30th Dynasty (Sebennytians)

The kings of this dynasty had to defend the independence of Egypt against the Persian Achaemenids, who had not accepted the lost of this part of their empire. Employing Greek mercenaries, who demanded payment in coins (the first to be minted in the country of the Nile), and with the Libyan tribes as their allies, the Egyptian rulers managed to keep their enemies away. The economy was sufficiently well-organized to allow the kings of the Thirtieth Dynasty to restore and expand several ancient sanctuaries (e.g., Siwa).

Faced with an Achaemenid invasion that he could not ward off, king Nectanebo II retreated to Nubia. The new Persian rulers remained impopular and Egypt would soon be conquered by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (332/331).​

The kings of the Thirtieth Dynasty resided in Sebennytus in Lower Egypt.

Sacrificing king	Nectanebo I, wearing the crown of Upper Egypt	Nectanebo II	Sacrificing king.
Siwa, Temple of Nectanebo, Paintings	Saqqara, Serapeum, Relief of Isis and Nectanebo II	Behbeit el-Hagar, Nectanebo II sacrificing to Osiris	Fragment of a cartouche of Teos
Saqqara, Sarcophagus of Nectanebo II	Hermopolis, Obelisk of Nectanebo II	Coin of Nectanebo II, showing hieroglyfs signifying “nefr nub”, good gold	Bubastis, Relief of Chnum
Portrait of an official