Textbook "Jewish people in the Hellenistic world". Ptolemy II Philadelphus - The Ptolemaic Dynasty - Dynasties of Ancient Egypt

Ptolemy I Soter and the founding of the Lagid dynasty

The Egyptian kingdom, the main part of which was the valley of the Nile protected by deserts and to which, in the west of the Nile, belonged the Greek Pentapolis (Cyrenaica) and neighboring parts of Africa, in the east at times Palestine, Phoenicia, Lebanon abounding in cedar forests, Coele-Syria, Anti-Lebanon and part of the rest of Syria to Damascus and further, the island of Cyprus, often ruling over the sea, reached a very high material well-being under the first Ptolemies (or Lagids). Already the first Lagid, Ptolemy Soter ("Saviour") [d. 283] laid the foundation for everything on which the greatness of Egypt was based: he formed a large army and a strong fleet, arranged a strictly defined order in administration, finance and legal proceedings under the unlimited authority of the king, patronized scientific activity, which later had as its center the famous Museum, connected with the royal palace, a huge building, which housed a huge library and lived scientists and poets.

Ptolemy II Philadelphus

The son and heir of Ptolemy Soter, Ptolemy Philadelphus developed and strengthened what his father had begun. He expanded the state: he went far to Ethiopia (in 264 - 258), contributed to the destruction of the dominion of the priests in Meroe (I, 186), brought this state into contact with the world of Greek culture, conquered the Troglodyte (Abyssinian) coast, conquered the Sabeans and Homerites of the southern Arabia. He opened the way for Egyptian merchants to trade with the northwest, concluding an alliance with Rome after the removal of Pyrrhus from Italy; this gave Eastern goods free access to Italian harbors (p. 168). He surrounded himself with a magnificent court, unheard of luxurious, decorated his capital, made it the center of all those mental and material pleasures that wealth and education can deliver.

Under Ptolemy Philadelphus, the amount of money lying in the royal treasury extended to 740,000,000 Egyptian talents (more than 825 million rubles); revenues increased to 14,800 talents (more than 16,500,000 rubles); Egypt's wealth was so great that even Carthage borrowed from Alexandria. The army and fleet were huge. Ptolemy Philadelphus had 200,000 infantry, 40,000 cavalry, 300 elephants, 2,000 war chariots, 1,500 warships, 800 yachts lavishly adorned with gold and silver, 2,000 small craft, and a stockpile of weapons for 300,000 warriors. Throughout the state there were garrisons, keeping everything in obedience to the king. Theocritus, praising Ptolemy Philadelphus. said: “The beautiful king Ptolemy rules over rich Egypt, in which there are other cities; parts of Arabia and Phoenicia serve him; he commands Syria, Linea, and the Ethiopian land; the Pamphylians, the spear-wielding Cilicians, the Lycians, the warlike Carians, the Cyclades, obey his orders, because his fleet is powerful, and all coasts and seas and noisy rivers are submissive to his power. He has many horse and foot soldiers dressed in brilliant armor. But peacefully, in calm safety, the people work, because enemy soldiers do not come to the Nile with a wild cry to rob villages, enemies do not jump out of ships on the coast of Egypt to disturb the herds. Ptolemy, a skilled warrior, guards vast fields; a brave king, he carefully protects the possessions inherited from his father, and increases them with his acquisitions.

Ptolemy II Philadelphus (presumably)

Ptolemy Philadelphus loved caring for the internal affairs of the kingdom more than war, but did not miss the opportunity to increase his possessions. He took Phoenicia and Palestine from the second king of the Seleucid dynasty, because of which there were many wars between the Egyptian and Syrian kings, took possession of the lands of the southern coast of Asia Minor: Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria, and founded new cities to strengthen his rule over them ( Berenice, Philadelphia and Arsinoe in Lycia), tried to secure his conquests from attacks by treaties and marriage ties.

As a pledge of peace with the Syrian king Antiochus II, he gave his daughter, the beautiful Berenice, for him. She was sent to Antioch with a brilliant retinue. But love for Berenice, Antiochus drove away his former wife, Laodike and her children. But when he went to Asia Minor the following year, Laodice managed to get close to him again; she wanted to take revenge, poisoned the king in Ephesus, delivered the throne to her son Seleucus II, named Kallinikos (“victorious”), and then inhumanly killed the hated Berenice and all her followers. The bodyguard bribed by Laodice killed the baby, the son of Berenice; the mother, in a rage of despair, threw a stone at the murderer and killed him, and she herself was killed, by order of Laodice, in the Daphnian sanctuary. The news of the terrible death of his daughter hastened the death of Philadelphus.

Ptolemy III Euergetes

Philadelph's successor, Ptolemy III [Evergetes, 247–221], who adhered to his father's policy in everything, went to Syria to avenge his sister. Shortly before that, he married Berenice, the queen of Cyrene, who killed her first husband, Demetrius the Beautiful, son of Demetrius Polyorcetes, who had cheated on her. At the beginning of the war, she promised to bring her beautiful hair as a gift to the gods if her husband returned with victory. The husband returned; she cut off her hair and brought it to the temple. They disappeared; the astronomer Conon announced that they were transferred by the gods to heaven, and gave one of the constellations the name "Veronica's hair."

We also know very little about the war of Ptolemy III with Syria, the third Syrian war, as well as about the first two. It lasted three years and shook the weak Syrian kingdom. Ptolemy pushed the boundaries of his possessions far to the north and east, paved new routes for Egyptian trade. The Adul inscription, in which he, following the example of the pharaohs, boastfully lists his exploits, says: “The great Ptolemy went to Asia with foot and cavalry troops, with a fleet, with troglodytes and Ethiopian elephants, which his father and he caught in these countries and trained military service in Egypt. Having conquered with his troops and elephants all the lands up to the Euphrates, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Ionia, the Hellespont and Thrace and their kings, he crossed the Euphrates, conquered Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Susiana, Persis, Media and the rest of the land as far as Bactriana, and, having commanded to find all the shrines, taken from Egypt by the Persians, and along with other treasures to be taken to Egypt, he sent his troops along the channels ... ”(through the channels of the lower reaches of the Euphrates and the Tigris). This is a campaign about which the prophet Daniel says: “A branch will rise from its root” - the murdered daughter of the southern king, that is, Berenki - “will come to the army and enter the fortifications of the king of the north, and will act in them, and will strengthen; even their gods, their idols with their precious vessels, silver and gold, he will take captive to Egypt ”(Dan. XI, 7, 8). The booty taken by Ptolemy was indeed enormous: 40,000 talents of silver, 2,500 precious statues and vessels. In gratitude for the fact that he returned to the Egyptian temples the sacred things taken from them by Cambyses and Och, the Egyptians gave him the name of "benefactor" (in Greek translation, "Evergeta"), which was an epithet of the god Osiris. - The Syrian king, whose forces were weakened by discord in the state, concluded a truce for ten years, agreeing to leave Phoenicia, Palestine and the southern coast of Asia Minor in the power of the winner. Egypt under Euergetes was, in the words of Polybius, "like a strong body with arms spread wide."

Ptolemy IV Philopator (Tryphon) and Ptolemy V Epiphanes

Under Ptolemy Philopator or Tryphon ("Reveler"), cruel and depraved, the decline of the Egyptian kingdom begins. A long war with Antiochus III, king of Syria, ruined the state and. although the Egyptians were victorious at Raphia (see below), Philopator ended up losing his possessions in Lebanon and Asia Minor. In addition, the Romans acquired an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt. After the death of Philopator, the influence of the Romans increased: they took over the guardianship of his young successor, Ptolemy Epiphanes, and the next Egyptian kings were completely dependent on the Romans. Fertile Egypt was important to them because they got a lot of bread from there.

Under the first three Ptolemies, Egypt was a powerful state, and its new capital, Alexandria, became a center of arts, a rich city, surpassing in its splendor the capitals of the pharaohs, Memphis and Thebes. Trade and industry flourished in Egypt. The favorable position of the country contributed a lot to this. Egypt traded with Arabia, with India; was corrected, the Necho channel was made navigable again (1.195); Egyptian caravans went through the desert to the peoples of the south and west, the Egyptian fleet cleared the Mediterranean of robbers, and many Egyptian merchant ships sailed on it; cities and trading posts were founded on the shores of the Red [Red] Sea; Phoenicia, Palestine, the southern coast of Asia Minor, important in terms of trade, many islands, including Samos and the Cyclades, were annexed to the Ptolemaic kingdom; even in Thrace, port cities (Enos, Maroneia, Lysimachia) were conquered. The main figures of culture and industry in Egypt were the Greeks, who settled throughout the country, especially in the cities; under their influence, the natives left their former stubborn immobility of life, took part in new activities. But the early Ptolemies carried out the transformations very carefully so as not to arouse displeasure in a people full of prejudice, attached to antiquity. They did not make drastic reforms, showed respect for the Egyptian priests, temples, laws, left inviolable the hierarchical structure, division into castes, native worship, preserved the division of Egypt into regions (nomes), introduced, according to legend, by Sesostris and was in close connection with the agrarian structure of a densely populated country. Religion under the Ptolemies was a fusion of Greek elements with native ones. Its basis was the service of Serapis and Isis, which received magnificent forms; the Greek cult of underground deities was transferred to this service (I, 149). - Alexandria became the center of cosmopolitan literature, which absorbed elements of the civilization of all civilized peoples, spread them throughout the civilized world and, thus, developed from all previous national cultures one common to all civilized peoples. – Greek became the language of the court, administration and legal proceedings in Egypt.

From o. Kos and the Peripatetic philosopher from Lampsak. The education of Ptolemy Philadelphus, apparently, was also carried out by other prominent scientists and employees, created in 295 BC. on the initiative and .

AT Ptolemy II Philadelphus (possibly on the day of his birth) was appointed co-ruler of Egypt by decree instead of the legitimate heir to the throne, son . After death in- sole ruler of Egypt.

In order to strengthen personal power, he not only pursued a policy of counteracting and isolating the legitimate heir in exile, but also killed his brothers (from other marriages of his father Ptolemy Soter) Argedei, accused of plotting against the king, and a rebel (name not preserved) on about . Cyprus.

He sought to continue his father's policy of strengthening dominance at sea and access to key trading centers of the North African and Asia Minor coasts. However, in 282 BC. Cyrenaica falls away from Egypt, where Philadelph's mother's son from his first marriage is in power. In 275/4 BC makes an attempt to attack Egypt, but instead is forced to conquer the tribes of nomadic Libyans that have fallen away from him.

In 280 BC Ptolemy Philadelphus conquers the subordinate southern regions of Syria, including Damascus. In 278, Miletus becomes an Egyptian possession.

In 274 BC The First Syrian War begins between Ptolemy II Philadelphus and for dominance in Syria and Phenicia, the struggle for which continues with varying success throughout the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus.

During the Chremonid War between Macedonia and Macedonia, Egypt acts as the main ally of the Athenians in their fight against. However, the attempts of Ptolemy Philadelphus to increase his influence in mainland Greece ended in failure. ATdestroys the Egyptian fleet near Kos, and 263/2 BC. captures and destroys the walls of the city. The undivided rule of the Ptolemaic fleet in the eastern Mediterranean is coming to an end.

Despite some foreign policy failures during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the political and economic position of Egypt was strengthened. This is facilitated by the rather successful pragmatic domestic policy of the young tsar. Ptolemy Philadelphus continues his father's course in national politics. One of the first acts of Ptolemy Philadelphus on the throne (during the period of joint rule) was the release of about 100 thousand Jews, captivated and resettled in Egypt during the reign of, as well as the organization of the translation into Greek of the sacred books of the Jews -. This translation was carried out under the guidance of the young king, who advised the young king to read books about royal power and the art of ruling, for "the books say what friends do not dare to say to the faces of kings."

Continued his father's course a on the transformation of the capital of the state into one of the largest centers of trade and crafts of the Hellenistic world. To achieve this goal, during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the canal between the Red Sea and the Nile was thoroughly updated, the construction of port facilities, including the famous one, was completed. In the economic sphere, the role of the state was extremely great, in whose monopoly were land and crafts. There was also a policy of distributing land plots to large nobles. The income of the royal treasury was truly fabulous. A significant part of them was spent on the maintenance of a magnificent court, an army, a fleet, a colossal bureaucracy, on subsidies to priests and temples.

At the same time, Ptolemy Philadelphus paid great attention to the development of sciences and arts. It was the time of his reign - the heyday and, for the maintenance of which significant amounts were allocated. The king showed a personal interest in replenishing the book fund, which by the beginning of the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus was about 200 thousand books. He bought lists of the ancient tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides from the Athenians, and also personally wrote to the kings, with many of whom he was related, to send him everything that is available from the works of poets, historians, orators, doctors. On behalf of Ptolemy Philadelphus, a catalog was compiled - the famous "Tables" in 120 scroll books.

Under Ptolemy Philadelphus, a tomb was built, and his body was transferred from Memphis to. Under him, the beginning of the deification of the kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty was laid, cults were founded and I, parents of Ptolemy II Philadelphus.

The marriages of Ptolemy II Philadelphus were also not least aimed at strengthening the power of the Ptolemaic dynasty and personally Ptolemy II Philadelphus on the Egyptian throne. His first wife was the daughter of the Diadoche, who was apparently married in 288 BC. when a coalition of four kings was formed,, and

Ptolemy was distinguished by curiosity and, due to bodily weakness, was constantly looking for new entertainment and amusements. Aelian claims that Ptolemy II became the most educated person due to illness. During his reign, Egypt often waged wars, but the commanders and naval commanders of Ptolemy fought. Only during the expedition up the Nile did Ptolemy II himself go to war.

The political situation in the Eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the reign of Ptolemy

Soon, in his role as head of state, Ptolemy faced new upheavals in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean. In 281 BC. e. the two last surviving chieftains of Alexander's generation, both old men in their eighties, Seleucus and Lysimachus, engaged in their main showdown. Lysimachus fell, and between Seleucus and the supreme power that Alexander possessed, there were no obvious opponents. The situation was threatening for the young Ptolemy. His half-brother Ptolemy Keraunus was on the side of Seleucus, and, of course, Seleucus could support his claim to the Egyptian throne. Then, when Ptolemy Ceraunus killed Seleucus at the Dardanelles, everything suddenly plunged into confusion. This eased the position of the Egyptian king. The main danger was Seleucus, and now the ambition of Ptolemy Keraunus turned away from Egypt and turned to Macedon. Arsinoe, widow of Lysimachus, sister of Ptolemy II and half-sister of Ptolemy Kerauna, was still in Macedonia and decided to secure an empty throne for her infant son. However, Keravn managed to surpass her in deceit and ferocity. First he married her, then he killed her child, the son of Lysimachus. Arsinoe took refuge in the Samothracian sanctuary. But here a new and frightening difficulty arose - the invasion of crowds of wild Galatians (Gauls) from the Balkans into Macedonia, Greece and Asia Minor. Ptolemy Ceraunos died during this barbarian invasion (280 BC). A period of unrest began in Macedonia, during which another son of the old Ptolemy, Meleager, sat on the royal throne for two months, but then again disappeared into darkness. Antipater, another pretender to the throne of Macedonia, who occupied it for 45 days, after the overthrow, took refuge in Alexandria; there he was known by the nickname Etesius (the wind that blows forty-five days). Finally, Antigonus Gonatas seems to have succeeded in making some kind of friendship agreement with Ptolemy. The Macedonian king was in dire need of conditions that could help strengthen his power in Macedonia; a ruinous war with Egypt would be disastrous for the accomplishment of this task. In turn, Ptolemy II did not yet want to see an enemy in Macedonia, considering the problems of domination in the East to be urgent for himself. Only such relations can explain the “gift” by Antigonus to Ptolemy of 4,000 Galatians for military service in Egypt.

In Asia Minor and Northern Syria, Antiochus I, the son of Seleucus, managed to take the royal throne of his father, although he could assert his power in Asia Minor only in conflict with other new powers - local principalities, Persian dynasties, the Greek state with a center in Pergamum and nomadic hordes Galatians. Eventually, after half a century of turmoil following Alexander's death, a relatively stable group of powers emerged in the Eastern Mediterranean—Macedonia was ruled by the dynasty of Antigonus; in northern Syria, most of Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and Persia, the Seleucus dynasty; in other parts of Asia Minor, new local dynasties; in Egypt, Palestine, Cyrene and Cyprus, the Ptolemaic dynasty. In Greece itself, on the islands and coasts of the Aegean, the Bosporus and the Black Sea, the old Greek policies still retained one or another degree of freedom, depending on the circumstances that made it possible for them to postpone the need to submit to any monarchical power.

Between all these states there were active political and military actions throughout the reign of Ptolemy II. Hellenistic Egypt was at the height of its power and glory. However, historical sources that could tell us what this king, his commanders and ambassadors did, have not been preserved. Only by fragmentary references in the writings of later authors, random references and a few single inscriptions can we try to describe the events that took place at that time.

Because of the ambitious desire of the Ptolemies to expand their dominions beyond Egypt to some parts of Asia, to have dominance at sea, and to successfully intervene in the politics of the Greek world, they could not remain uninvolved in foreign affairs. Some time, between and 269 BC. e. the policy of the Alexandrian court was governed by a stronger will than that possessed by Ptolemy II. His sister Arsinoe, having lost the slightest prospect of becoming queen of Macedonia, arrived in Egypt, possibly with clear intentions of becoming queen in her father's house. There was already a queen in Egypt, another Arsinoe, daughter of Lysimachus and wife of Ptolemy II. However, this was not an obstacle for such an imperious and intelligent woman as Arsinoe, the daughter of Ptolemy I, who went through an excellent school of intrigue at the court of Lysimachus. She was still in Macedonia, a few years before, swept Agathocles out of her way, forcing her father to kill him on false charges. Another Arsinoe managed to give birth to her husband three children - two sons, Ptolemy and Lysimachus, and a daughter, Berenice. Now she was accused of conspiracy and attempt on the life of her husband. Two of her alleged accomplices - a certain Aminta and a Rhodian named Chrysippus, her doctor, were put to death, and the queen herself was expelled to Upper Egyptian Koptos (there is a memorial stele of the Egyptian Sennuhrud, where he tells that he was her servant and for her rebuilt and decorated the sanctuary).

Having thus got rid of Arsinoe, the daughter of Lysimachus, Arsinoe, the daughter of Ptolemy I, took her brother as her husband and became an Egyptian queen. The marriage of a half-brother and sister used to be something unheard of in the Greek world, although quite common among the Egyptians and consistent with Pharaonic tradition. Many were shocked. Arsinoe at that time was about forty; in any case, she was about eight years older than her brother-husband. The Greek Sotad, a famous writer of obscene poetry at the time, referred to this marriage in rude terms as incest. According to one of the fragments of the work of Athenaeus, the poet fled Alexandria immediately after he read his poems, but was captured by the naval commander of the king Patroclus off the Carian coast and thrown into the sea in a lead coffin.

Arsinoe accepted, or was given the nickname Philadelphia ("Loving Brother"). Probably, she no longer hoped to give birth to more children and, most likely, adopted her husband's children from another Arsinoe. Apparently, the Greek world understood that the course that the Egyptian court now adheres to in international politics was directed by the firm hand of Arsinoe Philadelphia. What Ptolemy himself thought about all this, no one will ever know. After the death of Arsinoe, he expressed his devotion to her in every possible way, but this proves little. Even if he didn't have loving feelings for his sister, he could sincerely mourn the loss of her powerful guiding mind. It is possible that the marriage union of Arsinoe and Ptolemy II was needed not only by Arsinoe, but also by the king of Egypt himself, who hoped through this marriage to acquire "legitimate" rights to the legacy of Lysimachus - to those vast territories where Arsinoe was once an unlimited mistress.

If we are guided by a brief summary of events contained in the work of Pausanias, then it was under the steep regime of Arsinoe and Philadelphia that uncomfortable members of the royal family began to be eliminated. Ptolemy's brother Argei was put to death on charges of plotting against the king. When Arsinoe was in charge of everything, no one knew whether the accusations corresponded to the truth or were fabricated. Then another half-brother, the son of Eurydice (we are not given his name) was accused of inciting unrest in Cyprus and executed. Demetrius of Phaler, an old adviser to Ptolemy I Soter, after the death of the latter, also fell out of favor and was taken into custody, pending clarification and a special decision. The reason for this was that he at one time advised Ptolemy Lag to give the throne into the hands of his eldest son Ptolemy Keravn. So he lived out his life in a decline of mental strength, until, during sleep, a poisonous snake bit him on the hand and he expired.

The great dangers and disasters that befell Greece and Asia Minor hardly touched Egypt at all. At the beginning of his reign, Ptolemy II turned all his efforts to ensure that the difficulties of his rivals were used to the advantage of Egypt. Since 301 B.C. e. Egypt laid claim to Coele-Syria, with its wealthy cities and important strategic position. But here the Ptolemies met with the inexorable determination of the Seleucids to keep Coelesyria behind them. Therefore, only the weakening of the positions of Antiochus Soter in the international arena in the first years of his reign allows us to assume that in Coele-Syria the Egitans had the opportunity to strengthen. Probably in the spring of 276 BC. e. it came to a real war, when Ptolemy, according to the Babylonian cuneiform inscription, invaded Syria. Modern historians have called it the "First Syrian War". Her history is impossible to compose. A vague beam of light only picks out fragments here and there. Pausanias briefly reports: Unfortunately, we have only two contemporary references to the actions taken by Ptolemy: one is a hieroglyphic inscription from Sais, mainly consisting of traditional phrases inherited from the time of the Pharaonic invasions of Asia, and the other is an extract from a poem by Theocritus, composed in order to earn favor in Alexandria.

“Ptolemy sent [his people] to all the peoples over which Antiochus ruled, so that they, like robbers, passed through the lands of the weaker ones, those who were stronger, he wanted to delay military operations in order to prevent Antiochus’s campaign against Egypt.”

In a stele erected by the priests in Sais, it is said that Ptolemy "took tribute from the cities of Asia" that he punished the nomads of Asia, cut off many heads and shed streams of blood, that the enemies lined up in vain against him innumerable warships, cavalry and chariots, "more numerous than those owned by the princes of Arabia and Phoenicia" that he celebrated his triumph with festivities, and that the crown of Egypt rested firmly on his head. Whatever the military operations outside Egypt turned out to be, the priests would still describe them in approximately the same terms. And Theocritus, extolling the greatness of Egypt, in his 17th idyll writes the following:

“Yes, he cuts off parts of Phenicia, Arabia, Syria, Libya and black Ethiopia. He gives orders to all the Pamphylians, the Cilician spearmen, the Lycians and the warlike Carians and the Cyclades, because his ships are the best of those that sail on the waters, yes, Ptolemy reigns over all the seas and earth and noisy rivers.

The silence of Theocritus about the Egyptian dominance in Ionia in the late 270s BC is incomprehensible. e. It is hard to imagine that Egypt did not try to take possession of this region of Asia Minor, one of the richest parts of the former power of Lysimachus. Miletus, then still a significant port on the coast of Asia Minor, apparently came under the rule of Ptolemy even before the First Syrian War, in -278 BC. e. In the sanctuary of Didyma, located next door, there was a statue of Ptolemy's sister Philothera, erected by the Milesian demos. The fact that Egypt claimed dominance in Ionia is also evidenced by a letter from Ptolemy II to Miletus outlining many benefits and privileges granted to the Milesians by the Egyptian king: “Also now, since you firmly guard our city and our friendship and alliance - for my son and Callicrates (commander of the fleet in the Aegean from about 266 BC) and other friends wrote to me about that demonstration of good the will that you showed to me - knowing this, we highly value you and will strive to repay your people with good deeds ... ". The Seleucids and their allies probably took some kind of countermeasures in Ionia, in order to prevent the strengthening of the Egyptian positions here.

It seems that Ptolemy succeeded in firmly mastering Phenicia as well. In Sidon, Ptolemy installed his chief naval commander, apparently the Hellenized Phoenician Philokles, on the royal throne. On Delos, this Philokles arranged magnificent festivities - the Ptolemies. There is an accidental mention by Polyaenus of the capture of Kaunus by Ptolemy's general Philokles.

“Philocles, the strategist of Ptolemy, encamped at Caunos and, having bribed the sitophilacs (caretakers for the distribution of bread) with money, made them his accomplices. And they announced in the city that they would give bread to the soldiers; the same, leaving the guards of the walls, began to measure bread for themselves. Philokles, at that very time, having attacked the city deprived of protection, captured it.

The Babylonian cuneiform chronicle testifies to the military actions of Antiochus, where under the year 36 of the Seleucid era ( / 274 BC) the following is indicated: “This year the king left his court, his wife and son in Sardis (Sapardu) in order to secure strong protection. He appeared in the province of Ebirnari (District, that is, Syria) and went against the Egyptian army, which was encamped in Ebirnari. The Egyptian army fled from him (?). In the month of Adar on the 24th, the ruler of Akkad sent to Ebirnari to the king a lot of silver, fabrics, furniture and machines from Babylonia and Seleucia, the royal city, and 20 elephants, which the ruler of Bactria sent to the king. This month, the commander-in-chief of the king’s troops, which were stationed in Akkad, mobilized, and went to the king in the month of Nisan to help in Ebirnari ... ". So, the main military clashes between Antiochus and Ptolemy took place in the spring months of 274 BC. e. and, it seems, ended in the victory of Antiochus. The successes of Antiochus I in Syria may not have been limited to the operation described in the chronicle. Probably at the same time, Antiochus suddenly captured Damascus, occupied by the Egyptians under the command of the strategist Dion.

“Antiochus, wanting to capture Damascus, which was defended by the strategist of Ptolemy Dion, announced to the army and the whole region about the celebration of the Persian holiday, ordering all his subjects to make preparations for a great feast. Since Antiochus was celebrating with everyone and everywhere, Dion, having learned about the scope of the festival, weakened the vigilance of the city's guards. Antiochus, commanding to take dry rations for four days, led the army through the desert and mountain paths and, unexpectedly appearing, took Damascus, since Dion was unable to resist the sudden appearance of Antiochus.

Egypt clearly feared an attack. On the Pythoma stele it is reported that in the month of Khatira, the 12th year of his reign (November 274 BC), Ptolemy II appeared in Geronopolis on the Isthmus of Suez. Perhaps, from this inscription it follows that the invasion of Antiochus' troops into Egypt was expected, and the presence of Ptolemy and it took Arsinoe to organize the defense.

"with his wife (she is also his sister) to protect Egypt from strangers."

The troubles that Egypt got into because of the Syrian war were aggravated by a new uprising in Cyrenaica.

The end of the war is absolutely unknown to us. It ended no later than Theocritus writing his 17th idyll, that is, either in or in 272 BC. e. It is also difficult to assess the overall results of the war. The successes of the Seleucids are very likely, but one can hardly speak of their victory. Most likely, as a result of prolonged hostilities, reconciliation was achieved with a fair amount of compromise on both sides. The decision of Antiochus may have been influenced by the plague, which, apparently, struck Babylonia at that time.

Also under Ptolemy II, Philadelphus was deified by his parents and their cult was founded. They became known as the Savior Gods. In honor of the deified Ptolemy Soter, a festival with games was held in Alexandria - Ptolemies. It was celebrated every four years. Probably, the festival was first established in June or July 278 BC. e. , on the fourth anniversary of the death of the first Ptolemy. The famous description of the festive procession in Alexandria by Callixenus almost certainly refers to the second feast in 274 BC. e.

Upon the death of Arsinoe, the reign of Ptolemy enters a new era. Approximately two and a half years later (first mentioned on January 26, 266 BC), the young Ptolemy, the “son” of Ptolemy II, appears in the sources, who becomes co-ruler with his father. One could confidently say that this is his son from another Arsinoe, the future king Ptolemy Euergetes, if it had not happened that the name of this young co-ruler disappeared from the documents approximately between May and November 258 BC. e. This raises a problem that still causes controversy among historians. Various hypotheses have been put forward:

The next war that Egypt was involved in is called the Chremonid War, after the Athenian Chremonides, who led the Greek rebellion against Macedonia. This time, Ptolemy's opponent was the Antigonus dynasty, represented by Antigonus Gonatas, king of Macedon. Many ancient illustrious cities of Greece entered into an anti-Macedonian alliance, headed by Athens and Sparta, who saw an opportunity to regain freedom lost a century ago. Ptolemy also joined this alliance. In the decree of Chremonides, in connection with the listing of all participants in the anti-Macedonian coalition, it is said that. Even after her death, Arsinoe's mind continued to rule the Alexandrian court. Having not received any definite results in the First Syrian War, Ptolemy II transferred the center of gravity of the struggle for the revival of the power of Lysimachus to Greece.

"King Ptolemy, in accordance with the direction of his ancestors and his sister ... cares about the general freedom of the Hellenes"

The war was started by Athens, who threw off the Macedonian yoke (at the end of 266 BC). Of course, the Greeks had high hopes, counting on the support of Egypt, whose fleet dominated the Aegean. The further course of events is reproduced from the brief narratives of Pausanias and Justin, as well as from other scattered sources. Pausanias reports that “Antigon, the son of Demetrius, set off on a campaign against Athens with both a foot army and a fleet ... Patroclus arrived from Egypt to help the Athenians ... the Lacedaemonians also acted as a nationwide militia, entrusting the main command to King Areus. But Antigonus surrounded Athens with the closest ring, so that there was no way for the forces allied with the Athenians to enter the city. Thus Antigonus laid siege to Athens and held back the Spartans on the Isthma. And all this time, the Egyptian fleet, under the command of the Egyptian naval commander Patroclus, sailed near the island, later called the island of Patroclus, not far from the coast of Attica, and did nothing useful. Patroclus, himself a Macedonian by birth, justified himself by saying that his naval forces were recruited from only native Egyptians and they were not comfortable fighting as infantry. It is possible, however, that the Egyptians landed on the east coast of Attica, on the Koroni peninsula, where the remains of temporary defensive walls, utensils and many coins of Ptolemy II were found. Therefore, Pausanias is very skeptical about the contribution of Ptolemy II to the Chremonid war: The tactics of the Spartans, located near Corinth and trying to break through the Isthmian barriers, were not successful either. At such a critical moment for the anti-Macedonian coalition, in Megara, the mercenary detachments of the Galatians, who were garrisoned here, rebelled against Antigonus Gonatas. Whether the rebellion was the result of the Galatians' own initiative, or whether it was inspired by the Spartans and Egyptians, is not known. However, the benefit of the new situation for the enemies of Macedonia is quite obvious. Antigonus had to take urgent measures to remedy the situation. Macedonian king, according to Justin,. The course of the battle between Antigonus and the barbarians is not described, and only at the end is it reported with certain exaggerations: "The Galatians were hacked to pieces." It is known that Antiochus I sent some Galatians to Antigonus. Whether they were the same Galatians who rebelled at Megara, or whether they were a completely different contingent, it is difficult to say. In any case, from the epigram in honor of the leader of the Galatians Brikko, it is obvious that he fought heroically with Ares and, it seems, was loyal to Antigonus.

"This Ptolemy ... sent a fleet to help the Athenians against Antigonus and the Macedonians, but this did not bring much benefit to the Athenians in the matter of salvation."“leaving a small detachment in an allegedly fortified camp to protect against other enemies, ... with the main forces he marched against the Galatians”

The victory of Antigonus Gonatas over the Galatians brought confusion into the ranks of his opponents. Patroclus negotiated with Ares and tried to "to encourage the Lacedaemonians and Ares to start a battle against Antigonus". Arey reacted very coldly to these proposals. He. But, not wanting to quarrel with the Egyptians, Ares withdrew his army under the pretext that he had run out of food. Patroclus also sailed with his fleet from Attic waters, and from then until the end of the war the Egyptians do not appear to have appeared in Greece. The results of excavations on the Koroni peninsula show that the withdrawal of the Egyptians was more like the flight of the vanquished. "Ptolemy and the Spartans, Justin writes,

“thought that it was necessary to preserve the courage of warriors for their own interests, and not squander it so imprudently for strangers”evading a meeting with the victorious enemy army, they retreated to safer areas.

Perhaps the invasion of Macedonia by Alexander of Epirus, Pyrrhus' son and heir, was at that point a success of Ptolemaic diplomacy; but if so, then this success did not bring any benefit, since the Egyptian forces proved unable to use it. Antigonus succeeded in recapturing Macedonia and defeating Epirus without lifting the siege of Athens. The king of Sparta, who was trying to break through to the aid of Athens, fell on the battlefield. In the end, Athens had to surrender (261 BC). Chremonides and his brother Glaucon took refuge in Egypt. The Chremonid war demonstrated in the most pathetic way the failure, indecision or incompetence of Ptolemy. The consequence of the Chremonid War was the loss by Egypt of the influential position that it had previously occupied in the Aegean Sea, and a significant strengthening of Macedonia. Immediately after the signing of the peace, an anti-Egyptian coalition was created, which included Antigonus Gonat, Antiochus II and Rhodes.

Not without the participation of Egypt, the struggle between the cities in Crete also developed. Perhaps Egypt and Sparta acted as accomplices in Crete, and cities such as Falasarna, Polyrinia (Polyrrenia), Aptera, Gortyna stood on their side. Ptolemy firmly held power over Crete, where he apparently had particularly close ties with the city of Itan. Patroclus is mentioned in the inscription as the strategist of the island.

The years between the Chremonid War and the accession of Antiochus III to the Seleucid throne in 223 B.C. e. , is one of the most obscure periods of Greek history, since not a single historical work has been preserved that would speak of them, and we can only piece together some general picture of what happened from accidental mentions by later authors and a few unofficial inscriptions and papyri. In the Aegean region, the most prominent event in the years immediately following the Chremonid War was the struggle between Egypt and Macedonia for naval supremacy. An interesting historical anecdote cited in connection with this Athenaeus:

“The story of Philarchus about huge fish and green figs, which, as a riddle, was sent to King Antigonus by the commander of Ptolemy Patroclus, is also not unknown to me. Patroclus sent figs and fish, as Philarchus writes about in the third book of his History. They brought them to the king for a drink, and everyone around was embarrassed by such gifts, but Antigonus laughed and told his friends that everything was clear to him: either own the sea, says Patroclus, or gnaw green figs (the food of the poor).

It is known that two major naval battles took place - the battles of Kos and Andros - and that in the first of them Antigonus Gonatas defeated the Egyptian fleet. In addition, there was a naval battle off Ephesus, in which the Egyptian fleet under Chremonides was defeated by the Rhodian fleet; presumably, Rhodes was in alliance with Macedonia. But who fought at Andros, Antigonus Gonatas or his nephew Antigonus Doson, and who was the king of Egypt when both battles took place, Ptolemy II or Ptolemy III, what was the battle of Andros for Egypt: defeat or victory - and when the battle of Ephesus took place - all these questions on which there is no common opinion.

The main source of information about these battles is Plutarch. Three times, in different works, he tells the same story: on the eve of the naval battle, a certain junior commander asked Antigonus: "Can't you see that the enemy fleet is stronger?"- to which Antigonus allegedly boastfully replied: “How many ships do you think I am?” Plutarch's presentation in all three versions of this story has differences, leading to confusion, contradictions and giving rise to many hypotheses. Thus, in one story Plutarch says that the battle took place at Kos, in another that it took place at Andros; in the third, the place of the battle is not indicated at all. The name of the king is also presented in different ways: either he is Antigonus II, or simply Antigonus, or Antigonus the Old Man. A rather strange story related to the battle of Kos is also told by Athenaeus: Antigonus, after defeating the generals of Ptolemy at Cape Levkolla on Kos, donated his flagship to Apollo here. In the 27th prologue of Pompey Trogus, it is briefly said that "Antigon defeated Sophron at Andros in the Moscow battle". Finally, Diogenes of Laerius also speaks of some kind of naval victory of Antigonus Gonatas, but the place of the battle is not named.

Based on this fragmentary information, it can be assumed that there were not two battles, but only one - in the waters between the adjacent islands Andros and Keos. "Kos" is a mistake of copyists of manuscripts. In addition, there is no Cape Levkolla on Kos and in ancient times they worshiped here not Apollo, but Asclepius. Indeed, the repetition of the same story by Plutarch in relation to both the battle of Kos and the battle of Andros is far from accidental: it can only indicate that one battle took place, not two. In addition, it is absolutely fantastic that a weak Macedonian fleet could cross the entire Aegean without any obstacles, reach Kos and here be able to give a decisive battle to a powerful Egyptian squadron; on the contrary, a battle in the waters of Andros and Keos, lying near Attica, is just the most likely.

Regarding the time of this naval battle, it is most preferable to date it to 260 BC. e. , which is indirectly substantiated by the data of one historical anecdote by Plutarch. In this anecdote, we read that celery, the Isthmian wreath plant, sprouted of its own accord from the hull of Antigonus' flagship, giving the ship the name "Isthmia". It is most likely that this is the same ship that Antigonus donated to Apollo; from this it can be inferred that the battle took place during the Isthmian Games, which took place every two years. Since until the autumn of 262 BC. e. Athens, apparently, had not yet been taken by Antigonus, but around 259 BC. e. Demetrius the Beautiful from Macedonia reached Cyrene completely unhindered, which he could hardly have done easily if the Egyptian fleet still ruled over the sea, then the conclusion suggests itself - a naval battle in which the Egyptians suffered a crushing defeat took place in the spring of 260 BC . e. during the Isthmian Games.

An Egyptian papyrus was found containing fragments of some Ptolemaic chronicle, one of the sections of which was entitled: "The Life of Ptolemy, nicknamed Andromache." The papyrus is poorly preserved, but one can still make out, approximately, the following: The most curious thing in this text was the coincidence of its content with one message from Athenaeus; according to the latter, Ptolemy, the son of Philadelphus, commanded in Ephesus, but Thracian mercenaries plotted against him, from whom he fled to the temple of Artemis, where he was slaughtered along with his mistress. The same son is apparently also named in the inscription from Miletus mentioned above.

“... And he fought at sea ... Andros ... Becoming a victim of a conspiracy from ... in Ephesus he was stabbed to death ... by malicious intent ... "

Some historians see in him the son of Lysimachus and Arsinoe Philadelphia, adopted by King Ptolemy. Allegedly, with the help of the Egyptian fleet, he was supposed to recapture the possessions of his father Lysimachus and become a king there, subject to Egypt. He participated in the battle of Andros, for which he probably received the nickname "Andromache". Here Ptolemy Andromachus witnessed the death of his plans and goals, since the Egyptian fleet was defeated, Antigonus Gonat gained dominance at sea, and all hopes of overthrowing his power collapsed. It was in this situation, apparently, that his break with his adoptive father occurred, which put him in front of the need to declare himself an independent ruler of Ionia. He was eventually killed in Ephesus by Thracian mercenaries. Other scholars see him as Ptolemy's co-ruler son Philadelphus by his first wife Arsinoe I, Ptolemy's older brother Euergetes, whose death at Ephesus explains why he disappeared from Egyptian records in 258 BC. e. A third option is also possible: Ptolemy Andromachus, the son of Lysimachus, and the son-co-ruler of Ptolemy Philadelphus were different people bearing the same name, and it just so happened that they died at about the same time.

Unfortunately for Ptolemy Philadelphus during these years, having reigned for fifty years, Magus, the old, unusually obese ruler of Cyrene, died. With him, the Egyptian king developed a relationship that suited the Egyptians first of all. Before his death, he agreed with his half-brother, the king of Egypt, that his daughter and heiress Berenice would marry the son of Ptolemy, the heir apparent of Egypt. It could be a good way to reunite Cyrene and Egypt. The widow of the Magus Apama, anti-Egyptian, found a suitable excuse to break with Ptolemy Philadelphus: she denied his son the honor of being Berenice's husband. Thus, Cyrene became again in a position of open hostility to Egypt. In search of allies, Apama turned first of all to Macedonia, which had just successfully fought the Ptolemaic power at sea. Justin tells that Apama proposed to Berenice as a wife Demetrius, nicknamed the Handsome, half brother of Antigonus Gonatas. Demetrius, the son of Ptolemy's half-sister Ptolemais, hastily rushed to Cyrene, was treated kindly here and, it seems, proclaimed king. According to Eusebius, Demetrius did not waste time: he fought a lot in Cyrene and took all of Libya. It is unlikely that his enemies were only Libyan nomads; most likely, Eusebius refers directly to the war of Demetrius with the Egyptians. It was extremely beneficial for Macedonia to gain a foothold in Cyrenaica and inflict such blows on Egypt that could be fatal for it. Demetrius was an undoubted success; and apparently this caused Ptolemy Philadelphus to change tactics. Justin depicts further events in this way: . During the rebellion, which, allegedly, was led by the young Berenice herself, Demetrius was killed in the bedroom of Apama ( / 258 BC), and the widow of the Magician herself, at the insistence of Berenice, the rebels saved her life.

“However, confident in his beauty, which his future mother-in-law began to like more than it should, he (Demetrius), proud by nature, began to behave too arrogantly towards the royal family and the army, and, moreover, tried not only to please the girl, how old is her mother. This seemed suspicious at first to the girl herself, then to the population and soldiers, and aroused hatred for him. Therefore, the general opinion was inclined in favor of the son of Ptolemy, and a conspiracy was formed against Demetrius.

Having overthrown the Macedonian influence in Cyrene, Ptolemy Philadelphus saved his state from a direct threat from the west, but Cyrene remained recalcitrant for a long time. At first, its inhabitants called for the Aetolian Lycon to restore order, but became victims of his tyranny. Then here from Greece in or 250 BC. e. philosophers arrived, adherents of the Platonic school Ekdem and Demofan, who tried to give the country new legislation. The cities of Cyrenaica began to be depicted on coins as a republican union. How long the union lasted and what happened to the young queen in the meantime is shrouded in darkness. All these troubles ended with the subjugation of Cyrene to Egypt, but this did not happen earlier than 10-12 years after the death of Demetrius the Handsome. In an inscription from Adulis, "Libya" is named as one of the countries inherited, not conquered by Ptolemy III Euergetes. Perhaps it was after the conquest of Cyrenaica that the three Kerenian cities received new names: Euhesperides became Berenice, Tavhira - Arsinoe, and Barka - Ptolemais. Although, apparently, Berenice, to some extent, even before that recognized Egypt as her “suzerain”, which can be indicated by coins depicting Berenice without a veil - that is, in the form of a virgin - relating to that period. They bear the names of King Ptolemy and Queen Berenice. After the subjugation of Cyrene, Berenice married Ptolemy III Euergetes at the very beginning of his reign, and possibly even before the death of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Why the marriage was delayed for 13 or 14 years after the matchmaking may be explained by the fact that Berenice was first betrothed to that Ptolemy, who was co-ruler with his father in -258 BC. e. , and after the death of the latter, a decade and a half later, she married the new heir to the throne, Ptolemy Everget.

After the end of the First Syrian War, the internal problems of the Seleucid kingdom prevented it from taking any decisive action in the Mediterranean. In 261 BC. e. Antiochus I Soter fell in battle with Eumenes I of Pergamon and was replaced on the throne by his son Antiochus II Theos. The new Seleucid king, some time after his accession to the throne, considered himself strong enough to try to take from Ptolemy II what his dynasty had lost in the First Syrian War. A war broke out between Egypt and Syria, which modern scholars have decided to call the Second Syrian War. We know even less about the dates, course and duration of this war than about the dates, course and duration of the First. Jerome of Stridon vaguely says that Antiochus "fought with all the military power of Babylon and the East" and "had been at war for many years." But he certainly did not succeed in wresting Coele-Syria from Egypt; perhaps he had not even entered the coveted province. Surely, on the coast of Asia Minor, where the Egyptian fleet could no longer operate with the same success, having lost superiority at sea, an intricate struggle was waged, consisting of military operations and diplomatic intrigues. Antiochus II appears to have formed an alliance with Antigonus of Macedon, with whom he was linked by two dynastic marriages. The Rhodians, who had long been burdened by the Ptolemaic hegemony, were also considered his allies.

Antiochus II and the Rhodians jointly besieged Ephesus, which, obviously, after the assassination of Ptolemy Andromache by the Thracians, temporarily passed into the hands of Egypt. The Egyptian fleet, according to Poliaene, was commanded in the harbor of Ephesus by the Athenian Chremonides.

“The Rhodians, who fought with King Ptolemy, were near Ephesus; Chremonides navarch of Ptolemy, went to sea to enter into a naval battle. Agathostratus lined up the Rhodians one ship at a time and, clearly showing himself to the opponents, turned back and after a little time returned to his anchorage. The enemies, believing that they did not dare to fight at sea, singing peans themselves, returned to the harbor; Agathostratus, having deployed and closed the fleet from two flanks, swam to the enemies who came to the ground near the crown of Aphrodite, and unexpectedly attacked, he won.

After this victory, the Rhodians and Antiochus attacked the city from two sides - from land and sea - and took Ephesus (from the inscription it is known that by 253 BC Ephesus was in the hands of the Seleucids). Ptolemy was forced to cede Caunus to the Rhodians for 200 talents.

Probably at the same time Antiochus besieged Miletus and, having captured this city, "destroyed the tyrant Timarchus" for which he was nicknamed "Grateful Milesians" God ("Theos"). It is unlikely that this Timarchus was in allied relations with Egypt, since before that he supported the uprising of the "son" of Ptolemy II known as Ptolemy Andromachus.

In Greece, Ptolemy seems to have continued to focus on unfriendly, if not hostile, relations with Macedonia throughout his reign, and did not miss the opportunity to help parties that oppose this power. So, a few years before his death, the successes of Aratus and the strengthening of the Achaean Union opened up new prospects for his policy in this direction. He hastened to support Arata with considerable sums of money, and gave him the most friendly welcome when he visited Alexandria in person. Appian, that during the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage, when both warring powers were extremely exhausted due to new fleets sent to the sea every now and then, the Carthaginians tried to make a loan from Ptolemy in 2000 talents (almost 52 tons of silver). But maintaining friendly relations with both powers, the king tried to reconcile them. When this failed, he objected to the proposal of the Carthaginians: "We are obliged to help friends against enemies, but not against friends." Being in alliance with both, the king fully enjoyed the benefits of neutrality, so that his ships sailed freely in the waters controlled by both one and the other side.

The Ptolemies did not seek, unlike the previous pharaohs, to annex Ethiopia (Nubia) to their possessions. Being Greeks, they were rather interested in the Mediterranean world in the north and were quite content with the fact that the southern border of Egypt passed in the region of the first cataract or a little further. However, Ptolemy II paid great attention to encouraging and expanding his foreign trade, especially with the countries of the Red Sea basin and India. One of the first measures of his reign was the adoption of effective steps to cleanse Upper Egypt of robbers and bandits, of which there were especially many. Not limited to this, Ptolemy, according to Diodorus, went on a campaign to Ethiopia with the Greek army and thus opened up to the Greeks a country hitherto unknown. One gets the impression that among the motives of Ptolemy II was rather geographical curiosity and a desire to get unusual animals, in any case, we do not hear anything about attempts to annex Ethiopia. He apparently established friendly relations with the barbarian tribes of this country and was also the first who tried to arrange the supply of elephants from these regions, with the aim of their subsequent training for use in military affairs, because before him war elephants were delivered exclusively from India.

“The second Ptolemy, who was passionate about hunting elephants and gave great rewards to those who succeeded in hunting the most valiant of these animals, spending large sums of money on this passion, not only collected huge herds of war elephants, but also brought to the attention of the Greeks others species of animals never before seen and which have become objects of amazement.”, connecting the Nile with the Red Sea, which at one time began to dig even the pharaoh

Despite some foreign policy failures during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the political and economic position of Egypt was strengthened. This is facilitated by the rather successful pragmatic domestic policy of the tsar. Ptolemy Philadelphus continued his father's course in national politics. One of the first acts of Ptolemy Philadelphus on the throne (even during the period of joint rule) was the release of about 100 thousand Jews, captive and resettled in Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I Soter, as well as organizing the translation into Greek of the sacred books of the Jews - the Septuagint. This translation was carried out under the direction of Demetrius of Phalers.

He continued the course of his father Ptolemy I Soter to turn the capital of the state of Alexandria into one of the largest centers of trade and crafts in the Hellenistic world. To achieve this goal, during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the construction of port facilities was completed, including the famous Pharos Lighthouse, which was soon ranked among the seven wonders of the world. In the economic sphere, the role of the state was extremely great, in whose monopoly were land and crafts. There was also a policy of distributing land plots to large nobles. The income of the royal treasury was truly fabulous. At the end of the reign of the second Ptolemy, when the south of Syria and the southern coast of Asia Minor belonged to his possessions, the army consisted of 200,000 infantry and 40,000 horsemen, 300 elephants, 2,000 war chariots; weapons stocks were for 300,000 people; 2,000 small warships, 1,500 warships, part of five rows of oars, and double material, 800 yachts with gilded bows and sterns; and in his treasury there was an extraordinary sum of 740,000 Egyptian talents (nearly 28,572 tons of silver); his annual income is said to have reached 14,800 talents (571.5 tons of silver) and 1,500,000 artabs (15,000 tons) of grain. A significant part of them was spent on the maintenance of a magnificent court, an army, a fleet, a colossal bureaucracy, on subsidies to priests and temples.

At the same time, Ptolemy Philadelphus paid great attention to the development of sciences and arts. It was the time of his reign - the heyday of the Alexandrian Museyon and the Library, for the maintenance of which significant amounts were allocated. The king showed a personal interest in replenishing the book fund of the Library of Alexandria, which by the beginning of the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus amounted to about 200 thousand books, and subsequently reached, as it were, half a million copies. He personally wrote to the kings, with many of whom he was related, to send him everything that is available from the works of poets, historians, orators, doctors. On behalf of Ptolemy Philadelphus, a catalog of the Library of Alexandria was compiled - the famous "Tables" of Callimachus in 120 scroll books. Zetz reports that Ptolemy II founded an auxiliary library in the Serapeum, which contained 42,800 scrolls.

Under the Alexandrian Museum under Ptolemy II Philadelphus, an observatory, an anatomical theater, a zoo and a botanical garden appeared. Every possible assistance was rendered to scientific studies, the employees of the Alexandria Museum achieved significant success in philology and poetry, mathematics, astronomy, mechanics and medicine. For the first time, autopsies were allowed for scientific purposes. Moreover, Erasistratus, a mechanic and mathematician, on the 25th of the Macedonian month of Dios, that is, on January 27, Ptolemy II Philadelphus died at the age of almost sixty-three years. Before his death, he was damaged in mind, suffered greatly due to illness and was disappointed with life. Josephus claims that this Ptolemy ruled for 39 years.

Later Greek authors tell us the names of many of his mistresses. One was a native Egyptian, although she was called by a Greek name Didyma("Twin"). Another who was called Myrtion, was an actress who played in vulgar comedies; her house, after she won the favor of the king, became famous as one of the most exquisite in Alexandria. Mnesida and Pofina were flutists and were also known for the splendor of their homes. Another one was Klino, and the statues and figurines, certainly in demand in Alexandria, depicted her dressed in one

4. Ptolemy II Philadelphus

After Ptolemy I, his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283-247) reigned in Egypt. The position of the Jews under this king improved even more. Ptolemy Philadelphus, who surrounded himself with Greek scientists and poets, took care of planting sciences and arts in his country. At his palace in Alexandria there was the greatest museum in the world, where the literary and artistic works of all peoples were collected. Tradition tells that Ptolemy, having learned about the high merits of the Jewish sacred books, wished to get acquainted with them and obtain an accurate Greek translation of them for his rich book depository. He wrote a letter to the high priest Eleazar in Jerusalem and asked to send knowledgeable people to Alexandria who could translate Hebrew books into Greek. Together with this letter, the king also sent generous donations to the Jerusalem temple. Eleazar willingly fulfilled Ptolemy's desire and sent scholars to him, including 72 people equally knowledgeable in Hebrew and Greek, who brought with them the original Torah, or Pentateuch, for translation. The translators received a brilliant reception in Alexandria.

The king talked a lot with them and marveled at their wisdom. They were given a special palace on the island of Pharos, near Alexandria, and there, in the midst of complete silence, they worked on transcribing the books of Moses into Greek. Tradition adds that the translators were placed in 72 separate rooms so that they could not communicate with each other, each translated the text of the Pentateuch independently, and yet when all the translations were compared at the end of the work, it turned out that they were exactly the same in all expressions. . The translation was presented to Ptolemy in the presence of the elders of the Egyptian Jews. These elders asked permission to make a copy of the translation for distribution to their communities, where the Jews spoke Greek.

In later times, all other books of the Bible were also translated into Greek. Through these translations, the educated Greeks and Romans became acquainted with the religious writing of the Jews. The Greek translation of the Bible was later known as the Septuagint (translation of 70 interpreters).

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Chapter 3. PTOLEMEY AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA Although all this news about Rus' in the north of modern Poland does not say anything about the time of the appearance of the Rus in this region, Ptolemy, the most prominent geographer of antiquity, already mentioned above, can help us with this. When describing the Great

author Rozhansky Ivan Dmitrievich

Ptolemy We can safely leave out of our consideration the century and a half that separated Strabo from Ptolemy. During this period, new facts accumulated, some areas of the ecumene were studied in more detail, but nothing significant was done,

From the book History of Natural Science in the Age of Hellenism and the Roman Empire author Rozhansky Ivan Dmitrievich

the author Pushnova Julia

Ptolemy XII - Cleopatra's father Cleopatra's father was Ptolemy XII, New Dionysus, Philopator, Philadelphus. In the last months of his life, he reigned jointly with his eldest daughter, Cleopatra. This king had six children. The eldest was also called Cleopatra, and she did not last long (in 58-57 years.

From the book Cleopatra: A Story of Love and Reign the author Pushnova Julia

Husband and brother Ptolemy XIV A few days after Caesar announced the end of the war, he announced his decision on how he sees the future of Egypt. This decision was expected and feared. It could bring such changes that would entail a complete loss

Zaitsev son

Eordea is an area in Upper (that is, in mountainous) Macedonia, which, according to some ancient authors, was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe eords. However, during the reign of the king Philip II the local natives were considered the same Macedonians as everyone else. It was from Eordea that Lagos](according to one version, this name means Hare, that's just what the evil parents could call the boy like that - the great HZ, although it could be a nickname, but also, um, not the most heroic), the person is actually quite unknown, because, as often happens, he came into view historians only after death, through the efforts of his son. Well, since in those ancient times it was somehow not comme il faut for great kings to descend from small people, the personalities of their ancestors quickly acquired legends rather than reliable information. In general, there lived a Lag from Eordea, either just a man, or an "aristocrat", or even a tribal prince of the Eords - this has not been reliably established.

Philip[os] II - unreliable father of Ptolemy

And Lag had a wife Arsinoe. According to one version, which is very similar to a lie that was invented to provide the future pharaoh with a royal origin, she was the concubine of Philip II, whom he, as soon as the girl became pregnant from him, gave for Lag. And according to this version, it turned out that the son born in the family Ptolemy[os](warrior - from polemos, war) - bastard of the king and brother of the princes Alexander[os]a and Arride[yos]ya(future kings Alexander III and Philip III). However, many historians strongly doubt the authenticity of this "legend of the Egyptian peoples". According to another version, Arsinoe was simply a princess from the family Argueads, to which the kings of Macedonia also belonged, so that the son inherited the legitimacy of his encroachments on the monarchy from her. However, it is highly likely that, like Lag, Arsinoe was "just a woman" whose son was lucky.

A boy was born somewhere between 367 and 360 (hereinafter all dates are BC) - historians argue, the data differ. In addition to him, at least one more son of Lag and Arsinoe is known - Menelaus[os]. There is a version that after the death of Arsinoe, Lag remarried to Antigone, niece Antipater, the famous commander of the kings Philip II and Alexander III and the regent of Macedonia. And in this de marriage was born Berenice, half-sister and future second wife of Ptolemy, queen of Egypt. However, other sources call the father of Berenice I a certain Mag[as]a. In general, everything in their family was promiscuity confused and difficult ...

Ptolemy I Lagid (giga-tyts)

In summary, Ptolemy Lagid had every reason to claim that his illustrious ancestors began with him. However, he spent the first 20-25 years of his life in the shadows, not particularly distinguished by anything, as a faithful servant of Tsarevich Alexander and one of his closest friends. Together they fled from the wrath of Philip II to Epirus, and when the prince returned and became king, Ptolemy entered the "inner circle". At the beginning Eastern campaign he only "falls into the annals" twice - he was mentioned during the battle of Issus among the "second-tier commanders", and in the battle at the Persian Gates at the head of 3000 soldiers he distinguished himself somewhat ambiguously - he captured the Persian camp.

For these, or for any other, merits in 330, the "friend of childhood" was appointed one of the 7 (or 10) bodyguards of the king - somatophylaxes, replacing the executed on charges of conspiracy and treason Philotas son of Parmenides. These people were not just the guards of the monarch, but his closest assistants, and almost everyone (who survived the campaigns and battles) made a good career. So Ptolemy waited for his chance - when in 329 satrap bactria Bess[os] killed the Persian king Darius III Codoman and proclaimed himself king Artaxerxes V, Alexander sent after him (for the new king, like a hare, rushed to flee to Sogdiana) Ptolemy was after him. Who managed to capture the last representative of the dynasty Achaemenid and deliver alive to his master, who ordered the usurper to be executed.

Alexander III of Macedon, Ptolemy's faithful master