---
title: The Battle of Pelusium
author: Simon Seitz
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13914/the-battle-of-pelusium/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# The Battle of Pelusium

_Authored by [Simon Seitz](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/staublicht/)_

## Image File

[![The Battle of Pelusium](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/13914.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/13914.jpg)

## Image Caption

Artist's impression of the [Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) of Pelusium (525 BCE), showing the Persian army led by [Cambyses II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cambyses_II/) (525-522 BCE) on the left, and the [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) army led by Psametik III (526-525 BCE) on the right.

The battle was a decisive Persian victory brought about by the Persian's clever use of cats: As cats were sacred to the Egyptians, the Persian army herded cats (and other animals) in front of their battle line, and painted cats onto their shields. The Egyptians, afraid to hurt sacred cats and incurring the wrath of [Bastet](https://www.worldhistory.org/Bastet/), were shaken and decisively defeated. Following the battle, [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/) annexed [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/).

*Original illustration by Simon Seitz for World History Encyclopedia.*

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Cite This Work

### APA
Seitz, S. (2021, April 28). The Battle of Pelusium. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13914/the-battle-of-pelusium/>
### Chicago
Seitz, Simon. "The Battle of Pelusium." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 28, 2021. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13914/the-battle-of-pelusium/>.
### MLA
Seitz, Simon. "The Battle of Pelusium." *World History Encyclopedia*, 28 Apr 2021, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13914/the-battle-of-pelusium/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Simon Seitz](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/staublicht/ "User Page: Simon Seitz"), published on 28 April 2021. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.