Pixodarus vs Psamtik II

Pixodarus deposed his sister Ada, the rightful Hecatomnid ruler, and seized control of Caria. This coup disrupted the dynastic succession and led to internal strife within the Carian ruling family.

Pixodarus proposed a marriage alliance between his daughter and Philip II's son Arrhidaeus. This move aimed to secure Macedonian support against Persian influence, but it was opposed by Alexander the Great, who saw it as a threat to his own succession.

Pixodarus died in 335 BC, after ruling Caria for about five years. His son-in-law Orontobates, a Persian noble, succeeded him as satrap, marking the end of direct Hecatomnid rule and the beginning of Persian control over Caria.

Psamtik II became pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty, succeeding his father Necho II. He inherited a kingdom that had regained independence from Assyrian control and was experiencing a cultural renaissance.

Psamtik II launched a military expedition into Nubia, reaching as far as the Third Cataract. The campaign aimed to deter Kushite threats and assert Egyptian dominance, but did not result in permanent conquest.

Following the Nubian campaign, Psamtik II ordered the systematic erasure of the names and images of the 25th Dynasty Kushite pharaohs from monuments throughout Egypt. This damnatio memoriae aimed to legitimize his own dynasty.

Psamtik II died after a reign of about 6 years, succeeded by his son Apries. His short reign was marked by military action in Nubia and cultural consolidation of Saite rule.