Ptolemaic Kingdom Hellenistic period

bust of ptolemy soter wearing diadem, symbol of hellenistic kingship, louvre museum.

ptolemy, somatophylax, 1 of 7 bodyguards served alexander great s generals , deputies, appointed satrap of egypt after alexander s death in 323 bc. in 305 bc, declared himself king ptolemy i, later known soter (saviour) role in helping rhodians during siege of rhodes. ptolemy built new cities such ptolemais hermiou in upper egypt , settled veterans throughout country, in region of faiyum. alexandria, major center of greek culture , trade, became capital city. egypt s first port city, main grain exporter in mediterranean.

the egyptians begrudgingly accepted ptolemies successors pharaohs of independent egypt, though kingdom went through several native revolts. ptolemies took on traditions of egyptian pharaohs, such marrying siblings (ptolemy ii first adopt custom), having portrayed on public monuments in egyptian style , dress, , participating in egyptian religious life. ptolemaic ruler cult portrayed ptolemies gods, , temples ptolemies erected throughout kingdom. ptolemy created new god, serapis, combination of 2 egyptian gods: apis , osiris, attributes of greek gods. ptolemaic administration was, ancient egyptian bureaucracy, highly centralized , focused on squeezing revenue out of population possible though tariffs, excise duties, fines, taxes , forth. whole class of petty officials, tax farmers, clerks , overseers made possible. egyptian countryside directly administered royal bureaucracy. external possessions such cyprus , cyrene run strategoi, military commanders appointed crown.

ring of ptolemy vi philometor egyptian pharaoh. louvre museum.

under ptolemy ii, callimachus, apollonius of rhodes, theocritus , host of other poets made city center of hellenistic literature. ptolemy himself eager patronise library, scientific research , individual scholars lived on grounds of library. , successors fought series of wars seleucids, known syrian wars, on region of coele-syria. ptolemy iv won great battle of raphia (217 bc) against seleucids, using native egyptians trained phalangites. these egyptian soldiers revolted, setting native breakaway egyptian state in thebaid between 205-186/5 bc, severely weakening ptolemaic state.

ptolemy s family ruled egypt until roman conquest of 30 bc. male rulers of dynasty took name ptolemy. ptolemaic queens, of whom sisters of husbands, called cleopatra, arsinoe, or berenice. famous member of line last queen, cleopatra vii, known role in roman political battles between julius caesar , pompey, , later between octavian , mark antony. suicide @ conquest rome marked end of ptolemaic rule in egypt though hellenistic culture continued thrive in egypt throughout roman , byzantine periods until muslim conquest.