assisted in slaying the imposter and together proclaimed Darius the rightful heir of Cambyses. |
|
Book II contains the succession of Cambyses, Cyrus's son, his plan to attack Egypt, and an immensely long account of that unique land and its history. |
|
Although Cambyses then campaigned toward their country, by not preparing enough provisions for the long march, his army completely failed and returned quickly. |
|