Necho II

Necho II: pharaoh of the Saite dynasty, ruler of Egypt from 610 to 595.

Egyptian names: Wehemibra Nekau

Successor of: Psammetichus I

610: Accession; Necho inherits a war against Babylonia, in which Egypt supports Assyria
609: Intervention in Palestine; meeting with king Josiah of Judah in Megiddo or battle against Josiah;^note Judah and the Phoenician towns become Egyptian tributaries
Necho builds his HQs at Riblah on the Orontes, supporting the Assyrian king Aššur-Uballit II.^note[Fall of Nineveh Chronicle.]
War in Syria.^note[Late years of Nabopolassar chronicle.]
605: Nebuchadnezzar defeats Necho near Karchemish.^note
601: Babylonian attack on Egypt repelled
597: Loss of Judah; Jerusalem is captured by the Babylonians
595: Death of Necho II; he is succeeded by his son Psammetichus II
Without known date: first circumnavigation of Africa.^note[Herodotus, Herodotus' Histories 4.42.]
Necho's names are sometimes erazed from his monuments, which may signify that his foreign policy was seen as a failure; his successor refrained from foreign interventions

According to Herodotus,^note[Herodotus, Histories 2.158.] Necho started to build a canal between the Nile and the Red Sea (finished by Darius I the Great)
An ancient Hyksos fortress at Pithom was rebuilt
Continued building activity at the temple of Neith in Sais

Succeeded by: Psammetichus II