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54-585: Two decrees were issued under Ptolemy III Euergetes (the Decree of Alexandria and Decree of Canopus ), another under Ptolemy IV Philopator (the Raphia Decree ), and others under Ptolemy V Epiphanes (the Decree of Memphis and the two Philensis Decrees). Multiple copies of the decrees, inscribed on stone steles , were erected in temple courtyards , as specified in the text of the decrees. There exist three copies plus

108-779: A Persian princess. Seleucus joined him in 301 BC, and at the Battle of Ipsus Antigonus was defeated and slain. Antigonus' dominions were divided among the victors. Lysimachus' share was Lydia , Ionia , Phrygia and the north coast of Asia Minor. Feeling that Seleucus was becoming dangerously powerful, Lysimachus now allied himself with Ptolemy, marrying his daughter Arsinoe II of Egypt. Amastris, who had divorced herself from him, returned to Heraclea. When Antigonus' son Demetrius I renewed hostilities (297 BC), during his absence in Greece, Lysimachus seized his towns in Asia Minor, but in 294 BC concluded

162-622: A fragment of the Decree of Canopus, two copies of the Memphis Decree (one imperfect), and two and a half copies of the text of the Rosetta Stone , including the copy on the Nubayrah Stele and a temple wall inscription with edits, or scene replacements, completed by subsequent scribes. The Decree of Alexandria was issued on the 13rd of Gorpiaios (3 December) 243 BCE. It proclaimed that statues of Ptolemy III and his wife Berenice II as well as

216-529: A group of Galatian mercenaries rebelled against him but is likely to have supported him more tacitly throughout his conflict with Seleucus II. He offered similar support to Attalus I , the dynast of Pergamum , who took advantage of this civil conflict to expand his territories in northwestern Asia Minor. When the Seleucid general Achaeus was sent in 223 BC to reconquer the territories in Asia Minor that had been lost to Attalus, Ptolemy III sent his son Magas with

270-519: A lion on the other. He was probably appointed Somatophylax during the reign of Philip II. During Alexander's Persian campaigns, in 328 BC he was one of his immediate bodyguards. In 324 BC, in Susa , he was awarded a ceremonial crown in recognition of his actions in India . After Alexander's death in 323 BC, he was appointed to the government of Thrace as strategos although he faced some difficulties from

324-548: A military force to aid Attalus, but he was unable to prevent Attalus' defeat. Ptolemy III maintained his father's hostile policy to Macedonia . 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

378-564: A new deme named Berenicidae in 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 the gymnasium where 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

432-545: A peace whereby Demetrius was recognized as ruler of Macedonia. He tried to carry his power beyond the Danube , but was defeated and taken prisoner by the Getae king Dromichaetes ( or Dromihete ), who, however, set him free in 292 BC on amicable terms in return for Lysimachus surrendering the Danubian lands he had captured. Demetrius subsequently threatened Thrace, but had to retire due to

486-404: A shrine for them should be set up in each temple to worship them as beneficent gods. The Decree was issued on 7 Appellaios (Mac.) = 17 Tybi (Eg.) year 9 of Ptolemy III = Thursday 7 March 238 BCE (proleptic Julian calendar). Issued at Alexandria on 6 September 186 BC after the suppression of Ankhwennefer's Upper Egyptian revolt. Issued on 9 October 186 BC (New Year's day), perhaps to celebrate

540-407: 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 sister Berenice . 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

594-506: A sudden uprising in Boeotia and an attack from King Pyrrhus of Epirus . In 287 BC, Lysimachus and Pyrrhus in turn invaded Macedonia and drove Demetrius out of the country. Lysimachus left Pyrrhus in possession of Macedonia with the title of king for around seven months before Lysimachus invaded. For a short while the two ruled jointly but in 285 BC Lysimachus expelled Pyrrhus, seizing complete control for himself. Domestic troubles embittered

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648-670: The Aegean , Ptolemy III suffered a major setback when his fleet was defeated by the Antigonids at the Battle of Andros around 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 of Ptolemy II and his first wife Arsinoe I , daughter of King Lysimachus of Thrace . His father had become co-regent of Egypt in 284 BC and sole ruler in 282 BC. Around 279 BC,

702-695: The Demetrian War against Macedon with Ptolemaic financial support. However, in 229 BC, the Cleomenean War (229–222 BC) broke out between the Achaian League and Cleomenes III of Sparta . As a result, in 226 BC, Aratos of Sicyon the leader of the Achaian League forged an alliance with the Macedonian king Antigonus III . Ptolemy III responded by immediately breaking off relations with the Achaian League and redirecting his financial support to Sparta. Most of

756-617: The Egyptian calendar of 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 the Decree of Memphis passed by his son Ptolemy IV in about 218 BC and the Rosetta Stone erected by his grandson Ptolemy V in 196 BC. The Ptolemaic kings before Ptolemy III, his grandfather Ptolemy I and his father Ptolemy II, had followed

810-644: The Musaeum was supplemented by a second library built in the Serapeum . He was said to have had every book unloaded in the Alexandria docks seized and copied, returning the copies to their owners and keeping the originals for the Library. Galen attests that he borrowed the official manuscripts of Aeschylus , Sophocles , and Euripides from Athens and forfeited the considerable deposit he paid for them in order to keep them for

864-669: The Third Syrian War (246–241 BC), Ptolemy III invaded the Seleucid empire and 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 the Canopus decree of 238 BC and set a trend for Ptolemaic power in Egypt for the rest of the dynasty. In

918-538: The monsoon pattern 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, like OGIS 54, an inscription set up in Adulis and probably the copy of an inscription in Alexandria, vastly exaggerated Ptolemy III's conquests, claiming even Bactria among his conquests. At

972-600: The 1930s, excavations by Mattingly at a fortress close to Port Dunford (the likely Nikon of antiquity) in present-day southern Somalia yielded a number of Ptolemaic coins. Among these pieces were 17 copper coins from the reigns of Ptolemy III to Ptolemy V, as well as late Imperial Rome and Mamluk Sultanate coins. Ptolemy III married his half-cousin Berenice of Cyrene in 244/243 BC. Their children were: Lysimachus Lysimachus ( / l ɪ ˈ s ɪ m ə k ə s / ; Greek : Λυσίμαχος, Lysimachos ; c. 360 BC – 281 BC)

1026-510: 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 son Ptolemy IV without incident. Ptolemy III built on the efforts of his predecessors to conform to the traditional model of

1080-562: The Egyptian pharaoh . He was responsible for the first known example of a series of decrees published as trilingual inscriptions on massive stone blocks in Ancient Greek , Egyptian hieroglyphs , and demotic . Earlier decrees, like the Satrap stele and the Mendes stele , had been in hieroglyphs alone and had been directed at single individual sanctuaries. By contrast, Ptolemy III's Canopus decree

1134-517: The Levantine coast encountering minimal resistance. The cities of Seleucia and 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 into Mesopotamia , where he conquered Babylon at

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1188-414: The Library rather than returning them. The most distinguished scholar at Ptolemy III's court was the polymath and geographer Eratosthenes , most noted for his remarkably accurate calculation of the circumference of the world . Other prominent scholars include the mathematicians Conon of Samos and Apollonius of Perge . Ptolemy III's reign was also marked by trade with other contemporaneous polities. In

1242-507: 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 of Ptolemy VIII , while the reliefs on the great pylon were finished in the reign of Ptolemy XII . Other construction work took place at a range of sites, including (from north to south): Ptolemy III continued his predecessor's sponsorship of scholarship and literature. The Great Library in

1296-625: 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 the inundation of the Nile river failed in 245 BC, resulting in famine. Climate proxy studies suggest that this resulted from changes of

1350-478: The Son was a son of 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 to Berenice , the sole child of Ptolemy II's half-brother King Magas of Cyrene . The decision to single Ptolemy III out for this marriage indicates that, by this time, he

1404-523: The Thracian king Seuthes . In 315 BC, Lysimachus joined Cassander , Ptolemy and Seleucus against Antigonus , who, however, diverted his attention by stirring up Thracian and Scythian tribes against him. However, he managed to consolidate his power in the east of his territories, suppressing a revolt of the cities on the Black Sea coast. In 309 BC, he founded Lysimachia in a commanding situation on

1458-526: The agreement and invited an Antigonid prince, Demetrius the Fair , to 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

1512-464: The beginning of the Second Syrian War and 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

1566-605: 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 the Gurob papyrus . At the outbreak of war, Laodice I and Seleucus II were based in western Asia Minor , while the widowed Queen Berenice was in Antioch . The latter quickly seized control of Cilicia to prevent Laodice I from entering Syria. Meanwhile, Ptolemy III marched along

1620-567: The birth of Ptolemy VI . Issued at Memphis on 29 October 185 BC, upon the enthronement of an Apis bull . Issued on 29 May 182 BC, after a visit to Memphis by the Mnevis bull . Issued on 31 July 161 BC, upon a royal visit to Memphis, shortly after Ptolemy VI was restored to power. Ptolemy III Euergetes Second Horus name: ḥkn-nṯrw-rmṯ-ḥr.f m-šsp.f-nsyt-m-Ꜥ-jt.f Hekenetjeruremetj-heref emshesepefnesytemaitef The one over whom gods and people have rejoiced when he has received

1674-474: The collapse of Lysimachus' kingdom led to the return to Egypt of Ptolemy II's sister Arsinoe 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 to Coptos . 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

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1728-508: 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 the Euphrates , 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,

1782-503: The half-brother of Ptolemy III, captured Ephesus from the Seleucids in 246 BC. At an uncertain date around 245 BC, he fought a sea-battle at Andros against King Antigonus II of Macedon , in which the Ptolemaic forces were defeated. It appears that he then led an invasion of Thrace, where Maroneia and Aenus were 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

1836-451: The historian Justin both record a story that Alexander had Lysimachus thrown to a lion as a punishment. According to Justin this was because Lysimachus had smuggled poison to a person Alexander had condemned to a slow death. Both Pausanias and Justin report that Lysimachus overcame the lion with his bare hands and subsequently became one of Alexander's favorites. Some coins issued during Lysimachus's appointment had his image on one side and

1890-607: The kingship from his father's hand Ptolemy III Euergetes ( Greek : Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης , romanized :  Ptolemaîos Euergétēs , "Ptolemy the Benefactor "; c. 280 – November/December 222 BC ) was the third pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt from 246 to 222 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom reached the height of its military and economic power during his kingship, as initiated by his father Ptolemy II Philadelphus . Ptolemy III

1944-514: The last years of Lysimachus’ life. Amastris had been murdered by her two sons; Lysimachus treacherously put them to death. On his return, Arsinoe II asked the gift of Heraclea, and he granted her request, though he had promised to free the city. In 284 BC Arsinoe, desirous of gaining the succession for her sons in preference to Lysimachus’ first child, Agathocles , intrigued against him with the help of Arsinoe's paternal half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos ; they accused him of conspiring with Seleucus to seize

1998-589: The lead of Alexander the Great in prioritising the worship of Amun , worshipped at Karnak in Thebes among the Egyptian deities. With Ptolemy III the focus shifted strongly to Ptah , worshipped at Memphis . Ptah's earthly avatar, the Apis bull came to play a crucial role in royal new year festivals and coronation festivals. This new focus is referenced by two elements of Ptolemy III's Pharaonic titulary : his nomen which included

2052-607: The neck connecting the Chersonese with the mainland, forming a bulwark against the Odrysians . In 306/305 BC, Lysimachus followed the example of Antigonus and assumed the royal title . In 302 BC, when the second alliance between Cassander, Ptolemy and Seleucus was made, Lysimachus, reinforced by troops from Cassander, entered Asia Minor, where he met with little resistance. On the approach of Antigonus he retired into winter quarters near Heraclea , marrying its widowed queen Amastris ,

2106-609: The new year in 243 BC, Ptolemy III incorporated himself and his wife Berenice II into the Ptolemaic state cult, to be worshipped as the Theoi Euergetai (Benefactor Gods), in honour of his restoration to Egypt of statues found in the Seleucid territories, which had been seized by the Persians . 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

2160-419: 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

2214-607: The phrase Mery-Ptah (beloved of Ptah), and his golden 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 the Temple 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

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2268-399: 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 weak inundation . The rest of the decree consists of reforms to the priestly orders ( phylai ). The decree also added a leap day to

2322-462: 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 new tribe named Ptolemais in his honour and

2376-553: The succession after their mother's fall. This political background may explain why Ptolemy III seems to have been raised on Thera in the Aegean, rather than in Egypt. His tutors included the poet and polymath Apollonius of Rhodes , later head of the Library of Alexandria . From 267 BC, a figure known as Ptolemy "the Son" was co-regent with Ptolemy II. He led naval forces in the Chremonidean war (267–261 BC), but revolted in 259 BC at

2430-472: The throne, and Agathocles was put to death. This atrocious deed by Lysimachus aroused great indignation. Many of the cities of Asia Minor revolted, and his most trusted friends deserted him. The widow of Agathocles and their children fled to Seleucus, who at once invaded the territory of Lysimachus in Asia Minor. In 281 BC, Lysimachus crossed the Hellespont into Lydia and at the decisive Battle of Corupedium

2484-554: The war is some fighting near Damascus in 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 in Thrace to the Syrtis in Libya was now under Ptolemaic control. One of the most significant acquisitions was Seleucia Pieria, the port of Antioch, whose loss

2538-545: Was a Thessalian officer and successor of Alexander the Great , who in 306 BC, became king of Thrace , Asia Minor and Macedon . Lysimachus was born in circa 360 BC, to a family of Thessalian stock but they were citizens of Pella in Macedonia . He was the second son of Agathocles and his wife; there is some indication in the historical sources that this wife was perhaps named Arsinoe, and that Lysimachus' paternal grandfather may have been called Alcimachus. His father

2592-605: Was a nobleman of high rank who was an intimate friend of Philip II of Macedon , who shared in Philip II’s councils and became a favourite in the Argead court . Lysimachus and his brothers grew up with the status of Macedonians; all these brothers enjoyed with Lysimachus prominent positions in Alexander’s circle and, like him, were educated at the Macedonian court in Pella . Pausanias and

2646-506: Was a significant economic and logistical set-back for the Seleucids. 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 included Antiochus 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

2700-467: Was forcefully reasserted. Two new port cities were established, named Ptolemais and Berenice (modern Tolmeita and Benghazi ) 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. In July 246 BC, Antiochus II , king of the Seleucid empire , died suddenly. By his first wife Laodice I , Antiochus II had had

2754-621: Was the Achaian League , a federation of Greek city-states in the Peloponnese that were united by their opposition to Macedon. From 243 BC, Ptolemy III was the nominal leader ( hegemon ) and military commander of the League and supplied them with a yearly payment. After 240 BC, Ptolemy also forged an alliance with the Aetolian League in northwest Greece. From 238 to 234 BC, the two leagues waged

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2808-513: Was the heir presumptive . On his father's death, Ptolemy III succeeded him without issue, taking the throne on 28 January 246 BC. Cyrene had been the first Ptolemaic territory outside Egypt, but Magas had rebelled against Ptolemy II and declared himself king of Cyrenaica in 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

2862-405: Was the eldest son of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe 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 married Berenice II , reigning queen of Cyrenaica , thereby bringing her territory into the Ptolemaic realm. In

2916-423: Was the product of a special synod of 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

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