Editing Cambyses II (section)

== Military campaigns ==
===Preparations against Egypt and the conquest of Cyprus===
[[Image:Achaemenid Empire under different kings (flat map).svg|thumb|300px|Evolution of the [[Achaemenid Empire]].]]
Cambyses' accession to the Achaemenid throne was relatively smooth.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=50}} Ruling over a vast but young empire, Cambyses preserved his authority over the subjugated lands, but also expanded his dominion over Egypt, the last prominent power in the [[Near East]]. According to the [[France|French]] [[Iranologist]] [[Pierre Briant]], "this must not be seen as a more or less irrational and uncontrollable desire to take over the entire inhabited world".{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=51}} On the contrary, Cambyses' action had already been planned by his father, who wanted to unify Babylonia with the lands of the Trans-Euphrates (an area that stretched from [[Ras al-Bassit|Posideium]] to Egypt).{{sfn|Briant|2002|pp=49, 51}} This would eventually require conquering the lands situated between the Euphrates and [[Nile river|Nile]] rivers, and therefore necessitated conflict with Egypt, which had previously and more recently shown interest in the area.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=51}} 

The incumbent [[pharaoh]] of Egypt was [[Amasis II]], who had been ruling since 570.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=51}} His ally, [[Polycrates]], a Greek ruler of [[Samos]], posed a considerable threat to the Achaemenids, launching several raids that jeopardised Achaemenid authority.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=52}} However, Polycrates eventually forsook his Egyptian allies, and reached out to Cambyses, whose plans he was well acquainted with.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=51}} His sudden change of alliances was undoubtedly due to his uneasy position, with the [[Spartan]]s raising a force against him, and the rising hostility of some of the Samian aristocrats, who preferred partnership with Egypt. Another former ally of Amasis II, the [[Caria]]n military leader [[Phanes of Halicarnassus]], had also joined Cambyses after escaping assassins sent by the pharaoh.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=53}} Cambyses, before starting his expedition into Egypt, had seized [[Cyprus]] from Amasis II, which was reportedly a heavy blow to the latter.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=51}}

===Conquest of Egypt and its surroundings===
{{Main|First Achaemenid conquest of Egypt}}
[[Image:Meeting Between Cambyses II and Psammetichus III.jpg|thumb|300px|Imaginary 19th-century illustration of Cambyses II meeting [[Psamtik III]].]]
By 526 BC, Amasis II had died, and his son [[Psamtik III]] had succeeded him, thus weakening Egypt's position.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=52}} In the meantime, Cambyses had made substantial preparations for his army. He had essentially laid the foundations for the Persian navy, which was crucial to his ambitions to conquer Egypt. The navy was created using men and equipment from [[History of ancient Lebanon|Phoenicia]] and [[ Asia Minor]]. During his march to Egypt, Cambyses made a treaty with the [[Arabs]], who controlled the desert area between [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] and the Egyptian frontier. This treaty granted Cambyses sufficient water for his forces to reach the Nile.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=53}} This also paved the way for Cambyses to extend his authority over the unsubdued lands between Egypt and Persia, including Gaza, a prominent commercial region, which equalled that of [[Sardis]] in [[Lydia]].{{sfn|Briant|2002|pp=53–54}} The region served as the headquarters for the Persian expedition into Egypt.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}} 

In 525 BC, Cambyses finally invaded Egypt. In the spring of that year, the Persian and Egyptian forces [[Battle of Pelusium (525 BC)|clashed at Pelusium]], where the Persians emerged victorious.{{sfn|Dandamayev|1990|pp=726–729}} According to one author, Cambyses was able to defeat the Egyptians by putting cats, sheep, dogs and other animals that the Egyptians considered sacred in the front lines. This led the Egyptians to cease using their war engines for fear of killing an animal and angering the gods.<ref>Forster, E. S. (1941). Dogs in Ancient Warfare. Greece & Rome, 10(30), 114–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/641375</ref> The forces of Cambyses then laid siege to [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]], where Psamtik III and his men had fortified themselves. Despite the considerable resistance by the pharaoh's forces, Cambyses captured Memphis and established a Persian-Egyptian garrison there. The length of the siege is not specified by the 5th-century BC Greek historian [[Herodotus]].{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}} Regardless, by summer, [[Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt|all of Egypt was under Persian suzerainty]].{{sfn|Dandamayev|1990|pp=726–729}} Cambyses now adopted the aspirations of the last pharaohs in seeking to control the neighbouring lands towards the west ([[Ancient Libya|Libya]] and [[Cyrenaica]]) and south ([[Nubia]]).{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}}

===Further conquests===
The Libyans, and soon the Greeks of [[Cyrene, Libya|Cyrene]] and [[Barca (ancient city)|Barca]], willingly acknowledged the authority of Cambyses, and as proof of their submission, sent offerings to Cambyses.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}}{{sfn|Dandamayev|1990|pp=726–729}} As a demonstration of his generosity, Cambyses had Amasis II's Greek widow, [[Ladice (Cyrenaean princess)|Ladice]], returned to Cyrene.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}} Cambyses originally intended to make an expedition against the Phoenician state of [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]], but it was ultimately called off due to his Phoenician subjects' reluctance to  make war against their own people.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=54}} In the south, Cambyses, followed the same policy of the last pharaohs to keep the [[Kingdom of Kush]] in check, and had a garrison established at [[Elephantine]].{{sfn|Briant|2002|pp=54-55}}

According to Herodotus, Cambyses' campaigns against Ammon in the [[Siwa Oasis]] and [[Ethiopia]] ended catastrophically.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=55}} He states that the reason behind this defeat was the "madness" of Cambyses, who "at once began his march against Ethiopia, without any orders for the provision of supplies, and without for a moment considering the fact that he was to take his men to the ends of the earth".{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=55}} This is called the [[Lost Army of Cambyses]].

However, according to Briant, "the deliberate bias against Cambyses raises doubts about the accuracy of Herodotus's version."{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=55}} Herodotus' statement is contradicted by other sources that do not suggest a catastrophe for his forces, even though the obstacles of the campaign possibly compelled Cambyses to withdraw.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=55}} Archaeological proof indicates that the Achaemenids made use of the stronghold of Dorginarti (south of [[Buhen]]) during the time they controlled Egypt.{{sfn|Briant|2002|p=55}}