Back Ptolemäer ALS بطالمة Arabic البطالمه ARZ Dinastía Ptolemaica AST Ptolemeylər sülaləsi Azerbaijani Пталамеі Byelorussian Птолемеи Bulgarian Tierniezh ar Btolemeed Breton Ptolemejidi BS Dinastia ptolemaica Catalan
| Ptolemies Πτολεμαῖοι | ||||||||||||||
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| Royal house | ||||||||||||||
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 The Eagle of Zeus was the traditional symbol of Ptolemaic Egypt | ||||||||||||||
| Country | Ancient Egypt, Ancient Macedonia, Ancient Rome | |||||||||||||
| Founded | 305 BC | |||||||||||||
| Founder | Ptolemy I Soter | |||||||||||||
| Final ruler | Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV (Egypt) Ptolemy XVI (Syria) Ptolemy of Mauretania (Mauretania Caesariensis) | |||||||||||||
| Final head | Drusilla | |||||||||||||
| Titles | Pharaoh Basileus of Egypt King of Macedonia King of Mauretania Caesariensis King of Syria King of Cyrene | |||||||||||||
| Dissolution | AD 79 | |||||||||||||
| Deposition | 279 BC (Macedon) 30 BC (Egypt) AD 40 (Mauretania) | |||||||||||||
| Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt |
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All years are BC |
The Ptolemaic dynasty (/ˌtɒlɪˈmeɪ.ɪk/; Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖοι, Ptolemaioi), also known as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, Lagidai; after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek[1][2][3][4][5] 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.[6][7]
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.[a] The new dynasty adopted the Egyptian titles and iconography, showing respect to local traditions, while also preserving their own Greek language and culture.[8][6] The Ptolemaic period was marked by the intense interactions and blending of the Greek and Egyptian cultures.[9] Under the Ptolemies, Hellenistic religion was largely shaped by religious syncretism and imperial cult.[10][11] Elements of Greek education became widespread in urban spaces, culminating in the foundation of the Mouseion (including the Library of Alexandria) and the Serapeum.[12] 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.[13]
To emulate the previous dynasties of Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty eventually adopted the practice of inbreeding including sibling marriage;[14] this did not start in earnest until nearly a century into the dynasty's history.[15] 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.[16]
- ^ Jones 2006, p. xiii: "They were members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Macedonian Greeks, who ruled Egypt after the death of its conqueror, Alexander the Great".
- ^ Jeffreys 2005, p. 488: "Ptolemaic kings were still crowned at Memphis and the city was popularly regarded as the Egyptian rival to Alexandria, founded by the Macedonian Greeks".
- ^ Robins 2001, p. 108: "...Cleopatra VII, the last member of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty to govern Egypt. Although the Ptolemies were not only Greek by origin but also by culture, they adopted from the Egyptians the custom of royal brother-sister marriage".
- ^ Southern 2009, p. 43: "The Ptolemaic dynasty, of which Cleopatra was the last representative (...) stemmed from Ptolemy Soter, a Macedonian Greek in the entourage of Alexander the Great".
- ^ Depuydt 2005, p. 687: "during the Ptolemaic period, when Egypt was governed by rulers of Greek descent..."; Pomeroy 1990, p. xvi: "...while Ptolemaic Egypt was a monarchy with a Greek ruling class"
- ^ a b Jones 2006, p. 3.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Southern 2009, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Rutherford 2016, p. 4: "The second [phase of relationship between Greek and Egyptian culture] begins when Egypt is taken over by a Greek-speaking elite in the last decades of the fourth century. From then on, the two cultures coexisted, which inevitably resulted in interactions and mutual influence between them".
- ^ Potter 2009, p. 419.
- ^ Carney 2013, pp. 95–100, "Cults".
- ^ Holbl 2001, p. 84.
- ^ Jones 2006, p. 10.
- ^ Robins, p. 108: "...they adopted from the Egyptians the custom of royal brother-sister marriage".
- ^ Move over, Lannisters: No one did incest and murder like the last pharaohs on The A.V. Club
- ^ "Cleopatra the Great: Last Power of the Ptolemaic Dynasty". ARCE. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
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