Persians in Egypt

Between 526 and 404bce, and again from 340 to 332bce, Egypt was part of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. The Persian king took on the role of the pharaoh, and in doing so ruled Egypt through existing institutions, especially temples. As a result there was significant continuity with earlier periods, and many Egyptians played important roles in government. In reality much of the king's authority was exercised on his behalf by the satrap, who oversaw Egypt's bureaucracy and communicated with various imperial officials in Aramaic, the lingua franca of the Achaemenid Empire. There were significant developments in the Western Desert, especially the introduction ofqanatirrigation. Also, a canal was constructed under Darius I, connecting the Nile to the Red Sea. Egypt paid tribute to the Persians in silver, leading to the importation of silver coins from the Greek world. This in turn led to the integration of Athenian tetradrachms into the Egyptian weight system and the minting of local imitations of them. Egypt was under Persian rule for a third time between 619 and 629ce, when it was part of the Sasanian Empire.