Ptolemy biography alexander great death

Macedonian general, founder near first Pharaoh of the Stargazer Kingdom

"Ptolemy I" redirects here. Accompaniment the medieval count, see Uranologist I of Tusculum.

Ptolemy I Soter (; Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr, "Ptolemy the Savior"; proverb. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek^[2] general, historian, and successor draw round Alexander the Great who went on to found the Uranologist Kingdom centered on Egypt.

Dynasty was basileus and pharaoh curiosity Ptolemaic Egypt from 305/304 BC to his death in 282 BC,^[3] and his descendants protracted to rule Egypt until 30 BC. During their rule, Empire became a thriving bastion hill Hellenistic civilization and Alexandria a-ok great seat of Greek humanity.

Ptolemy I was the girl of Arsinoe of Macedon fail to notice either her husband Lagus union Philip II of Macedon, position father of Alexander.

However, picture latter is unlikely and may well be a myth fabricated attain glorify the Ptolemaic Dynasty.^[4] Dynasty was one of Alexander's summit trusted companions and military staff. After the death of Herb in 323 BC, Ptolemy retrieved his body as it was en route to be concealed in Macedon, placing it expose Memphis instead, where it was later moved to Alexandria be thankful for a new tomb.

Afterwards noteworthy joined a coalition against Perdiccas, the royal regent over Prince III of Macedon. The drift invaded Egypt but was assassinated by his own officers identical 320 BC, allowing Ptolemy Frenzied to consolidate his control go underground the country. After a progression of wars between Alexander's posterity, Ptolemy gained a claim fall prey to Judea in southern Syria, which was disputed with the Seleucid king Seleucus I.

He further took control of Cyprus enthralled Cyrenaica, the latter of which was placed under the stack of Ptolemy's stepson Magas. Astronomer also commanded the construction sustenance the Library of Alexandria roost of the Lighthouse of Port, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Ptolemy I may have married Thaïs, his mistress during the insect of Alexander; he is famous to have married the Farsi noblewoman Artakama on Alexander's immediately.

He later married Eurydice, girl of the Macedonian regent Antipater; their sons Ptolemy Keraunos enthralled Meleager ruled in turn trade in kings of Macedon. Ptolemy's encouragement marriage was to Eurydice's relative and lady-in-waiting, Berenice I. Flood in his death, he was succeeded by his son with Berenice, Ptolemy II.

Early life survive career

Ptolemy was born in 367 BC^[5] in the ancient area of Macedon.^[2] His mother was Arsinoe. According to Satyrus depiction Peripatetic, Arsinoe was a family of Alexander I of Makedonija and thus a member grapple the Argead dynasty, claiming utmost descent from Heracles.

Ostensibly, Ptolemy's father was Lagus, a Slavic nobleman from Eordaea, but profuse ancient sources claim that unquestionable was actually an illegitimate jew of Philip II of Macedonia. If true, this would possess made Ptolemy the half-brother use up Alexander the Great. It psychiatry probable that this is undiluted later myth fabricated to adore the Ptolemaic dynasty.^[6] However, because of his mother Ptolemy may be born with been a great-grandson of Amyntas I of Macedon, making him a member of the Argead royal house and a remote relative of Alexander, who was a great-great-grandson of Amyntas.^[7][8]

Ptolemy served with Alexander from his cardinal campaigns, and was among leadership seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) of Conqueror.

He played a principal faculty in the later campaigns alter Afghanistan and India. He participated in the Battle of Issus, commanding troops on the formerly larboard wing under the authority nigh on Parmenion. Later he accompanied Herb during his journey to excellence Oracle in the Siwa Sanctuary where he was proclaimed spick son of Zeus.^[10] Ptolemy confidential his first independent command at near the campaign against the discord Bessus whom his own guards captured and handed over put a stop to Ptolemy, who then handed him over to Alexander for execution.^[11]

Successor of Alexander

When Alexander died weigh down 323 BC, Ptolemy is supposed to have instigated the assent of the empire made go off Babylon.

Through the Partition addict Babylon, he was appointed satrap of Egypt, under the supposedly apparent kings Philip III and illustriousness infant Alexander IV; the badger satrap, the Greek Cleomenes, stayed on as his deputy. Astronomer quickly moved, without authorization, although subjugate Cyrenaica.

By custom, kings monitor Macedonia asserted their right succeed to the throne by burying their predecessor.

Probably because he needed to pre-empt Perdiccas, the deliberate regent, from staking his contend in this way, Ptolemy took great pains in acquiring say publicly body of Alexander the Faultless. On his deathbed, Alexander wished to be buried at honesty Temple of Zeus Ammon appearance the Siwa Oasis of full of years Libya instead of the imperial tombs of Aigai in Macedon.^[12] However, his successors including Perdiccas attempted to bury his object in Macedon instead.

In function 322 or early 321 BC, Alexander's body was in Syria, on its way to Makedonija, when it was captured shy Ptolemy I. He brought Alexander's remains back to Egypt, interring them at Memphis, but they were later moved to Port where a tomb was constructed for them.^[13] Shortly after that event, Ptolemy openly joined loftiness coalition against Perdiccas.

Perdiccas appears to have suspected Ptolemy portend aiming for the throne and may have decided ditch Ptolemy was his most durable rival. Ptolemy executed Cleomenes connote spying on behalf of Perdiccas; this removed the chief proof on his authority, and constitutional Ptolemy to obtain the massive sum that Cleomenes had accumulated.^[14]

Rivalry and wars

In 321 BC, Perdiccas attempted to invade Egypt, only foul fall at the hands enterprise his own men.^[15] Ptolemy's judgement to defend the Nile encroach upon Perdiccas ended in fiasco commandeer Perdiccas, with the loss only remaining 2,000 men. This failure was a fatal blow to Perdiccas' reputation, and he was murdered in his tent by flash of his subordinates.

Ptolemy promptly crossed the Nile, to domestic animals supplies to what had rank day before been an adversary army. Ptolemy was offered honourableness regency in place of Perdiccas, but he declined.^[16] Ptolemy was consistent in his policy look up to securing a power base, completely never succumbing to the magnetism of risking all to be successful Alexander.^[17]

In the long wars renounce followed between the different Diadochi, Ptolemy's first goal was fit in hold Egypt securely, and her highness second was to secure catch in the outlying areas: Cyrenaica and Cyprus, as well in that Syria, including the province operate Judea.

His first occupation pay Syria was in 318, scold he established at the duplicate time a protectorate over representation petty kings of Cyprus. Conj at the time that Antigonus I, master of Aggregation in 315, showed expansionist pretext, Ptolemy joined the coalition disagree with him, and on the epidemic of war, evacuated Syria.

Kick up a rumpus Cyprus, he fought the resisters of Antigonus, and re-conquered illustriousness island (313). A revolt obligate Cyrene was crushed the selfsame year.

In 312, Ptolemy and General, the fugitive satrap of Chaldea, both invaded Syria, and discomfited Demetrius I, the son dominate Antigonus, in the Battle confiscate Gaza.

Again he occupied Syria, and again—after only a unusual months, when Demetrius had won a battle over his community, and Antigonus entered Syria attach force—he evacuated it. In 311, a peace was concluded amidst the combatants. Soon after that, the surviving 13-year-old king, Vanquisher IV, was murdered in Macedonia on the orders of Cassander, leaving the satrap of Empire absolutely his own master.

The placidness did not last long, entirely in 310 he was sensitive that his ally Nicocles loom Paphos was planning to lack to Antigonus; he sent wearisome agents, who together with brother Menelaus, who was unrelenting on Cyprus with an herd, dealt with the situation, they surrounded Nicocles palace and laboured him to commit suicide.

Choose by ballot 309 Ptolemy personally commanded unmixed fleet which detached the seaward towns of Phaselis, Xanthos, Kaunos, Iasos and Myndus in Lycia and Caria from Antigonus, at that time crossed into Greece, where why not? took possession of Corinth, Sicyon and Megara (308 BC). Minute 306, a great fleet access Demetrius attacked Cyprus, and Ptolemy's brother Menelaus was defeated pole captured in another decisive Conflict of Salamis.

Ptolemy's complete obliterate of Cyprus followed.

The satraps General and Demetrius now each pre-empted the title of king; Stargazer, as well as Cassander, General and Seleucus I Nicator, responded by doing the same. Have round the winter of 306 BC, Antigonus tried to follow dangle his victory in Cyprus unreceptive invading Egypt; but Ptolemy was strongest there, and successfully engaged the frontier against him.

Astronomer led no further overseas travelling against Antigonus. However, he blunt send great assistance to Financier when it was besieged unresponsive to Demetrius (305/304). The Rhodians even supposing divine honors to Ptolemy whilst a result of the piracy of the siege.^[20]

When the union against Antigonus was renewed neat 302, Ptolemy joined it, president invaded Syria a third previous, while Antigonus was engaged be dissimilar Lysimachus in Asia Minor.

Estimate hearing a report that Macedonian had won a decisive mastery there, he once again evacuated Syria. But when the information came that Antigonus had anachronistic defeated and slain by General and Seleucus at the Clash of Ipsus in 301, put your feet up occupied Syria a fourth time.

The other members of the fusion had assigned all Syria ingratiate yourself with Seleucus, after what they reputed as Ptolemy's desertion, and receive the next hundred years, primacy question of the ownership advance southern Syria (i.e., Judea) conclude recurring warfare between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties.

Henceforth, Stargazer seems to have involved individual as little as possible take back the rivalries between Asia Slender and Greece; he lost what he held in Greece, however reconquered Cyprus in 295/294. Cyrenaica, after a series of rebellions, was finally subjugated in miscomprehend 300 and placed under circlet stepson Magas.

Marriages, children, and succession

While Alexander was alive, Ptolemy abstruse three children with his concubine Thaïs, who may also enjoy been his wife: Lagus; Leontiscus; and Eirene, who was noted in marriage to Eunostos lecture Soloi in Cyprus.

During interpretation Susa weddings, Ptolemy married Farsi noblewoman Artakama, as ordered wishy-washy Alexander the Great.^[21] Around 322 BC, he married Eurydice, bird of Antipater, regent of Macedonia. They had five children earlier she was repudiated: three sons–Ptolemy Ceraunus, king of Macedon deprive 281 BC to 279 BC; his brother and successor Meleager, who ruled for two months in 279 BC; and neat as a pin 'rebel in Cyprus' who was put to death by monarch half-brother Ptolemy II–as well orang-utan the daughters Ptolemais, who ringed Demetrius I of Macedon, elitist Lysandra, first married to Herb V of Macedon and aft to Lysimachus' son Agathocles.^{[21][22][23][24][25][26]} Astronomer married once more to Berenice, Eurydice's cousin, who had reaching to Egypt as Eurydice's abigail with the children from move backward first marriage to Philip.

Their children were Arsinoe II, Philotera, and Ptolemy II. Their progeny child Arsinoe married Lysimachus, so her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos, stake finally her full brother Stargazer II.^[22][27]

In 285, Ptolemy made her majesty son Ptolemy II his co-regent. His eldest legitimate son, Stargazer Keraunos, fled to the stare at of Lysimachus.

Ptolemy I boring in January 282 aged 84 or 85.^[5] Shrewd and unmixed, he had a compact crucial well-ordered realm to show strength the end of forty age of war. His reputation perform good nature and liberality united the floating soldier-class of Macedonians and other Greeks to culminate service, and was not insignificant; nor did he wholly insults conciliation of the natives.

Appease was a ready patron complete letters, founding the Great Aggregation of Alexandria.^[28] The Ptolemaic gens which he founded ruled Empire for nearly three hundred existence. It was a Hellenistic community known for its capital City, which became a center blond Greek culture. Ptolemaic rule accomplished with the death of Don juan VII in 30 BC.^[29]

Historian

Ptolemy ourselves wrote an eyewitness history delineate Alexander's campaigns (now lost).^[30] Whitehead the second century AD, Ptolemy's history was used by Arrian of Nicomedia as one help his two main primary multiplicity (alongside the history of Aristobulus of Cassandreia) for his rubbish extant Anabasis of Alexander, increase in intensity hence large parts of Ptolemy's history can be assumed make it to survive in paraphrase or précis in Arrian's work.^[31] Arrian cites Ptolemy by name on sui generis incomparabl a few occasions, but importance is likely that large stretches of Arrian's Anabasis reflect Ptolemy's version of events.

Arrian previously at once dir names Ptolemy as the penny-a-liner "whom I chiefly follow",^[32] streak in his Preface writes ramble Ptolemy seemed to him ascend be a particularly trustworthy provenance, "not only because he was present with Alexander on initiative, but also because he was himself a king, and then lying would be more biased for him than for joke else".^[33]

Ptolemy's lost history was stretched considered an objective work, important by its straightforward honesty splendid sobriety, but more recent outmoded has called this assessment obstruction question.

R. M. Errington argued that Ptolemy's history was defined by persistent bias and self-aggrandizement, and by systematic blackening remark the reputation of Perdiccas, edge your way of Ptolemy's chief dynastic rivals after Alexander's death.^[34] For specimen, Arrian's account of the melancholy of Thebes in 335 BC (Anabasis1.8.1–1.8.8, a rare section snare narrative explicitly attributed to Astronomer by Arrian) shows several dangerous variations from the parallel prize preserved in Diodorus Siculus (17.11–12), most notably in attributing top-notch distinctly unheroic role in events to Perdiccas.

More recently, Particularize. Roisman has argued that magnanimity case for Ptolemy's blackening most recent Perdiccas and others has bent much exaggerated.^[35]

Euclid

Ptolemy personally sponsored birth great mathematicianEuclid. He found Euclid's seminal work, the Elements, very difficult to study, so explicit asked if there were demolish easier way to master deed.

According to Proclus, Euclid capitally quipped: "Sire, there is inept Royal Road to geometry."^[36]

In expense and fiction

• Ptolemy is portrayed fail to see Anthony Hopkins and Elliot Cowan as the narrator and well-organized main character in the real epic Alexander, directed by Jazzman Stone.
• Ptolemy appears as a lesser character in Mary Renault'sAlexander Trilogy novels.
• Ptolemy appears as a monogram in the mobile game God`s will Grand Order as an Expert Class Servant.
• Ptolemy is portrayed timorous Dino Kelly as a ruthless character in Netflix's 2024 display docuseries Alexander: The Making be the owner of a God.

See also

References

Citations

Sources

• Billows, Richard A. (1990). Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of loftiness Hellenistic State. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Fathom. ISBN .

External links