Ptolemy I Soter, one of the seven somatophiles (bodyguards) who served as generals and representatives of Alexander the Great, was appointed satrap of Egypt after the death of Alexander in 323 BC. Alexander’s empire fell apart. In 305 BC the loyal general of Macedon declared himself Ptolemy the Savior - ruler of Egypt.
The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. The former Macedonian family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC
Dynasty Characteristic
All male rulers of the dynasty took the name of Ptolemy. The Ptolemaic princesses, some of whom were married to their brothers, were usually called Cleopatra, Arsinoe, or Berenice. The most famous member of this line is the last queen, Cleopatra VII, known for her role in the political battles between Caesar and Pompey, and then between Octavian and Mark Anthony. She went down in history as a strong ruler and a big intriguer. Her apparent suicide during the conquest of Rome marked the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt.
Board Features
The dates in brackets later in the article represent the real dates of the pharaohs. They often ruled with their wives, who were often their sisters. Several queens from this dynasty had supreme power over Egypt. One of the last and most famous was Cleopatra (Filopator Cleopatra VII, 51-30 BC), and her two brothers and her son served as consecutive nominal co-rulers.
Inherited ailments
Contemporaries describe a number of members of the Ptolemaic dynasty as extremely corpulent, while sculptures and coins reveal their large eyes and swollen necks. Apparently, these characteristic features were a peculiar sign of a hereditary disease, such as pathological obesity. This is probably due to the widely practiced incest in the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Due to the family nature of these findings, members of this dynasty probably suffered from a multi -organ fibrotic disease, such as Erdheim-Chester disease or familial multifocal fibrosclerosis, in which thyroiditis, obesity and ocular proptosis were simultaneously observed.
Ptolemy of Egypt
Ptolemy I (367 BC - 282 BC) was a companion and ally of Alexander the Great, who succeeded in creating his empire. The former general became the ruler of Egypt (323-282 BC) and founded the dynasty of the same name, which he ruled over the next three centuries, turning Egypt into the Hellenistic kingdom, and Alexandria into the center of Greek culture.
Ptolemy was the son of Arsina of Macedon, either from her husband Lagus, or from Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander. Ptolemy was one of the most reliable companions and officers of the latter. Since childhood, they have been close friends.
In 285, our hero declared his son Berenice - Ptolemy II Philadelphus, his official co-ruler. His eldest legitimate son Ptolemy Keraunos, whose mother Eurydice was rejected, fled to Lysima. Ptolemy died in January 282 at the age of 84 or 85 years. He was discerning and careful. He also had a compact and well-ordered kingdom that flourished at the end of a forty-year war. His reputation as a good man and a generous ruler brought him to the service of escaped Macedonian soldiers and other Greeks, although he did not neglect the recruitment of the natives. He was the patron of writing, founded the Great Library of Alexandria.
Ptolemy himself wrote a memoir about his participation in the campaign of Alexander. In the second century AD, the story of Ptolemy was used by Arrian Nicomedia as one of his two main sources (along with the story of Aristobulus Cassandreia) for his own surviving biography of Alexander, and, therefore, large passages from the memoirs of our hero can be found in the work of Arrian. Arrian refers to Ptolemy by name only a few times, but it is likely that large sections of Arrian’s anabasis reflect a version of Ptolemy’s events. Arrian once called Ptolemy the author, whom he most cites, and in his “Preface” claims that Ptolemy seemed to him a particularly trustworthy source, not only because he was present with Alexander in the campaign, but also because he himself was king, and therefore a lie would be more dishonorable for him than for anyone else.
Ptolemy king of Mauritania (Philadelphia)
Ptolemy II Philadelphia (Greek Πτολεμαῖος Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaas Philadelphos “Ptolemy, lover of his sister”, 308 / 9-246 BC) was the king of Egypt from 283 to 246 BC. He was the son of the founder of his dynasty, mentioned above, and Queen Berenice I, who came from Macedonia in northern Greece.
During the reign of Ptolemy II, the material and literary splendor of the Alexandrian court was in full swing. He perfected the Museum and Library of Alexandria. He built a commemorative stela, the Great Stela Mendes. He also led the Ptolemaic kingdom against the rival Seleucid Empire in the first of a series of Syrian wars.
He had two sisters, Arsinoe II and Filoter. He was educated by the Filites of Kos. The two sons of his father in his previous marriage to Eurydice, Ptolemy Keraunos and Meleager, became kings of Macedonia. Children from Berenice's first marriage with Philip included Magas Cyrenea. Pyrrhus of Epirus became his son-in-law through marriage with his maternal sister Ptolemy, Antigone.
The third descendant of the great general
Ptolemy III Everget (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης, Ptolemaĩos Euergétēs "Ptolemy the Benefactor", 284-222 BC) was the third king from the Ptolemaic dynasty, and reigned from 246 to 222 BC.
Fourth generation
Ptolemy IV Philopator (Greek Πτολεμαῖος Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemyas Filopatra "Ptolemy, beloved of his Father", 245 / 4-204 BC), the son of the previous ruler and his sister Berenice II, was the fourth pharaoh of Egypt from this dynasty from 22 204 BC Under his rule, a gradual degradation of the dynasty and the state to which it ruled began.
Ptolemy Epiphanes
Ptolemy Epiphanes (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Ἐπιφανής, Ptolemeos Epiphanes “Ptolemy is outstanding”); 210-181 BC), the son of Philopator Ptolemy IV and his sister Arsina III, was the fifth ruler of the dynasty from 204 to 181 BC. He inherited the throne at the age of five, and under a series of regents the kingdom was paralyzed. Rosetta stone was created just during his reign.
"Mother's Beloved"
Ptolemy VI Philometor (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaos Filament "Ptolemy, lover of his mother") was king of Egypt from 180 to 164 BC and from 163 to 145 BC As a child, his mother ruled on his behalf, and later two foreign conspirators. Nevertheless, he soon gained complete power over the state.
"Father's New Beloved"
Ptolemy VII Neos Filopator (Greek Πτολεμαῖος Νέος Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemyas Neos Filopatra “New Beloved of His Father”). His rule is controversial, and it is possible that he did not reign at all, but posthumously received the royal title.
Evergett II
Ptolemy VIII Evergett II (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης, Ptolemaĩos Euergétēs “Ptolemy the benefactor”, 182 BC - June 26, 116 BC), nicknamed “Physicist” (Φύσκων was the next king of Egypt from this legendary dynasty.
The complex political career of Ptolemy VIII began in 170 BC. At that time, Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire invaded and captured King Ptolemy VI Philometor and all of Egypt, with the exception of the city of Alexandria. Antiochus allowed Ptolemy VI to continue to rule as a puppet monarch. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Alexandria chose Ptolemy Everget, his younger brother, as king. Instead of fighting against each other, the brothers reasonably reasoned together to rule Egypt.
The first woman on the throne of Hellenic Egypt
Cleopatra II (Greek Κλεοπάτρα, approximately 185 BC - 116/115 BC) was the Queen of Ptolemaic Egypt, who ruled from 175 to 116 BC with two consecutive husbands and daughter.
She ruled during her first reign until 164 BC. together with Ptolemy VI Philometor, her first husband and eldest of her brothers, and Ptolemy VIII Evergett II, her younger brother. During her second reign, she was again with Ptolemy VI from 163 BC until her death in 145 BC. Then she ruled jointly by Ptolemy VIII, whom she married, and her daughter Cleopatra III. She was the only ruler of Egypt from 131 until 127 BC. Cleopatra II was almost unremarkable. However, like her daughter.
Daughter of the first queen
Cleopatra III (Greek Κλεοπάτρα; c. 160-101 BC) was the queen of Egypt. First, she ruled with her mother Cleopatra II and her husband Ptolemy VIII from 142 to 131 BC and again from 127 to 116 BC. Then she ruled the country with her sons Ptolemy IX and Ptolemy X from 116 to 101 BC.
Soter II
Ptolemy IX Soter II (Greek Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemyas Sōtḗr "Ptolemy the Savior"), usually called Latiros (Λάθυρος, Láthuros "chickpea"), reigned twice as king of Ptolemaic Egypt. He took the throne after the death of his father in 116 BC, and ruled with his mother Cleopatra III.
He was overthrown in 107 BC my mother and brother. He reigned over Egypt after the death of his brother in 88 BC until his own death in 81 BC. The Ptolemaic line of law in Egypt ended shortly after his death and the death of his nephew. His illegitimate son soon seized the throne.
Named after Alexander
Ptolemy X Alexander I (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Ἀλέξανδρος, Ptolemaĩos Aléxandros) was king of Egypt from 110 BC until 109 BC and 107 BC until his death in 88 BC, in co-regency with his mother Cleopatra III until 101 BC, and then, possibly, together with his niece Berenice III.
Beautiful Berenice
Berenice III (Greek: Βερενίκη; 120-80 BC) was the regent of Egypt from 81 to 80 BC. Previously, she was the Queen of Egypt, or perhaps ruled together with her uncle / husband Ptolemy X Alexander I, from 101 to 88 BC.
She was born in 120 BC, being the daughter of Ptolemy IX Latiros and supposedly Cleopatra Selena. She married her uncle Ptolemy X Alexander I in 101 BC, after he took the throne from Latiros and killed his mother (and her grandmother) Cleopatra III. When Latiros regained the throne in 88 BC, Berenice lost her role as the wife of the Egyptian ruler.
Alexander II
Ptolemy XI Alexander II (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Ἀλέξανδρος, Ptolemaĩos Aléxandros) was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, who ruled Egypt for several days in 80 BC.
Ptolemy Ney Dionysus Theos The Philopator Theos Philadelphus (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Νέος Διόνυσος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ Θεός Φιλάδελφος, "Ptolemy New Dionysus, His Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved and Beloved) Of Egypt. He was widely known as “Aulet” (Αὐλητής, Aulētḗs “flutist”), referring to his habit of playing the flute at Dionysus festivals.
He reigned from 80 to 58 BC and again from 55 to 51 BC, with a break in the form of forced exile to Rome, when his eldest daughter Berenice IV occupied the throne. Thanks to the funding and military assistance of the Roman Republic, which officially considered Ptolemy XII as one of its client rulers, he was able to return Egypt and kill his power-hungry daughter Berenice IV. After death, he was replaced by daughter Cleopatra VII and son Ptolemy XIII as joint rulers, as provided for by his will and testament.
Mother of legend
Cleopatra of Egypt (Greek Κλεοπάτρα Τρύφαινα, died about 69/68 BC or about 57 BC) was the queen of Egypt. She is the only, undoubtedly witnessed wife of Ptolemy XII. Her only known child is Berenice IV, but she also was probably the mother of the great Cleopatra, beloved of Caesar and Mark Anthony.
The same Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπᾰτρᾱ Φιλοπάτωρ, transliterated: Kleopátrā Philopátōr; 69 - 10 or 12 August 30 BC) was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt.
In 58 BC Cleopatra allegedly accompanied her father Ptolemy XII during his exile to Rome, after the uprising in Egypt allowed his eldest daughter Berenice IV to claim the throne. The latter was killed in 55 BC, when Ptolemy XII returned to Egypt with Roman military help. When Ptolemy XII died in 51 BC, Cleopatra and her younger brother reigned on the throne as joint rulers, but the discord between them led to an open civil war. Having lost a defeat in the battle of Farsal in Greece against his rival Julius Caesar, the Roman statesman Pompey fled to Egypt, which was then considered a vassal to Rome. Ptolemy XIII killed Pompey, and Caesar occupied Alexandria. As consul of the Roman Republic, Caesar tried to reconcile Ptolemy XIII with Cleopatra. However, the chief adviser to Ptolemy XIII Poteinos considered Caesar's words as favorable to Cleopatra. Therefore, his forces, which ultimately came under the control of Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsina IV, besieged Caesar and Cleopatra in the palace. The siege was lifted by reinforcements in early 47 BC, and Ptolemy XIII soon died in the battle of the Nile. Arsinoe IV was eventually exiled to Ephesus and Caesar, now the elected dictator, declared Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIV the legitimate rulers of Egypt. However, Caesar maintained a personal relationship with Cleopatra, who produced the son of Caesarion (Ptolemy, son of Cleopatra). Cleopatra went to Rome as the Queen Queen in 46 and 44 BC, staying in Caesar's villa. When Caesar was killed in 44 BC, Cleopatra tried to make Caesarion ruler of Rome, but that was Caesar's nephew Octavian (known as Augustus to 27 BC, when he became the first Roman emperor). Cleopatra then killed her brother Ptolemy XIV and exalted Caesarion as co-ruler.
After the fall of Cleopatra, the Ptolemaic dynasty sank into oblivion, and Egypt was annexed by the Roman Empire.
Cleopatra’s legacy has been preserved in numerous works of art, both ancient and modern, and her life has become the property of literature. She was described in various works of Roman historiography and Latin poetry, the latter of which formed a generally polemic and negative view of the queen, which was reflected in later medieval and Renaissance literature. In the visual arts, the ancient images of Cleopatra include Roman and Ptolemaic coins, statues, busts, reliefs, cameos and paintings. She was the inspiration for many works in Renaissance and Baroque art, including sculptures, paintings, poetry, theatrical dramas such as William Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra (1608) and operas (George Friedrich Handel's Julio Cesare in Egitto, 1724 .). Nowadays, Cleopatra is often portrayed in both mass and visual arts, burlesque satire, Hollywood films (for example, Cleopatra, 1963) and brand images for commercial products, becoming an icon of Egyptian pop culture since the Victorian era.
Conclusion
This great dynasty is an example of primordial greatness that spilled over into degeneration. The latter was associated with a poor system of inheritance of power, internal intrigues, regular incest, low moral level of the Hellenic aristocracy of then Egypt. Nevertheless, Egypt of those times became the first example in the history of the European colonization of the wild, underdeveloped and backward regions of the world, which Europeans, in their old habit, turn into Paradise on earth. The legacy of the Ptolemies was eventually wiped out by the barbaric invasion of the Arabs after the fall of the Roman Empire, of which Egypt was a part by then. It is worth noting that the ancient Greek scholar Ptolemy had nothing to do with this dynasty.