Potere e controllo militare: la scomparsa degli ufficiali egiziani durante il primo dominio persiano dell'Egitto

Throughout the time it was under Persian rule, Egypt was a satrapy that was difficult to control due to continuous attempts at rebellion against the central power. The purpose of this work is to verify whether this situation had consequences for Persian military policy in Egypt, particularly within the organization of the indigenous army. Following an analysis of the proso- pographic data concerning Egyptian officials of this period and the preceding and succeeding eras, and a comparison of these with what is present in Greek historiographical sources, a near-total disappearance of Egyptian military personnel was found throughout the Persian era, except for a very small number of high-ranking officials. This, along with information regarding the resump- tion of mercenary recruitment and the arrival of Greek generals in Egypt at the end of Persian rule, led us to conclude that the instability in Egypt resulted in an almost complete replacement of indigenous military hierarchies with foreign elements, subsequently implying a renewed need for foreign soldiers and officers in commanding roles in the army.