305 BCE. Written by John R. Baines Professor of Egyptology, University of Oxford. [15] He visited Memphis, and travelled to the oracle of Amun at the Siwa Oasis. University of Queensland, Australia. The Greeks formed their own dynasty called the Ptolemaic Dynasty that ruled for nearly 300 years until 30 BC. The changes brought to Egypt by the Ptolemies were momentous; the land's resources were harnessed with unparalleled efficiency, with the result that Egypt became the wealthiest of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Work continued for most of the Ptolemaic dynasty; the main temple was finished in the reign of his son, Ptolemy IV, in 212 BC, and the full complex was only completed in 142 BC, during the reign of Ptolemy VIII, while the reliefs on the great pylon were finished in the reign of Ptolemy XII. The senior general Perdiccas, the holder of Alexanders royal seal and prospective regent for Alexanders posthumous son, might well have regretted his failure to take Egypt. By the second and first century BC, misthophoroi were mainly recruited within Egypt, notably among the Egyptian population. [9] The kingdom had a complex government bureaucracy that exploited the country's vast economic resources to the benefit of a Greek ruling class, which dominated military, political, and economic affairs, and which rarely integrated into Egyptian society and culture. A remarkable demotic text of the year 258 bce refers to orders for a complete census of the kingdom that was to record the sources of water; the position, quality, and irrigation potential of the land; the state of cultivation; the crops grown; and the extent of priestly and royal landholdings. [59], By the second and first centuries BC, increasing warfare and expansion, coupled with reduced Greek immigration, led to increasing reliance on native Egyptians; however, Greeks retained the higher ranks of royal guards, officers, and generals. Initially, Perdiccas ruled the empire as regent for Alexander's half-brother Arrhidaeus, who became Philip III of Macedon, and then as regent for both Philip III and Alexander's infant son Alexander IV of Macedon, who had not been born at the time of his father's death. Perdiccas appointed Ptolemy, one of Alexander's closest companions, to be satrap of Egypt. While ruling Egypt, the Ptolemaic Dynasty built many Greek settlements throughout their Empire, to either Hellenize new conquered peoples or reinforce the area. Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.34.67 & 9. Few mutinies and revolts are recorded, and even rebellious troops would be placated with land grants and other incentives. Ptolemy XIII and his advisors fled the palace, turning the Egyptian forces loyal to the throne against Caesar and Cleopatra, who barricaded themselves in the palace complex until Roman reinforcements could arrive to combat the rebellion, known afterward as the battles in Alexandria. However, some of these territories were lost near the end of his reign as a result of the Second Syrian War. [93] They also introduced crops such as durum wheat and intensified the production of goods such as wool. The Zeno papyri show that it was the chief port of call on the inland voyage from Memphis to Alexandria, as well as a stopping-place on the land-route from Pelusium to the capital. The result of this synod was the Raphia Decree, issued on 15 November 217 BC and preserved in three copies. Dynasties of ancient Egypt - Wikipedia Many Jews were imported from neighboring Judea by the thousands for being renowned fighters, also establishing an important community. Also, in 123 BC, when there was trouble in Upper Egypt between the towns of Crocodilopolis and Hermonthis, the negotiators sent from Crocodilopolis were the young men attached to the gymnasium, who, according to the Greek tradition, ate bread and salt with the negotiators from the other town. In 30 BC the Romans took control of Egypt. By the reign of Ptolemy III (246 to 222 BC), its role was more imperialistic, helping extend Ptolemaic control or influence over Cyrenaica, Coele-Syria, and Cyprus, as well as over cities in Anatolia, southern Thrace, the Aegean islands, and Crete. Their marriage was only nominal, however, and their relationship soon degenerated. [12] 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[13] being an exception. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans did not settle in Egypt in large numbers. A. Octavian was quick to declare war on Antony and Cleopatra while public opinion of Antony was low. However, Josephus states they worked together arguing over the translation and finished the work in 72 days. [56], The Ptolemaic Kingdom was considered a major naval power in the eastern Mediterranean. [66] Some modern historians characterize Egypt during this period as a thalassocracy, owing to its innovation of "traditional styles of Mediterranean sea power", which allowed its rulers to "exert power and influence in unprecedented ways". 274 BCE - 271 BCE. Philometor eventually regained the throne. He was succeeded by Ptolemy XI Alexander II, the son of Ptolemy X. Antiochus asked for time to consult his advisers. NICOSIA, March 29 (Xinhua) The tomb of a Ptolemy king has been discovered in the complex of a necropolis at Paphos, western Cyprus, a professor of classical history at the University of Cyprus said Wednesday. Wine production increased dramatically during the Ptolemaic period, as the new Greek ruling class greatly preferred wine to the beer traditionally produced in Egypt. The Ptolemaic Dynasty, to which she belonged, was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. [6] The Ptolemaic was the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. His reign was marked by generous benefactions to the Egyptian temples, but he was detested as a tyrant by the Greeks, and the historical accounts of the reign emphasize his stormy relations with the Alexandrian populace. When Ptolemy II Philadelphus died in 246 bce, he left a prosperous kingdom to his successor, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246221 bce). The left is in the more traditional Egyptian style, and the right is in a more Hellenistic style. [52] The Ptolemies generally adhered to traditional architectural styles and motifs. He maintained his hold for 30 years, despite the attractions that Egypts legendary wealth held for avaricious Roman politicians. [57], The Ptolemies maintained a standing army throughout their reign, made up of both professional soldiers (including mercenaries) and recruits. After learning of Pompeys murder at the hands of Egyptian courtiers, Caesar stayed long enough to enjoy a sightseeing tour up the Nile in the queens company in the summer of 47 bce. The importance of the new Greek city was soon emphasized by contrast to its Egyptian surroundings when the royal capital was transferred, within a few years of Alexanders death, from Memphis to Alexandria. The wealth of Egypt could now be harnessed for Alexander's conquest of the rest of the Achaemenid Empire. Alexandria was captured, and Antony and Cleopatra committed suicidehe by falling on his sword, she probably by the bite of an aspin August of 30 bce. Ptolemy III continued his predecessor's sponsorship of scholarship and literature. While widely used and useful, the system does have its shortcomings. During the last century of Ptolemaic rule, Egypts independence was exercised under Romes protection and at Romes discretion. Strabo, Alexandria had been inhabited during Polybius' lifetime by local Egyptians, foreign mercenaries and the tribe of the Alexandrians, whose origin and customs Polybius identified as Greek. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ptolemy family tree - The DNA Tests c. 69 BCE - 12 Aug 30 BCE Life of Cleopatra VII of Egypt . Alexander was welcomed by the Egyptians as a liberator and took the country without a battle. Samos comes under the control of the Ptolemies of Egypt. With one empire after another falling to Macedon and the Seleucid empire, the Ptolemies had had little choice but to ally with the Romans, a pact that lasted over 150 years. Serapis was the patron god of Ptolemaic Egypt, combining the Egyptian gods Apis and Osiris with the Greek deities Zeus, Hades, Asklepios, Dionysos, and Helios; he had powers over fertility, the sun, funerary rites, and medicine. Arsinoe played a prominent role in the formation of royal policy. They were partly spread as allotment-holders over the country, forming social groups, in the country towns and villages, side by side with the native population, partly gathered in the three Greek cities, the old Naucratis, founded before 600 BC (in the interval of Egyptian independence after the expulsion of the Assyrians and before the coming of the Persians), and the two new cities, Alexandria by the sea, and Ptolemais in Upper Egypt. When he left for Rome, Cleopatra was pregnant with a child she claimed was Caesars. Fleeing into exile, Cleopatra attempted to raise an army to reclaim the throne. But within a century, Greek influence had spread through the country and intermarriage had produced a large Greco-Egyptian educated class. The Ptolemaic dynasty (sometimes also known as the Lagids, from the name of Ptolemy I's father, Lagus) was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt for nearly 300 years, from 305 B.C.E. Soldiers served in several units of the royal guard and were mobilized against uprisings and dynastic usurpers, both of which became increasingly common. (Non-dynastic usurpers17351701 BCE) Of the three Greek cities, Naucratis, although its commercial importance was reduced with the founding of Alexandria, continued in a quiet way its life as a Greek city-state. It had been founded, on a date traditionally given as April 7, 331 bce (but often cited as 332 bce), by Alexander the Great on the site of the insignificant Egyptian village of Rakotis in the northwestern Nile River delta, and it ranked as the most important city in the eastern Mediterranean until the foundation of Constantinople in the 4th century ce. They were married, in keeping with Egyptian . When did Ptolemy I officially claim Egypt as his own? [74] During the subsequent Chremonidean War, the Ptolemaic navy succeeded in blockading Macedonia and containing its imperial ambitions to mainland Greece.[75]. from the University of Chicago in 1985 and served as the president of the American University of Beirut from 2005 to 2015. He was succeeded by his son Ankhmakis, whose forces nearly drove the Ptolemies out of the country. Within a few years he had gained control of Libya, Coele-Syria (including Judea), and Cyprus. A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy. Reign of Ptolemy XII in Egypt . The most significant of these was the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian temple architecture and now the best-preserved of all Egyptian temples. Cosmopolitan and flourishing, Alexandria possessed a varied population of Greeks, Egyptians and other Oriental peoples, including a sizable minority of Jews, who had their own city quarter. The second Greek city founded after the conquest of Egypt was Ptolemais, 400 miles (640km) up the Nile, where there was a native village called Pso, in the nome called after the ancient Egyptian city of Thinis. He journeyed to Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert to visit the Oracle of Amon, renowned in the Greek world; it disclosed the information that Alexander was the son of Amon. The child, a son, was named Caesarion (Little Caesar). To avenge Berenice, Euergetes marched into Syria, where he won a great victory. They fled to Alexandria but could do little more than await the arrival of the victorious Octavian 10 months later. [33] The chief librarian served also as the crown prince's tutor. The same purpose may be seen in the later dissemination of the romantic myth that gave him an Egyptian parentage by linking his mother, Olympias, with the last king, Nectanebo II. It is reported that when Octavian reached the city, he visited and touched the preserved corpse of Alexander the Great, causing a piece of the nose to fall off. [68] The Ptolemaic navy also protected the kingdom's lucrative maritime trade and engaged in antipiracy measures, including along the Nile. Ptolemaic Egypt is distinctive in being both the last independent Egyptian dynasty and the last Hellenistic kingdom to fall to Rome. Pfrommer, Michael; Towne-Markus, Elana (2001). [47] However, ways of presenting text on columns and reliefs became formal and rigid during the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Sardonyx cameo of a Ptolemaic prince as the Greek god Hermes, Cabinet des mdailles, Paris. Laid out on a grid pattern, Alexandria occupied a stretch of land between the sea to the north and Lake Mareotis to the south; a man-made causeway, over three-quarters of a mile long, extended north to the sheltering island of Pharos, thus forming a double harbor, east and west. Facing certain death at the hands of Octavian, Antony attempted suicide by falling on his own sword, but survived briefly. By what other term are the kings of Egypt called? The reign of Cleopatra was that of a vigorous and exceptionally able queen who was ambitious, among other things, to revive the prestige of the dynasty by cultivating influence with powerful Roman commanders and using their capacity to aggrandize Roman clients and allies. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 to 30 BC. The Romans, like the Ptolemies, respected and protected Egyptian religion and customs, although the cult of the Roman state and of the Emperor was gradually introduced. Greek period. [64], As in other Hellenistic states, the Ptolemaic army inherited the doctrines and organization of Macedonia, albeit with some variations over time. Cleopatra was stripped of authority and title by Ptolemy XIII's advisors, who held considerable influence over the young king. In 305 BC, he declared himself King Ptolemy . He left a stable and well-governed kingdom to his son. It was during Euergetes reign, for instance, that the rebuilding of the great Temple of Horus at Idf (Apollinopolis Magna) was begun. Ptolemaic Empire Timeline - World History Encyclopedia k /; Ancient Greek: , Ptolemaioi), also House of Ptolemy, or Lagid dynasty (, Lagidae; after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period.Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 to 30 BC. During the reign of Ptolemies II and III, thousands of Macedonian veterans were rewarded with grants of farm lands, and Macedonians were planted in colonies and garrisons or settled themselves in villages throughout the country. This family, of Macedonian Greek origin, ruled Egypt for almost three centuries, leaving an indelible mark on one of the oldest civilizations in the world. With his death, Rome split between supporters of Mark Antony and Octavian. 281 BCE. Ancient Egypt - Predynastic Cultures, Naqdah I & II, and Dynastic The city's temples and communities prosperous, while a new Ptolemaic style of cemeteries were built. Egypt remained the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, exporting grain to pay Roman taxes and feed Roman legions. At the Great Harbor's mouth, on an outcropping of Pharos, stood the lighthouse, built c. 280 BC. The main Roman interest in Egypt was always the reliable delivery of grain to the city of Rome. Although the backpillar and the goddess's striding pose is distinctively Egyptian, the cornucopia she holds and her hairstyle are both Greek in style. Beginning with the Second Syrian War (260253 BC), the navy suffered a series of defeats and declined in military importance, which coincided with the loss of Egypt's overseas possessions and the erosion of its maritime hegemony. In, This page was last edited on 4 July 2023, at 19:41. Once he reached adulthood Epiphanes became a tyrant, before his early death in 180 BC. Ancient History in depth: Egypt: The End of a Civilisation - BBC [3][4] As Ptolemy I Soter ("Saviour"), he founded the Ptolemaic dynasty that was to rule Egypt for nearly 300 years. Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled Egypt, Other notable members of the Ptolemaic dynasty. 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. That the city flourished in Ptolemaic times "we may see by the quantity of imported amphorae, of which the handles stamped at Rhodes and elsewhere are found so abundantly." Other prominent scholars include the mathematicians Conon of Samos and Apollonius of Perge.[23]. In the 270s BC, Ptolemy II defeated the Kingdom of Kush in war, gaining the Ptolemies free access to Kushite territory and control of important gold deposits south of Egypt known as Dodekasoinos. Ptolemaic Dynasty | Pharaohs, Family Tree & Timeline In the summer of 168 bce a Roman ambassador, Popillius Laenas, arrived at Antiochuss headquarters near Pelusium in the delta and staged an awesome display of Roman power. He gained popularity at home by recapturing statues of Egyptian gods originally taken by the Persians. [56] Kleroi grants could be extensive: a cavalryman could receive at least 70 arouras of land, equal to about 178,920 square metres, and as much as 100 arouras; infantrymen could expect 30 or 25 arouras and machimoi at least five auroras, considered enough for one family. [78] Accordingly, naval forces were divided into four fleets: the Alexandrian,[79] Aegean,[80] Red Sea,[81] and Nile River.[82]. Were All Egyptian Pharaohs Buried in Pyramids. Their union produced three children; the twins Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, and another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos. Memphis, while no longer the center of power, became the second city after Alexandria, and enjoyed considerable influence; its High Priests of Ptah, an ancient Egyptian creator god, held considerable sway among the priesthood and even with the Ptolemaic kings. Alexander the Great conquered Persian-controlled Egypt in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Achaemenid Empire. Later on, Egypt was an imperial province, directly controlled by the Roman emperor. If there is some doubt whether Alexandria possessed a council and assembly, there is none in regard to Ptolemais. At least from about 230 BC, these land grants were provided to machimoi, lower ranking infantry usually of Egyptian origin, who received smaller lots comparable to traditional land allotments in Egypt. Arthur MacCartney Shepard, Sea Power in Ancient History: The Story of the Navies of Classic Greece and Rome (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1924), 128. Ancient Egypt - Oracle of Amon, Ptolemaic Dynasty, and Ptolemy I Soter According to Plutarch, the Alexandrians believed that Alexander the Great's motivation to build the city was his wish to "found a large and populous Greek city that should bear his name." Around how long did Ptolemy Dynasty last? [18] They built magnificent new temples for the Egyptian gods and soon adopted the outward display of the pharaohs of old. Branded a power-hungry enchantress by the Romans, she was accused of seducing Antony to further her conquest of Rome. When Antiochus withdrew, the brothers agreed to reign jointly with their sister Cleopatra II. After more than a century of conquest and rule by the Achaemenid Persians, Egypt shook off these overlords, and independent Egyptian Dynasties 28-30 ruled for sixty years, before being reconquered by the Persians in 343 B.C. [citation needed], Ptolemy I, perhaps with advice from Demetrius of Phalerum, founded the Library of Alexandria,[33] a research centre located in the royal sector of the city. Throughout the 160s and 150s BC, Ptolemy VI has also reasserted Ptolemaic control over the northern part of Nubia. It was attached, in the administrative system, to the Sate nome. This era is often ignored or sometimes combined with the Third Intermediate Period because, as . He proclaimed himself Pharaoh in 205 BC, and ruled upper Egypt until his death in 199 BC. 2181-2125 BCE . The demise of the Ptolemies' power coincided with the growing dominance of the Roman Republic. This portrayal refers to the myth of Horus triumphing over dangerous animals in the marshes of Khemmis with magic power (also known as Akhmim).[53][54]. The decree thus seems to represent a successful marriage of Egyptian Pharaonic ideology and religion with the Hellenistic Greek ideology of the victorious king and his ruler cult.[25]. Beginning under Ptolemy I Soter, Macedonians and other Greeks were given land grants and allowed to settle with their families, encouraging tens of thousands of Greek mercenaries and soldiers to immigrate where they became a landed class of royal soldiers. (Adaside dynasty1700722 BCE)Bel-bani Libaya Sharma-Adad I Iptar-Sin Bazaya Lullaya Shu-Ninua Sharma-Adad II Erishum III Shamshi-Adad II Ishme-Dagan II Shamshi-Adad III Ashur-nirari I Puzur-Ashur III Enlil-nasir I Nur-ili Ashur-shaduni Ashur-rabi I Ashur-nadin-ahhe I Enlil-Nasir II Ashur-nirari II Ashur-bel-nisheshu Ashur-rim-nisheshu Ashur-nadin-ahhe II, Second Intermediate PeriodSixteenthDynasty 51 BCE Cleopatra accepts her brother Ptolemy XIII as co-ruler. New crops were introduced, and massive irrigation works brought under cultivation a great deal of new land, especially in Al-Fayym, where many of the immigrant Greeks were settled. Mark Antony's alliance with Cleopatra angered Rome even more. Philopator was devoted to orgiastic religions and to literature. Alexander left Egypt in the spring of 331 bce, having divided the military command between Balacrus, son of Amyntas, and Peucestas, son of Makartatos. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great, King of Macedon, invaded Egypt, which at the time was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire known as the Thirty-first Dynasty under Emperor Artaxerxes III. Tyre, as all other Phoenician cities, belongs to the Ptolemies, rulers of hellenistic Egypt. Francis. Studies in Waterborne Power, Cambridge 2013, 172184", "The Great Library of Alexandria?". The chamber is that of a priest. The civil administration was headed by an official with the Persian title of satrap, one Cleomenes of Naukratis. Ptolemy IV continued this tradition by holding his own synod at Memphis in 217 BC, after the victory celebrations of the Fourth Syrian War. As before, peasant farmers remained the vast majority of the population, while agricultural land and produce were owned directly by the state, temple, or noble family that owned the land. The military expanded and secured these territories while continuing its primary function of protecting Egypt; its main garrisons were in Alexandria, Pelusium in the Delta, and Elephantine in Upper Egypt. [13], The Ptolemaic reign in Egypt is one of the best-documented time periods of the Hellenistic era, due to the discovery of a wealth of papyri and ostraca written in Koine Greek and Egyptian.[14]. To conciliate Egyptian feelings, a religious synod that met in 196 bce to crown Epiphanes at Memphis (the first occasion on which a Ptolemy is certainly known to have been crowned at the traditional capital) decreed extensive privileges for the Egyptian temples, as recorded on the Rosetta Stone. Ptolemaic dynasty - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A similar scholarly complex was the Museum (Mouseion, "hall of the Muses"). However, during the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucids . Ptolemy III Euergetes ("the Benefactor") succeeded his father in 246 BC. [31] She reigned as queen "philopator" and pharaoh with various male co-regents from 51 to 30 BC.[32]. In the course of the 3rd century a powerful Ptolemaic empire developed, which for much of the period laid claim to sovereignty in the Levant, in many of the cities of the western and southern coast of Asia Minor, in some of the Aegean islands, and in a handful of towns in Thrace, as well as in Cyprus and Cyrene. Land under cultivation was increased, and new crops were introduced (especially important was the introduction of naked tetraploid wheat . The Seleucid Empire. A complex state bureaucracy was established to manage and extract Egypt's vast wealth for the benefit of the Ptolemies and the landed gentry. He was intent on conquering countries, and he named himself the king of Egypt. [24] It is said that he borrowed the official manuscripts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides from Athens and forfeited the considerable deposit he paid for them in order to keep them for the Library rather than returning them. When the battle was at its height, Cleopatra and her squadron withdrew, and Antony eventually followed suit. Ptolemy II bestowed his care upon Naucratis. Cleopatra V did co-rule, but it was with another female, Berenice IV. Greek culture had a long but minor presence in Egypt long before Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria. Nevertheless, different nationalities were trained to fight together, and most officers were of Greek or Macedonian origin, which allowed for a degree of cohesion and coordination. The oracle declared him to be the son of Amun. [63] The lucrative nature of military service under the Ptolemies appeared to have been effective at ensuring loyalty. Fortunately, Ptolemy I had left Egypt strong and prosperous; three years of campaigning in the First Syrian War made the Ptolemies masters of the eastern Mediterranean, controlling the Aegean islands (the Nesiotic League) and the coastal districts of Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria.

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