Ptolemaic dynasty

Template:Short description Template:Royal house Template:Egyptian Dynasty list

The Ptolemaic dynasty (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx, Ptolemaioi), also known as the Lagid dynasty ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Lagidai; after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> royal house which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Reigning for 275 years, the Ptolemaic was the longest and last dynasty of ancient Egypt from 305 BC until its incorporation into the Roman Republic in 30 BC.Template:Sfn<ref>Epiphanius of Salamis, however, puts the total number of years of the Ptolemaic dynasty at 306, presumably calculated from 306/5 BC to 1 AD. See: Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures – The Syriac Version (ed. James Elmer Dean), University of Chicago Press 1935, p. 28 (note 104). Compare On Weights and Measures.</ref>

Ptolemy, a general and one of the somatophylakes (bodyguard companions) of Alexander the Great, was appointed satrap of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC he declared himself Pharaoh Ptolemy I, later known as Sōter "Saviour". The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt.Template:Efn The new dynasty showed respect to local traditions and adopted the Egyptian titles and iconography, while also preserving their own Greek language and culture.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The Ptolemaic period was marked by the intense interactions and blending of the Greek and Egyptian cultures.Template:Sfn Under the Ptolemies, Hellenistic religion was largely shaped by religious syncretism and imperial cult.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Elements of Greek education became widespread in urban spaces, culminating in the foundation of the Mouseion (including the Library of Alexandria) and the Serapeum.Template:Sfn During the Hellenistic period, the city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, would gradually surpass Athens taking its place as the intellectual centre of the Mediterranean world.Template:Sfn

To emulate the previous dynasties of Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty eventually adopted the practice of inbreeding including sibling marriage;Template:Sfn this did not start in earnest until nearly a century into the dynasty's history.<ref name=avclub>Move over, Lannisters: No one did incest and murder like the last pharaohs on The A.V. Club</ref> All the male rulers of the dynasty took the name Ptolemy, while queens regnant were all called Cleopatra, Arsinoe, or Berenice. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII, known for her role in the Roman political battles between Julius Caesar and Pompey, and later between Octavian and Mark Antony. Her apparent suicide after the Roman conquest of Egypt marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Rulers and consortsTemplate:AnchorEdit

Ptolemy I Soter (303–282 BC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> married first Thaïs, then Artakama, then Eurydice, and finally Berenice I

Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC)<ref>Tunny, Jennifer(2001)The Health of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists/ Vol.38(1/4), pp.119–134</ref> married Arsinoe I, then Arsinoe II; ruled jointly with Ptolemy Epigonos (267–259 BC)
Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221 BC) married Berenice II
Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–203 BC) married Arsinoe III
Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203–181 BC) married Cleopatra I Syra
Ptolemy VI Philometor (181–164 BC, 163–145 BC) married Cleopatra II, briefly ruled jointly with Ptolemy Eupator in 152 BC
Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator (possibly never reigned)
Ptolemy VIII Physcon (170–163 BC, 145–116 BC) married Cleopatra II, then Cleopatra III; temporarily expelled from Alexandria by Cleopatra II from 131 to 127 BC, then reconciled with her in 124 BC.
Cleopatra II Philometor Soteira (131–127 BC), in opposition to Ptolemy VIII Physcon
Ptolemy Apion (c. 120–96 BC), son of Ptolemy VIII. Last Ptolemaic king of Cyrene.
Cleopatra III Philometor Soteira Dikaiosyne Nikephoros (Kokke) (116–101 BC) ruled jointly with Ptolemy IX Lathyros (116–107 BC) and Ptolemy X Alexander I (107–101 BC)
Ptolemy IX Lathyros (116–107 BC, 88–81 BC as Soter II) married Cleopatra IV, then Cleopatra Selene; ruled jointly with Cleopatra III in his first reign
Ptolemy X Alexander I (107–88 BC) married Cleopatra Selene, then Berenice III; ruled jointly with Cleopatra III till 101 BC
Berenice III Philopator (81–80 BC)
Ptolemy XI Alexander II (80 BC) married and ruled jointly with Berenice III before murdering her; ruled alone for 19 days after that.
Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (Auletes) (80–58 BC, 55–51 BC) married Cleopatra V Tryphaena
Cleopatra VI Tryphaena (58–57 BC) ruled jointly with Berenice IV Epiphaneia (58–55 BC), possibly identical with Cleopatra V Tryphaena<ref>W. Huß, Ägypten in hellenistischer Zeit (Egypt in Hellenistic times). C. H. Beck, Munich 2001, p. 679</ref>
Cleopatra ("Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator", 51–30 BC) ruled jointly with Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (51–47 BC), Ptolemy XIV (47–44 BC) and Ptolemy XV Caesarion (44–30 BC).
Arsinoe IV (48–47 BC), in opposition to Cleopatra
Ptolemy of Mauretania (13 or 9 BC–AD 40) Client king and ruler of Mauretania for Rome

Dates in brackets on the Cup of the Ptolemies represent the regnal dates of the Ptolemaic pharaohs. They frequently ruled jointly with their wives, who were often also their sisters, aunts or cousins. Several queens exercised regal authority. Of these, one of the last and most famous was Cleopatra ("Cleopatra VII Philopator", 51–30 BC), with her two brothers and her son serving as successive nominal co-rulers. Several systems exist for numbering the later rulers; the one used here is the one most widely employed by modern scholars.

Family treeEdit

Other notable members of the Ptolemaic dynastyEdit

File:Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale MET DP105943.jpg

A seated woman in a fresco from the Roman Villa Boscoreale, dated mid-1st century BC. It likely represents Berenice II of Ptolemaic Egypt wearing a stephane (i.e. royal diadem) on her head.<ref>Pfrommer, Michael; Towne-Markus, Elana (2001). Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt. Los Angeles: Getty Publications (J. Paul Getty Trust). Template:ISBN, pp. 22–23.</ref>

Ptolemy Keraunos (died 279 BC) – eldest son of Ptolemy I Soter. Eventually became king of Macedonia.
Ptolemy Apion (died 96 BC) – son of Ptolemy VIII Physcon. Made king of Cyrenaica. Bequeathed Cyrenaica to Rome.
Ptolemy Philadelphus (born 36 BC) – son of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII.
Ptolemy of Mauretania (died 40 AD) – son of King Juba II of Numidia and Mauretania and Cleopatra Selene II, daughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. King of Mauretania.
Ptolemy II of Telmessos, grandson of Ptolemy Epigonos, flourished second half of 3rd century BC and first half of 2nd century BC
Ptolemy of Cyprus, king of Cyprus c. 80–58 BC, younger brother of Ptolemy XII Auletes

HealthEdit

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Continuing the tradition established by previous Egyptian dynasties, the Ptolemies engaged in inbreeding including sibling marriage, with many of the pharaohs being married to their siblings and often co-ruling with them.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Ptolemy I and other early rulers of the dynasty were not married to their relatives, the childless marriage of siblings Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II<ref>Ptolemy II "Philadelphus" on Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> being an exception. The first child-producing incestuous marriage in the Ptolemaic dynasty was that of Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III, who were succeeded as co-pharaohs by their son Ptolemy V, born 210 BC. The best-known Ptolemaic pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, was at different times married to and ruled with two of her brothers (Ptolemy XIII until 47 BC and then Ptolemy XIV until 44 BC), and their parents were also likely to have been siblings or possibly cousins.<ref name=avclub/>

File:Cammeo gonzaga con doppio ritratto di tolomeo II e arsinoe II, III sec. ac. (alessandria), da hermitage.jpg

The Gonzaga Cameo of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Arsinoe II from Alexandria (Hermitage Museum)

Contemporaries describe a number of the Ptolemaic dynasty members as extremely obese,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> while sculptures and coins reveal prominent eyes and swollen necks. Familial Graves' disease could explain the swollen necks and eye prominence (exophthalmos), although this is unlikely to occur in the presence of morbid obesity. This is all likely due to inbreeding depression. In view of the familial nature of these findings, members of the Ptolemaic dynasty are likely to have suffered from a multi-organ fibrotic condition such as Erdheim–Chester disease, or a familial multifocal fibrosclerosis where thyroiditis, obesity and ocular proptosis may have all occurred concurrently.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

GalleryEdit

Ptolemy I Soter Louvre Ma849.jpg

Ptolemy I, founder of the dynasty.
Ptolemy II MAN Napoli Inv5600.jpg

Ptolemy II
Ptolemy III Euergetes.jpg

Ptolemy III
PtolemyIV-StatueHead MuseumOfFineArtsBoston.png

Ptolemy IV
Ptolemaeus V.jpg

Ptolemy V
Ring with engraved portrait of Ptolemy VI Philometor (3rd–2nd century BCE) - 2009.jpg

Ptolemy VI
Cleopatra II and III Kom Ombo Temple.jpg

Cleopatra II (right)
Relief of Ptolemy VIII in Kom Ombo Temple.jpg

Ptolemy VIII
Edfu29.JPG

Ptolemy IX
Ägyptisches Museum Berlin 112.jpg

Ptolemy X
Kom Ombo 0312.JPG

Ptolemy XII
Kom Ombo 0333.JPG

Ptolemy XIII and Sekhmet
Ptolemy XIV.jpg

Ptolemy XIV
Cleopatra VII statue fragment, 69-30 BC - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC09761.JPG

Cleopatra VII
Denderah4 Cesarion.jpg

Ptolemy XV, commonly called Caesarion.
Cameo Ptolemaic prince Bab111 CdM Paris.jpg

Sardonyx cameo of a Ptolemaic prince as the Greek god Hermes, Cabinet des médailles, Paris.
Posthumous painted portrait of Cleopatra VII of Egypt, from Herculaneum, Italy.jpg

Posthumous portrait of Cleopatra VII, from Roman Herculaneum, mid-1st century AD.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Fletcher, Joann (2008). Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend. New York: Harper. Template:ISBN, image plates and captions between pp. 246-247.</ref>
Coupe des Ptolémées 01.JPG

The Cup of the Ptolemies: front (top) of the cup (Cabinet des Médailles)
Coupe des Ptolémées 02.JPG

The Cup of the Ptolemies: back (bottom) of the cup (Cabinet des Médailles)

ReferencesEdit

Informational notes Template:Notelist

Citations Template:Reflist

Bibliography Template:Refbegin

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Further reading Template:Refbegin

Bingen, Jean. Hellenistic Egypt. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007 (hardcover, Template:ISBN; paperback, Template:ISBN).
Template:Cite book
A. Lampela, Rome and the Ptolemies of Egypt: The development of their political relations 273–80 B.C. (Helsinki, 1998).
J. G. Manning, The Last Pharaohs: Egypt Under the Ptolemies, 305–30 BC (Princeton, 2009).
Susan Stephens, Seeing Double: Intercultural Poetics in Ptolemaic Alexandria (Berkeley, 2002).

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External linksEdit

Template:Sister project

Livius.org: "Ptolemies" Template:Webarchive—by Jona Lendering

Template:Pharaohs Template:Hellenistic rulers Template:Rulers of the Ancient Near East Template:Authority control