Petubastis IV cartouche found at Dakhla Oasis, reinterprets lost army story. Excavations at Haida in Dakhla Oasis uncovered a cartouche of Petubastis IV in 2005 Further digging in 2014 confirmed the cartouche belonged to Petubastis IV Archaeologists now believe Cambyses II sent the army to Dakhla Oasis, not Siwa Oasis
Dakhla Oasis cartouche of Petubastis III (524-518 BC) suggests Cambyses II's army was defeated there, not lost in a Siwa sandstorm. Herodotus was wrong about location.
Key Facts
- Excavations at Haida in Dakhla Oasis uncovered a cartouche of Petubastis IV in 2005
- Further digging in 2014 confirmed the cartouche belonged to Petubastis IV
- Archaeologists now believe Cambyses II sent the army to Dakhla Oasis, not Siwa Oasis
- The army was likely defeated by Petubastis IV's forces rather than lost in a sandstorm
- Herodotus was correct about attacking devotees of Amun-Ra but wrong about the location
- Petubastis IV ruled from approximately 524 BC to 518 BC
- Olaf Kaper led the excavations and reinterpretation of Herodotus's account
Related site: Dakhla Oasis — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: How History Lost An Entire Army, And How We Maybe Found It Again by The Historian's Craft