Home › P › Ptolemy (Name of various an- PTOLEMY I)

Ptolemy (Name of various an- PTOLEMY I)

the name of various an- PTOLEMY I., surnamed Soter, founder of the Græco-Egyptian dynasty of the a favorite general of Alexander the Lagides, was a Ma Macedonian, and became Great.

On the death of his master, in PTOLEMY 323 в. c., Ptolemy I. obtained Egypt for his province. For 20 years he was almost constantly engaged in war. He defeated his rival Perdiccas, acquired Phoenicia and Cœlo-Syria; joined the league against Antigonus; was defeated by Demetrius in 306, and lost the island of Cyprus, and soon after took the title of king. He saved Rhodes when beof king. king. sieged sieged by Demetrius, and received the title of Soter (savior); and after the fall of Antigonus he applied himself to the promotion of commerce, literature, science, and the arts in his own dominions. Philosophers, poets, and painters gathered to his court, and the foundations were laid of the famous Alexandrian Library and Museum. In 285 Ptolemy resigned his crown to his son, surnamed Philadelphus, and died in 283.

PTOLEMY II., surnamed Philadelphus (lover of his brother), born in Cos, 311 B. C., was the youngest son of the preceding by his favorite wife, Berenice. He became king on the abdication of his father in 285. He completed the Alexandrian Library Museum, patronizing learning and learned men, founding colonies, and increasing his army and his revenue. He made a treaty of alliance with the Romans, and encouraged the resort of Jews to Egypt. He died in 247. PTOLEMY III., surnamed Euergetes (benefactor); was early engaged in an important war against Syria, which having invaded he advanced without opposition to Antioch, then turned E., subduing Mesopotamia, Babylonia, etc. The fleets of Ptolemy had at the same time subdued the coasts of Asia Minor, and carried his arms to the Hellespont and to the coast of Thrace. Ptolemy took some part in the affairs of Greece against the rulers of Macedonia, and maintained friendly relations with Rome. He died in 222 B. C.

PTOLEMY IV., surnamed Philopator, succeeded Ptolemy III. His Syrian possessions having been gradually wrested from him by Antiochus the Great, Ptolemy put himself at the head of a large army and completely defeated Antiochus at Raphia, in 217 в. c. He later gave himself up completely to debauchery, and died 205 B. C.

PTOLEMY V., surnamed Epiphanes, son of Ptolemy Philopator, and great-grandson of Philadelphus, was born 210 B. c., and at 5 years of age succeeded his father. The aid of the Romans was obtained against the kings of Macedonia and Syria, who threatened to dismember his dominions. The young king was declared of age at 14, and crowned at Memphis; and three years later he married Cleopatra, daughter of Antiochus PTOLEMY of Syria. He had an able and upright minister in Aristomenes, but, notwithstanding his great service, had him put to death. Most of the foreign posses sions were lost to Egypt during this reign. Ptolemy was poisoned in 181 B. C.

PTOLEMY VI., surnamed Philometer, son of the preceding, succeeded his father 181 в. c., under the regency at first of his mother, Cleopatra, and then of feeble and corrupt ministers, who involved the kingdom in a disastrous war. Egypt was invaded, and the young king taken prisoner by Antiochus Epiphanes; a younger Ptolemy was set up as king, and the two brothers tried to reign jointly, supported by the Romans; but they quarreled, and Philometer was driven away. He was restored by the Romans, and his brother (Euergetes II., or Physcon) was made king of Cyrene. Philometer was killed in a battle near Antioch, 146 B. C. PTOLEMY XI., surnamed Auletes (fluteplayer), was driven from his kingdom by his subjects, who were ground down by taxation; but he was restored by the Romans, and died in 51 B. C.

PTOLEMY XII., Dionysius, son of Ptolemy Auletes, succeeded to the throne conjointly with his sister Cleopatra, under the protection of Pompey, in 51. He became a partisan of Cæsar in the Civil War, and after the battle of Pharsalia caused Pompey to be assassinated. Aspiring to be sole king, he then took arms against Cæsar, who had decided that Cleopatra should continue to reign with him, and was drowned in the Nile while flying from the field of battle, 47 B. C.

PTOLEMY XIII., younger brother of the preceding, was 11 years of age when Cleopatra was left sole mistress of Egypt by his death. She was compelled to marry him by Cæsar, and he reigned with her till his death in 44 or 43 в. c.

PTOLEMY XIV., Cæsarion, an illegitimate son of Cæsar and Cleopatra, and the last of the Lagides, obtained the title of king from the Roman triumvirs, 42 B. C. He was killed by order of Augustus at the age of 18, 30 B. C.