Ptolemy III The Benefactor 246- 221 BC . Eagle & Zeus.27 mm. Ptolemaic Egypt.

Description: Ptolemy III Euergetes(Greek: ,romanized:Ptolemaios Euergetes, "Ptolemy theBenefactor"; c. 280 November/December 222 BC) was the third pharaoh of thePtolemaic dynastyinEgyptfrom 246 to 222 BC. ThePtolemaic Kingdomreached the height of its military and economic power during his kingship, as initiated by his fatherPtolemy II Philadelphus.Ptolemy III was the eldest son ofPtolemy IIandArsinoe I. When Ptolemy III was young, his mother was disgraced and he was removed from the succession. He was restored as heir to the throne in the late 250s BC and succeeded his father as king without issue in 246 BC. On his succession, Ptolemy III marriedBerenice II, reigning queen ofCyrenaica, thereby bringing her territory into the Ptolemaic realm. In theThird Syrian War(246241 BC), Ptolemy III invaded theSeleucid empireand won a near total victory, but was forced to abandon the campaign as a result of an uprising in Egypt. In the aftermath of this rebellion, Ptolemy forged a closer bond with the Egyptian priestly elite, which was codified in theCanopus decreeof 238 BC and set a trend for Ptolemaic power in Egypt for the rest of the dynasty. In theAegean, Ptolemy III suffered a major setback when his fleet was defeated by theAntigonidsat theBattle of Androsaround 246 BC, but he continued to offer financial support to their opponents in mainland Greece for the rest of his reign. At his death, Ptolemy III was succeeded by his eldest son,Ptolemy IV.Ptolemy III was born some time around 280 BC, as the eldest son ofPtolemy IIand his first wifeArsinoe I, daughter of KingLysimachusofThrace. His father had become co-regent of Egypt in 284 BC and sole ruler in 282 BC. Around 279 BC, the collapse of Lysimachus' kingdom led to the return to Egypt of Ptolemy II's sisterArsinoe II, who had been married to Lysimachus. A conflict quickly broke out between Arsinoe I and Arsinoe II. Sometime after 275 BC, Arsinoe I was charged with conspiracy and exiled toCoptos.When Ptolemy II married Arsinoe II probably in 273/2 BC, her victory in this conflict was complete. As children of Arsinoe I, Ptolemy III and his two siblings seem to have been removed from the succession after their mother's fall.This political background may explain why Ptolemy III seems to have been raised onTherain the Aegean, rather than in Egypt.His tutors included the poet and polymathApollonius of Rhodes, later head of theLibrary of Alexandria. From 267 BC, a figure known as Ptolemy "the Son" was co-regent with Ptolemy II. He led naval forces in theChremonidean war(267261 BC), but revolted in 259 BC at the beginning of theSecond Syrian Warand was removed from the co-regency. Some scholars have identified Ptolemy the Son with Ptolemy III. This seems unlikely, since Ptolemy III was probably too young to lead forces in the 260s and does not seem to have suffered any of the negative consequences that would be expected if he had revolted from his father in 259 BC. Chris Bennett has argued that Ptolemy the Son wasa sonof Arsinoe II by Lysimachus.Around the time of the rebellion, Ptolemy II legitimised the children of Arsinoe I by having them posthumously adopted by Arsinoe II. In the late 250s BC, Ptolemy II arranged the engagement of Ptolemy III toBerenice, the sole child of Ptolemy II's half-brother KingMagas of Cyrene.The decision to single Ptolemy III out for this marriage indicates that, by this time, he was theheir presumptive. On his father's death, Ptolemy III succeeded him without issue, taking the throne on 28 January 246 BC.yrenehad been the first Ptolemaic territory outside Egypt, but Magas had rebelled against Ptolemy II and declared himself king ofCyrenaicain 276 BC. The aforementioned engagement of Ptolemy III to Berenice had been intended to lead to the reunification of Egypt and Cyrene after Magas' death. However, when Magas died in 250 BC, Berenice's mother Apame refused to honour the agreement and invited an Antigonid prince,Demetrius the Fairto Cyrene to marry Berenice instead. With Apame's help, Demetrius seized control of the city, but he was assassinated by Berenice.A republican government, led by two Cyrenaeans named Ecdelus and Demophanes, controlled Cyrene for four years. It was only with Ptolemy III's accession in 246 BC, that the wedding of Ptolemy III and Berenice seems to have actually taken place. Ptolemaic authority over Cyrene was forcefully reasserted. Two new port cities were established, namedPtolemaisand Berenice (modernTolmeitaandBenghazi) after the dynastic couple. The cities of Cyrenaica were unified in a League overseen by the king, as a way of balancing the cities' desire for political autonomy against the Ptolemaic desire for control.July 246 BC,Antiochus II, king of theSeleucid empire, died suddenly. By his first wifeLaodice I, Antiochus II had had a son,Seleucus II, who was about 19 years old in 246 BC. However, in 253 BC, he had agreed to repudiate Laodice and marry Ptolemy III's sisterBerenice. Antiochus II and Berenice had a son named Antiochus, who was still an infant when his father died. A succession dispute broke out immediately after Antiochus II's death. Ptolemy III quickly invaded Syria in support of his sister and her son, marking the beginning of the Third Syrian War (also known as the Laodicean War). An account of the initial phase of this war, written by Ptolemy III himself, is preserved on theGurob papyrus. At the outbreak of war, Laodice I and Seleucus II were based in westernAsia Minor, while the widowed Queen Berenice was inAntioch. The latter quickly seized control ofCiliciato prevent Laodice I from entering Syria. Meanwhile, Ptolemy III marched along the Levantine coast encountering minimal resistance. The cities ofSeleuciaand Antioch surrendered to him without a fight in late autumn.At Antioch, Ptolemy III went to the royal palace to plan his next moves with Berenice in person, only to discover that she and her young son had been murdered. Rather than accept defeat in the face of this setback, Ptolemy III continued his campaign through Syria and intoMesopotamia, where he conqueredBabylonat the end of 246 or beginning of 245 BC.In light of this success, he may have been crowned 'Great King' of Asia.Early in 245 BC, he established a governor of the land 'on the other side' of theEuphrates, indicating an intention to permanently incorporate the region into the Ptolemaic kingdom. At this point however, Ptolemy III received notice that a revolt had broken out in Egypt and he was forced to return home to suppress it.By July 245 BC, the Seleucids had recaptured Mesopotamia.The Egyptian revolt is significant as the first of a series of native Egyptian uprisings which would trouble Egypt for the next century. One reason for this revolt was the heavy tax-burdens placed on the people of Egypt by Ptolemy III's war in Syria. Furthermore, papyri records indicate that theinundationof theNileriver failed in 245 BC, resulting in famine.Climate proxystudies suggest that this resulted from changes of themonsoonpattern at the time, resulting from a volcanic eruption which took place in 247 BC. After his return to Egypt and suppression of the revolt, Ptolemy III made an effort to present himself as a victorious king in both Egyptian and Greek cultural contexts. Official propaganda, likeOGIS54, an inscription set up inAdulis, vastly exaggerated Ptolemy III's conquests, claiming evenBactriaamong his conquests.At the new year in 243 BC, Ptolemy III incorporated himself and his wife Berenice II into the Ptolemaic state cult, to be worshipped as theTheoi Euergetai(Benefactor Gods), in honour of his restoration to Egypt of statues found in the Seleucid territories, which had been seized by thePersians. There may also have been a second theatre to this war in the Aegean. The general Ptolemy Andromachou, ostensibly an illegitimate son of Ptolemy II and the half-brother of Ptolemy III,capturedEphesusfrom the Seleucids in 246 BC. At an uncertain date around 245 BC, he fought asea-battle at Androsagainst KingAntigonus IIofMacedon, in which the Ptolemaic forces were defeated. It appears that he then led an invasion of Thrace, whereMaroneiaandAenuswere under Ptolemaic control as of 243 BC. Ptolemy Andromachou was subsequently assassinated at Ephesus by Thracian soldiers under his control. The only further action known from the war is some fighting nearDamascusin 242 BC.Shortly after this, in 241 BC, Ptolemy made peace with the Seleucids, retaining all the conquered territory in Asia Minor and northern Syria. Nearly the whole Mediterranean coast from Maroneia inThraceto theSyrtisinLibyawas now under Ptolemaic control. One of the most significant acquisitions was Seleucia Pieria, the port of Antioch, whose loss was a significant economic and logistical set-back for the Seleucids. Later reign (241222 BC) The conclusion of the Third Syrian War marked the end of military intervention in the Seleucid territories, but Ptolemy III continued to offer covert financial assistance to the opponents of Seleucus II. From 241 BC, this includedAntiochus Hierax, the younger brother of Seleucus II, who rebelled against his brother and established his own separate kingdom in Asia Minor. Ptolemy III sent military forces to support him only when a group ofGalatianmercenaries rebelled against himbut is likely to have supported him more tacitly throughout his conflict with Seleucus II. He offered similar support toAttalus I, the dynast ofPergamum, who took advantage of this civil conflict to expand his territories in northwestern Asia Minor. When the Seleucid generalAchaeuswas sent in 223 BC to reconquer the territories in Asia Minor that had been lost to Attalus, Ptolemy III sent his sonMagaswith a military force to aid Attalus, but he was unable to prevent Attalus' defeat. Ptolemy III maintained his father's hostile policy toMacedonia. This probably involved direct conflict with Antigonus II during the Third Syrian War, but after the defeat at Andros in c. 245 BC, Ptolemy III seems to have returned to the policy of indirect opposition, financing enemies of the Antigonids in mainland Greece. The most prominent of these was theAchaian League, a federation of Greek city-states in thePeloponnesethat were united by their opposition to Macedon. From 243 BC, Ptolemy III was the nominal leader (hegemon) and military commander of the League[31]and supplied them with a yearly payment.[32]After 240 BC, Ptolemy also forged an alliance with theAetolian Leaguein northwest Greece.[33]From 238 to 234 BC, the two leagues waged theDemetrian Waragainst Macedon with Ptolemaic financial support.[34] However, in 229 BC, theCleomenean War(229222 BC) broke out between the Achaian League andCleomenes IIIofSparta. As a result, in 226 BC,Aratos of Sicyonthe leader of the Achaian League forged an alliance with the Macedonian kingAntigonus III. Ptolemy III responded by immediately breaking off relations with the Achaian League and redirecting his financial support to Sparta. Most of the rest of the Greek states were brought under the Macedonian umbrella in 224 BC when Antigonus established the "Hellenic League". However Aetolia and Athens remained hostile to Macedon and redoubled their allegiance to Ptolemy III. In Athens, in 224 BC, extensive honours were granted to Ptolemy III to entrench their alliance with him, including the creation of a newtribenamedPtolemaisin his honour and a newdemenamedBerenicidaein honour of Queen Berenice II.The Athenians instituted a state religious cult in which Ptolemy III and Berenice II were worshipped as gods, including a festival, the Ptolemaia. The centre of the cult was the Ptolemaion,which also served as thegymnasiumwhere young male citizens undertook civic and military training. Cleomenes III suffered serious defeats in 223 BC and Ptolemy III abandoned his support for him in the next year probably as a result of an agreement with Antigonus. The Egyptian king seems to have been unwilling to commit actual troops to Greece, particularly as the threat of renewed war with the Seleucids was looming. Cleomenes III was defeated and forced to flee to Alexandria, where Ptolemy III offered him hospitality and promised to help restore him to power.However, these promises were not fulfilled, and the Cleomenian War would in fact be the last time that the Ptolemies intervened in mainland Greece. In November or December 222 BC, shortly after Cleomenes' arrival in Egypt and Magas' failure in Asia Minor, Ptolemy III died of natural causes.He was succeeded by his sonPtolemy IVwithout incident. Ptolemy III built on the efforts of his predecessors to conform to the traditional model of the Egyptianpharaoh. He was responsible for the first known example of a series ofdecreespublished astrilingual inscriptionson massive stone blocks inAncient Greek,Egyptian hieroglyphs, anddemotic. Earlier decrees, like theSatrap steleand theMendes stele, had been in hieroglyphs alone and had been directed at single individual sanctuaries. By contrast, Ptolemy III'sCanopus decreewas the product of a specialsynodof all the priests of Egypt, which was held in 238 BC. The decree instituted a number of reforms and represents the establishment of a full partnership between Ptolemy III as pharaoh and the Egyptian priestly elite. This partnership would endure until the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty. In the decree, the priesthood praise Ptolemy III as a perfect pharaoh. They emphasise his support of the priesthood, his military success in defending Egypt and in restoring religious artefacts supposedly held by the Seleucids, and his good governance, especially an incident when Ptolemy III imported, at his own expense, a vast amount of grain to compensate for a weakinundation. The rest of the decree consists of reforms to the priestly orders (phylai). The decree also added aleap dayto theEgyptian calendarof 365 days, and instituted related changes in festivals. Ptolemy III's infant daughter Berenice died during the synod and the stele arranges for her deification and ongoing worship. Further decrees would be issued by priestly synods under Ptolemy III's successors. The best-known examples are theDecree of Memphispassed by his son Ptolemy IV in about 218 BC and theRosetta Stoneerected by his grandsonPtolemy Vin 196 BC. The Ptolemaic kings before Ptolemy III, his grandfatherPtolemy Iand his father Ptolemy II, had followed the lead ofAlexander the Greatin prioritising the worship ofAmun, worshipped atKarnakinThebesamong the Egyptian deities. With Ptolemy III the focus shifted strongly toPtah, worshipped atMemphis. Ptah's earthly avatar, theApis bullcame to play a crucial role in royal new year festivals and coronation festivals. This new focus is referenced by two elements of Ptolemy III'sPharaonic titulary: hisnomenwhich included the phraseMery-Ptah(beloved of Ptah), and hisgolden Horus name,Neb khab-used mi ptah-tatenen(Lord of the Jubilee-festivals as well as Ptah Tatjenen). Ptolemy III financed construction projects at temples across Egypt. The most significant of these was theTemple of Horus at Edfu, one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian temple architecture and now the best-preserved of all Egyptian temples. The king initiated construction on it on 23 August 237 BC.Work continued for most of the Ptolemaic dynasty; the main temple was finished in the reign of Ptolemy IV in 231 BC, and the full complex was only completed in 142 BC, during the reign ofPtolemy VIII, while the reliefs on the great pylon were finished in the reign ofPtolemy XII. Other construction work took place at a range of sites, including (from north to south): Serapeum of Alexandria Temple of Osiris atCanopus; Decorative work on the Temple of Isis atBehbeit El Hagar, nearSebennytos; Asacred lakein theTemple of MontuatMedamud; TheGatewayof Ptolemy III in theTemple of Khonsuand decorative work on the Temple of Opet atKarnakThebes. Temple ofKhnumatEsna A birth house at the Temple of Isis atPhilae.

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End Time: 2024-04-30T16:12:24.000Z

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