From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra: The Story of the Ptolemaic Dynasty

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Cleopatra VII Philopator is 1 of the astir celebrated figures of antiquity, but fewer radical are acquainted with the fascinating past of her ancestors.

The Ptolemaic Dynasty, to which she belonged, was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, 1 of the 4 generals of Alexander the Great (Ptolemy, Cassander, Seleucus, and Antigonus). This family, of Macedonian Greek origin, ruled Egypt for astir 3 centuries, leaving an indelible people connected 1 of the oldest civilizations successful the world.

Ptolemaic Egypt was an absorbing and analyzable substance of cultures. On the 1 hand, the ruling Hellenistic elite could beryllium incredibly insular, preferring to wed astir exclusively wrong their ain circles and preferring to adhere to Greek customs. Yet the Ptolemies besides embraced the syncretism of ancient Greek and Egyptian spiritual beliefs, aesthetic sensibilities, and culture.

Ptolemy I Soter and the instauration of Ptolemaic Egypt

Ptolemy (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος) was born successful 367 BC to a Macedonian Greek nobleman called Lagus and a pistillate called Arsionoe. He was contiguous astatine the precise opening of Alexander the Great’s beingness and has been referred to arsenic a youthful person of the aboriginal king, though Ptolemy was astir 11 years older truthful helium much apt acted arsenic an advisor passim Alexander’s life.

Ptolemy accompanied Alexander during his military campaigns wherever helium earned the king’s spot arsenic a dependable companion. In 330 BC helium was appointed to beryllium a somatophylax, 1 of the 7 bodyguards and deputies of Alexander.

During Alexander’s conquests, Ptolemy was entrusted with respective different duties and took connected autarkic bid of forces connected a fig of occasions. During Alexander’s past run against the Cossaeans successful the Zagros Mountains, Ptolemy was the second-in-command of the army.

After Alexander’s abrupt and unexpected death connected June 11, 323 BC, Ptolemy met with the different generals successful Babylon to sermon the aboriginal of the precocious king’s empire. They disagreed connected however to proceed but yet agreed connected a compromise. Perdiccas, Alexander’s vizier, would regularisation arsenic regent connected behalf of Alexander’s mentally deficient brother, and the generals would each person an important satrapy. Ptolemy was granted Egypt.

However, bid did not past and the generals were anxious to found their ain kingdoms successful the satrapies they had inherited. In 322 oregon 321 BC, Ptolemy seized the assemblage of Alexander which Perdicass intended to hide successful Macedon wherever helium ruled arsenic regent. Ptolemy knew that by burying Alexander successful Egypt, helium would greatly bolster his legitimacy successful the eyes of some the Egyptians and Greeks.

This provocation could not spell unanswered and Perdiccas invaded Egypt successful 321 BC, initiating the archetypal of the Wars of the Diadochi (“successors”). However, the Nile proved impassable and Perdiccas was murdered by his ain troops, bringing an extremity to the war.

Ptolemy declared himself Pharaoh Ptolemy I betwixt 305 and 304 BC. He would aboriginal beryllium known arsenic Soter, meaning “Saviour”. Throughout his reign, helium faced threats posed by the different Diadochi, who had established their ain separatist states crossed what was erstwhile Alexander’s empire. However, helium was capable to unafraid his regularisation successful Egypt and found beardown foundations for astir 3 centuries of Ptolemaic rule.

Sibling matrimony and the royal family

The contented of inbreeding and sibling marriage appears to person begun with Ptolemy I’s lad and the dynasty’s 2nd ruler Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who joined his older sister, Arsinoe II. The epithet, Philadelphus (Greek: Φιλάδελφος) means “sibling lover”.

The Ptolemies adopted this practice from the Egyptians whom they had conquered, though this would ironically exclude the autochthonal Egyptians from royal powerfulness since the Ptolemies were of Macedonian Greek descent.

As noted by historiographer Sheila L. Ager, “The Greeks intelligibly believed that incest was repugnant not lone to the gods, but to each right-thinking humans.” Indeed, mythological stories similar that of Oedipus warned against the signifier and its tragic and disturbing consequences.

However, the signifier of sibling matrimony whitethorn person helped to cement powerfulness firmly successful the hands of the Ptolemies and whitethorn besides person bolstered their legitimacy arsenic authentic pharaohs successful the eyes of their Egyptian subjects.

There were besides immoderate Greek defenders of the practice. For example, Theocritus, a Greek writer from Sicily compared the matrimony of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II to the matrimony of the deity Zeus to his sister Hera.

Although Ptolemy II and his sister Arsinoe II had married, it was not until the national of Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III that this customized of incestuous matrimony resulted successful the commencement of an heir erstwhile Ptolemy V was calved successful 210 BC. Earlier heirs to the Egyptian throne had mostly been calved to the ruling pharaoh and different noble Greek women.

Cultural speech and civilizational achievements

The Greek number existed arsenic a abstracted and privileged people successful Ptolemaic Egypt and mostly held the astir important positions successful the kingdom. As clip went on, immoderate Egyptians learned Greek and were capable to unafraid much salient positions.

The metropolis of Alexandria, which had been founded by Alexander the Great successful 323 BC, was the administrative and taste superior of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The metropolis followed a Hellenistic benignant grid signifier and featured awesome temples, palaces, and libraries.

The astir celebrated landmark was the Lighthouse of Alexandria built during the reign of Ptolemy II. At a tallness of astatine slightest 100 meters, it was 1 of the tallest structures successful the satellite for centuries.

Another large landmark was the Great Library of Alexandria, which was dedicated to the Muses, the 9 goddesses of the arts successful past Greek mythology. The Great Library, which whitethorn person contained up to 400,000 papyrus scrolls, contributed immensely to Alexandria’s estimation arsenic the superior of cognition and scholarly learning successful the past world.

Although the Ptolemies and Greek elites who settled successful Egypt maintained their Hellenistic identity, hellenic and Egyptian civilization did premix and germinate during the play of Ptolemaic rule. In immoderate cases, the Ptolemies themselves encouraged these taste interactions.

One of the astir important areas of enactment was religion. Ptolemy I encouraged the worship of Serapis arsenic the main deity of his caller kingdom arsenic a mode to unify his Greek and Egyptian subjects. Serapis was a operation of Egyptian deities similar Osiris, Apis, and Ptah but was much Greek successful appearance, taking connected a much quality guise than the animal-headed gods favored by the Egyptians.

The Ptolemies besides encouraged the continued worship of the accepted Egyptian deities and supported the preexisting priesthood and cults. Over the people of the archetypal 3 Ptolemaic reigns, the Greek rulers built galore temples and architectural projects successful the benignant of the erstwhile Egyptian dynasty.

When it came to however the Ptolemies depicted themselves, they utilized a substance of Greek and Egyptian styles. Busts of the Ptolemaic kings and queens correspond them successful some Greek and Egyptian styles of dress, anatomy, and aesthetic presentation.

Cleopatra VII, the past Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt

Cleopatra VII Philopator is contiguous the astir celebrated ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty and was the last subordinate of the household to regularisation Egypt earlier it came nether Roman dominion.

When Cleopatra came to the throne successful 51 BC, the different large Diadochi powers had already collapsed. In 168 BC, Antigonid-ruled Macedon was yet defeated by Rome, and successful 64 BC the remnants of the erstwhile mighty Seleucid Empire were besides absorbed by Rome. Ptolemaic Egypt was frankincense 1 of the past remaining successor states of Alexander’s empire.

Cleopatra soon recovered herself successful a precarious governmental position. Relations betwixt Cleopatra and her member and co-ruler Ptolemy XIII broke down truthful severely that a civilian warfare erupted betwixt the two.

The Roman wide Julius Caesar was drawn into the struggle and yet sided with Cleopatra with whom helium was having an affair. In 47 BC Ptolemy XIII was defeated and killed astatine the Battle of the Nile and Cleopatra’s presumption successful Egypt was secured.

Cleopatra had a kid with Caesar named Caesarion who was calved successful the aforesaid twelvemonth of the Battle of the Nile. He would spell connected to regularisation arsenic the past Ptolemaic pharaoh of Egypt arsenic a co-ruler with his mother.

Caesar was assassinated successful 44 BC, depriving Cleopatra of a almighty state successful Rome. However, she was capable to state herself with the Second Triumvirate of Rome who went to warfare and defeated Caesar’s assassins.

In 41 BC, Cleopatra had an matter with 1 of the Roman triumvirs, Mark Anthony. When Mark Anthony and his chap triumvir Octavian went to warfare successful 32 BC, the Ptolemaic Kingdom was dragged into the Roman civilian war, with Cleopatra supporting her person Mark Anthony.

In 31 BC, Octavian won a decisive triumph astatine oversea during the Battle of Actium, which efficaciously sealed Anthony and Cleopatra’s fates. By 30 BC, decision was inevitable and the brace committed suicide.

Thus Octavian, who would go the archetypal Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, brought Egypt nether Roman rule, and Ptolemaic Egypt was nary more.

The details of Caesarion’s decease are sketchy, but helium was astir apt executed connected the orders of Octavian. Octavian styled himself arsenic an heir of Caesar and allowing the alleged emotion kid of the precocious Roman dictator to unrecorded could person threatened his position. Murdering the 17-year-old lad of Cleopatra would person removed this threat.

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