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When Egypt’s New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1075 BC) collapsed, it ushered in a period of political instability and decline known as the Third Intermediate Period. The Third Intermediate Period was marked by the rule of various Libyan tribes, who divided Egypt into several contemporary dynasties. The Late Period came after the Third Intermediate Period and although it was a period when Egypt was usually united one single dynastiesdynasty at a time, the rulers were often foreign. The exact point where the Third Intermediate Period ended and the Late Period began is open for debate among many scholars. Some believe that the Third Intermediate Period ended with the Nubia Nubian King, Piye’s, conquest of Egypt in 728 because that date also marked the beginning of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty and a return to Egypt Egyptian unification under one dynasty. Other scholars see the date 664 BC as the inception date of the Late Period when Psamtek I came to power, establishing the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty and many of the political, military, and cultural attributes commonly associated with the period.
Similar to questions concerning the chronological origin of the Late Period, its end date is also a bit ambiguous. Some scholars consider Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332 BC to be the end of the Late Period, while others extend the period well into the Christian Era, often to the end of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476. This current booklist will consider some titles that cover material after 332 BC.