DOCSLIB.ORG

4 Ptolemy IV Philopator and His Religious Policy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
4 Ptolemy IV Philopator and His Religious Policy 4PtolemyIVPhilopator andhis Religious Policy Women Loveinthe Song of Songsiseminently social,but it is political as well. Afigure men- tioned by all heroines of the Song, except the goatherdess,isKingSolomonhimself. His presenceisasexual experience for the courtwomen, avisual spectacle for the “daughters of Jerusalem,” and an economic challengefor the peasants, while the Bedouinscan safely ignorehim. The portrait of the king as aluxury consumer and passionate lover does not fit the biblical ideal of judge and armycommander.The onlyscriptural basis for the Song’srepresentation of courtlyeroticism is the mention of Solomon’s “seven hundred wives, princesses,and three hundred concubines” in 1 Kgs11:3, which is corrected to slightlymorerealistic quantities – namely, “sixty wives, eighty concubines and countless maids”–in Song 6:8. Among the actual pan- orama of royal lovers, the first category is exemplified by the sister-bride in idyll 13, the second by the woman who appears in idyll 15 as afavorite mistress and dancer, and the third by the “companions” in idylls 1and 4. Ahypothesis formulated by Heinrich Graetz maintains that the imageofSolo- mon as awomanizer is meant to depict the Alexandrian court life under King Ptole- my IV Philopator(245–204BCE), who inherited the throne in 221BCE and who be- came known for his passion for wine, women, poetic amateurism, and Dionysian would in this casehavebeen acode word(שלמה) ”revelry [Fig. 12].²⁰⁸ “Solomon One must agree that the Song’ssensuous court scenes hardly .(תל ימ)for Ptolemy promise anything that would have remained unfulfilled in Philopator’sentourage.²⁰⁹ In terms of their relationships with females, Ptolemaic rulers werefamousfor their conjunction of asister-wife,one or several mistresses, and ahost of entertainment slavesofbothsexes. PtolemyIV, if we believethe Greek writers Polybios (fl. second century BCE) and Plutarch (fl. second centuryCE), was particularlyeager to use his royal prerogatives. The Latin historian Justin summarizes the common views on this ruler: “He resigned himself, as if all had gone happilywith him, to the attractions of luxury;and the whole court had followed the manners of their king.”²¹⁰ Sibling marriagewas engaged in by various Ptolemaic rulers in order to legiti- mize their claims to the Pharaonic throne.²¹¹ Twosuch marriages took place during Heinrich Graetz, Geschichte der Juden von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die Gegenwart,II, 2(Leip- zig:OskarLeiner,1876), 257–258; Id., Schir ha-schirim,90–91. Foradetailed account of his reign, see Werner Huß, Ägypteninhellenistischer Zeit, 332–30 v. Chr. (Munich:Beck, 2001), 381–472. Justin, Epitome XXX.1; translation by John S. Watson (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), 217; cf. Ga- briele Marasco, “La valutazione di Tolemeo IV Filopatore nella storiografia greca,” Sileno 5–6(1979 – 1980): 159–182. Günther Hölbl, AHistoryofthe Ptolemaic Empire (New York: Routledge,2001), 95;Elizabeth D. Carney, “The Reappearance of RoyalSiblingMarriage in Ptolemaic Egypt,” Parola del Passato 237 DOI 10.1515/9783110500882-004, ©2017 Carsten Wilke, publiziert von De Gruyter. Dieses Werk ist lizenziertunter der CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Lizenz. Women 59 the Ptolemaic rule over Judaea. Around 277, PtolemyIIPhiladelphos married his sis- ter Arsinoë II, who wasalreadyawidow at her wedding. Theokritos celebrated this marriageinhis idylls (XVI and XVII) and was aware of the symbolism of Greco-Egyp- tian unity that this prohibited union was meant to achieve.²¹² At some point between 220and 217, ²¹³ PtolemyIVPhilopator married his underaged sister Arsinoë III [Fig. 13] and subsequentlyhad ason with her.²¹⁴ In order to rule more independently, he mur- dered his mother (and mother-in-law), Queen BerenikeII. However,heestablished a cult to her,and sawtoit that paeans were performed on adaily basis in her honor.²¹⁵ The Ptolemaic rulershad aMacedonian tradition of royal polygynytofollow,but their quasi-official mistresses mayalsohavemitigated, in the eyes of the Greeks,the scandal provoked by the incestuous marriages.²¹⁶ The strongwoman at the court of PtolemyIVPhilopator was Agathoklea (c. 245–203BCE),the daughter of arich and renowned Greek family. Being related to the Ptolemaic dynasty on her paternal grandmother’sside, she ruled court affairs together with her motherOenanthe and her brother Agathokles.²¹⁷ The family tried to take over the government of the empire afterPhilopator’sdeath around 204, but they werecruellymassacred in are- bellion. In the Song of Songs, the king’smistress is introduced as a “prince’sdaughter” and the( ַכ ָלּ ה) ”Placed in the courthierarchybetween the “bride .(7:2, ַבּת- ָנ ִד י ב) ,(7:1, ַה שּׁ וּ ַל ִמּ י ת) she is giventhe enigmatic generic term ha-shulamit ,( ֲע ָל מ וֹ ת) ”maids“ which Isupposehas the meaning of “mistress,favorite” through amirror translation from the Greek. The Hebrew term shalom in 8:10 does not literallymean “peace,” but stands for alover’s “favor” in exactlythe same waythat charis (χάρις,lit. “grace”) (1987), 420 – 439; Sheila L. Ager, “Familiarity Breeds:Incest and the Ptolemaic Dynasty,” Journal of Hellenic Studies 125(2005): 1–34. Susan A. Stephens, Seeing Double: Intercultural Poetics in Ptolemaic Alexandria (Berkeley:Uni- versity of California Press,2003), 168;Sabine Müller, Das hellenistischeKönigspaar in der medialen Repräsentation: Ptolemaios II.und Arsinoe II (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2009); Mark A.J. Heerink, “Merging Paradigms:TranslatingPharaonic Ideology in Theocritus’ Idyll 17,” in Interkulturalität in der Alten Welt: Vorderasien, Hellas, Ägypten und die vielfältigen Ebenen des Kontakts,ed. Robert Rollingeret al. (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2010), 383–407. Werner Huß, Untersuchungen zur Außenpolitik Ptolemaios’ IV (Munich: Beck, 1976), 263. On her young age, see JoyceE.Salisbury, Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World (Santa Barbara: ABC Clio, 2001), 18. Elisabeth Meier Tetlow, Women, Crime, and Punishment in Ancient Law and Society,Vol. 2(New York: Continuum, 2005), 212. Pomeroy, Women in Hellenistic Egypt,49–51;Rolf Strootman, Courts and Elites in the Hellenistic Empires: The Near East after the Achaemenids (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014), 183. The poet Sotades wroteaharsh condemnation of the king’sincestuous marriage (Athenaios, Learned Banqueters XIV.621 A). Daniel Ogden, Polygamy,Prostitutes and Death: TheHellenistic Dynasties (London: Duckworth, 1999), 81–82. 60 4Ptolemy IV Philopatorand his Religious Policy can be understood in Greek erotology.²¹⁸ It is thus imaginable that the derivation of ha-shulamit from shalom²¹⁹ recreates thatofcharitoméne (χαριτωμένη, “favorite”) from charis. The association between the two terms was probablyencouraged by and χαῖρε,which the New Testament (Luke ָשׁלוֹם the parallel greetingformulae 1:28)would later make famous. The final line of the royal mistress’ poetic portrait in the Song shows the king as her “captive” (7:6),which bringstomind the common slander about PtolemyPhilo- pator that Greek and Romanhistorians have faithfullytransmitted to us. Forexam- ple, Polybios asks: “And wasnot PtolemyPhilopator the slave of the courtesan (ἡ ἑταίρα ἐκράτει)Agathocleia, who overturned the whole kingdom?”²²⁰ Furthermore, Plutarch explains that due to his “womanish temper” (γυναικοκρασία)the young king let Agathoklea rule over himself as wellasoverhis entire kingdom: Forthe kinghimself was so corrupted in spirit by wine and women that,inhis soberest and most serious moments,hewould celebratereligious ritesand act the mountebank in his palace, timbrel in hand, whilethe most importantaffairs of the government were managedbyAgatho- cleia, the mistress (ἐρωμένην)ofthe king, and Oenanthe her mother,who was abawd(πορνο- βοσκὸν).²²¹ This judgment is further elaborated by Justin, who reports that the mistress (meretrix) Agathoklea, her brother Agathokles,and her mother Oenanthe were not onlythe ac- tual rulers of the kingdom, but werealsoacclaimed as such by the populace wher- ever and whenever they appeared in public. The family “kept the king enslaved” (de- but without the ,( ֶמ ֶל ְך ָא ס וּ ר) vinctum regem tenebat). TheSong uses the same formula moralizing and misogynist tone reproducedbythe ancient Graeco-Roman sources. The inversion of political and genderroles is the punch line of idyll 15 and of the en- tire courtlycycle,yet the powerful royal favorite encounters the most flatteringpraise rather than blame. Besides his sister-wife and powerful mistress,Ptolemy IV was known to exces- sively exploit slavesfor his pleasure: “The king […]was absorbed with women and Dionysiac routs and revels.”²²² His grandfather PtolemyIIPhiladelphos had already institutionalized slave concubinage to such adegree that he had statues and temples BarbaraBreitenberger, Aphrodite and Eros: TheDevelopment of Greek EroticMythology in Early Greek Poetryand Cult (New York: Routledge,2007), 105. The literal Greek version of Aqilas translates the wordasεἰρηνευούσα (lit.the pacified),obvi- -peace). See Frederick Field, Or) ָשׁלוֹם ouslysupposingapassive noun in the feminine derivedfrom igenisHexaplorum quae supersunt, sive Veterum interpretum Graecorum in totum Vetus Testamentum fragmenta (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1875), II, 421; Pope, Song of Songs,600. Polybios, Histories XIV.11.5; translation by William R. Paton, Vol. IV (L oeb Classical Library, no. 159; Cambridge MA: HarvardUniversity Press,2011), 513. Plutarch, Kleomenes 33;translation by BernadottePerrin, in Plutarch, Lives,Vol. X(Loeb Clas- sical Library,no.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cleopatra II and III: the Queens of Ptolemy VI and VIII As Guarantors of Kingship and Rivals for Power
    Originalveröffentlichung in: Andrea Jördens, Joachim Friedrich Quack (Hg.), Ägypten zwischen innerem Zwist und äußerem Druck. Die Zeit Ptolemaios’ VI. bis VIII. Internationales Symposion Heidelberg 16.-19.9.2007 (Philippika 45), Wiesbaden 2011, S. 58–76 Cleopatra II and III: The queens of Ptolemy VI and VIII as guarantors of kingship and rivals for power Martina Minas-Nerpel Introduction The second half of the Ptolemaic period was marked by power struggles not only among the male rulers of the dynasty, but also among its female members. Starting with Arsinoe II, the Ptolemaic queens had always been powerful and strong-willed and had been a decisive factor in domestic policy. From the death of Ptolemy V Epiphanes onwards, the queens controlled the political developments in Egypt to a still greater extent. Cleopatra II and especially Cleopatra III became all-dominant, in politics and in the ruler-cult, and they were often depicted in Egyptian temple- reliefs—more often than any of her dynastic predecessors and successors. Mother and/or daughter reigned with Ptolemy VI Philometor to Ptolemy X Alexander I, from 175 to 101 BC, that is, for a quarter of the entire Ptolemaic period. Egyptian queenship was complementary to kingship, both in dynastic and Ptolemaic Egypt: No queen could exist without a king, but at the same time the queen was a necessary component of kingship. According to Lana Troy, the pattern of Egyptian queenship “reflects the interaction of male and female as dualistic elements of the creative dynamics ”.1 The king and the queen functioned as the basic duality through which regeneration of the creative power of the kingship was accomplished.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ptolemies: an Unloved and Unknown Dynasty. Contributions to a Different Perspective and Approach
    THE PTOLEMIES: AN UNLOVED AND UNKNOWN DYNASTY. CONTRIBUTIONS TO A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND APPROACH JOSÉ DAS CANDEIAS SALES Universidade Aberta. Centro de História (University of Lisbon). Abstract: The fifteen Ptolemies that sat on the throne of Egypt between 305 B.C. (the date of assumption of basileia by Ptolemy I) and 30 B.C. (death of Cleopatra VII) are in most cases little known and, even in its most recognised bibliography, their work has been somewhat overlooked, unappreciated. Although boisterous and sometimes unloved, with the tumultuous and dissolute lives, their unbridled and unrepressed ambitions, the intrigues, the betrayals, the fratricides and the crimes that the members of this dynasty encouraged and practiced, the Ptolemies changed the Egyptian life in some aspects and were responsible for the last Pharaonic monuments which were left us, some of them still considered true masterpieces of Egyptian greatness. The Ptolemaic Period was indeed a paradoxical moment in the History of ancient Egypt, as it was with a genetically foreign dynasty (traditions, language, religion and culture) that the country, with its capital in Alexandria, met a considerable economic prosperity, a significant political and military power and an intense intellectual activity, and finally became part of the world and Mediterranean culture. The fifteen Ptolemies that succeeded to the throne of Egypt between 305 B.C. (date of assumption of basileia by Ptolemy I) and 30 B.C. (death of Cleopatra VII), after Alexander’s death and the division of his empire, are, in most cases, very poorly understood by the public and even in the literature on the topic.
    [Show full text]
  • Maresha in the Reign of Ptolemy Ii Philadelphus
    MARESHA IN THE REIGN OF PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHUS Amos Kloner During the third century BCE Maresha (Marissa) was under Ptolemaic rule and became the main city of Idumaea. It is mentioned in several of the Zenon papyri dated 259–257 BCE, shedding light on intensive com- mercial activities and trade between the city and Egypt (Edgar 1925– 1931.P.Cairo 59006, 59015, 58537). Although there is ample evidence of third century BCE occupation at Maresha, the author has chosen to concentrate on only two areas: some economic-numismatic evidence and the tombs from the eastern necropolis presented below. The finds from Khirbet Za"aquqa reinforce this evidence and are also presented here. The Economic Numismatic Evidence Of the 950 coins found at Maresha, 135 are Ptolemaic. Of these, 116 coins date from between the time of Ptolemy I (305–283 BCE) and that of Ptolemy VIII (170–117 BCE). Of these, 78 coins were from the time of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (67.25 % of the total). Six of the 135 Ptolemaic coins are tetradrachms: three of Ptolemy II (one minted at Alexandria and two at Tyre); two of Ptolemy III (minted at Ioppe and Sidon); and one of Ptolemy VIII (most probably minted at Aradus). Two silver- plated tetradrachms of Ptolemy II were also found. These coins are clear evidence that in the third century BCE the local population of Maresha used Ptolemaic coins, about half of which were minted at Alexandria and the other half at Tyre. This may also indicate that almost all of their trade was conducted with Egypt and Egyptian- dominated lands.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt the GREAT SPHINX, PYRAMIDS of GEZEEH January 17, 1839 (Detail)
    Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt THE GREAT SPHINX, PYRAMIDS OF GEZEEH January 17, 1839 (detail). David Roberts (Scottish, 1796-1864) Lithograph by Louis Haghe (Belgian, 1806-1885) Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt Michael Pfrommer with Elana Towne Markus GETTY MUSEUM STUDIES ON ART Los Angeles © 2001 The J. Paul Getty Trust All works are reproduced (and photographs provided) by courtesy of the owners, unless Getty Publications otherwise indicated. 1200 Getty Center Drive Suite 500 Typography by G & S Typesetters, Inc., Los Angeles, California 90049-1682 Austin, Texas www.getty.edu Printed in Hong Kong by Imago Christopher Hudson, Publisher Mark Greenberg, Editor in Chief Project Staff Louise D. Barber, Manuscript Editor Mary Louise Hart, Curatorial Coordinator Bénédicte Gilman, Editorial Coordinator Elizabeth Burke Kahn, Production Coordinator Jeffrey Cohen, Designer Ellen Rosenbery, Photographer (Getty Museum objects) David Fuller, Cartographer Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pfrommer, Michael. Greek gold from Hellenistic Egypt / Michael Pfrommer with Elana Towne Markus. p. cm. — (Getty Museum studies on art) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-89236-633-8 i. Gold jewelry, Hellenistic—Egypt. 2. Gold jewelry—Egypt. 3. Jewelry— California—Los Angeles. 4. J. Paul Getty Museum. I. J. Paul Getty Museum. II. Towne-Markus, Elana. III. Title. IV. Series. NK7307.3 .P48 2001 739.2790932907479494—dc21 2001029132 CONTENTS VII Foreword, Marion True X Map XII Chronology XIV Introduction 1 The Jewelry 9 Alexander the Great:
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Three
    chapter three SOUTHERN LEVANT BETWEEN ANTIOCHUS III AND ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES . Ant. .–: Seleucids, Ptolemies and Tobiads In chapter II we have seen that the first decades of the nd century bce, after the end ofthe Ptolemaic rule and before the Maccabean revolt, between th and th Syrian war, were for Samaria and the surrounding regions a period of relative stability and we can observe one of the results of this flowering on Mt. Gerizim. Very precious information about this period is reported by Josephus in book XII of Jewish Antiquities. The period from the conquest of Palestine by Antiochus III to the accession of Antiochus IV Epiphanes is described in Ant. .–. The historical value of some data furnished in this text was often rejected by modern historians because they report for the period between the th and the th Syrian war in Coele- Syria and Phoenicia that there was the existence of some kind of mixture of Ptolemaic-Seleucid system under Seleucid-Ptolemaic administration. At the same time this text is one of the important sources about Coele-Syria and Phoenicia in the first decades of the nd century bce. It is necessary, for this reason, to analyze its historical value. This text significantly illuminates the international political context not only of the former Ptolemaic possessions in the southern Levant but also of Samaria which was integral part of it. Samaria is treated by Josephus several times in Ant. .–. Samaria is mentioned among the regions of which Antiochus III took possession during the th Syrian war.1 Afterwards he gave the taxes from Samaria, Coele-Syria, Judaea and Phoenicia as a dowry to his daugh- ter Cleopatra who married Antiochus III’s adversary Ptolemy V Epiphanes.2 This happened, according to Josephus, in the time of prosperity of the Samarians, when they harmed to the Judaeans.3 Josephus also reports that, after the th Syrian war, the taxes were collected in Samaria and other regions by Joseph the Tobiad, for the period of years.4 The text of Ant.
    [Show full text]
  • Cahiers De Karnak 14 2013
    CAHIERS DE KARNAK 14 CFEETK Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak Cairo 2013 Centre franco-égyptien d’étude des temples de Karnak MSA-USR 3172 du CNRS Cahiers de Karnak 14 2013 Presses du Conseil Suprême des Antiquités de l’Égypte Sommaire Michel Azim, Agnès Cabrol †, Aude Dobrakowski, Luc Gabolde Les mystères d’un sphinx ............................................................................................................................... 1-11 Mansour Boraik The Sphinx Avenue Excavations. Second Report ........................................................................................13-32 Mansour Boraik A Roman Bath at Karnak Temples. A Preliminary Report .........................................................................33-46 Mansour Boraik, Salah el-Masekh, Anne-Marie Guimier-Sorbets, Bérangère Redon Ptolemaic Baths in front of Karnak Temples. Recent Discoveries (Season 2009-2010) ..............................47-77 Mansour Boraik, Mohamed Naguib Ceramic Material from the Ptolemaic Baths Excavations in front of Karnak Temples ............................. 79-191 Peter Brand, Jean Revez, Janusz Karkowski, Emmanuel Laroze, Cédric Gobeil Karnak Hypostyle Hall Project, Report on the 2011 Field Season for the University of Memphis & the Université du Québec à Montréal .................................................................................................. 193-229 Jean-François Carlotti, Philippe Martinez Nouvelles observations architecturales et épigraphiques sur la grande salle hypostyle du temple
    [Show full text]
  • The Decline of Ptolemaic Elephant Hunting: an Analysis of the Contributory Factors
    The Decline of Ptolemaic Elephant Hunting: An Analysis of the Contributory Factors After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 his successors (diadochi) engaged in a series of internecine struggles to take control of the territory he had conquered. One of the most capable of these Ptolemy, the son of Lagus (later to become Ptolemy I Soter), took control of Egypt, initially as satrap (323-306), and subsequently as king (306-283/82). Over several decades Ptolemy was able to seize Coele-Syria, parts of Asia Minor, and achieved leadership of the League of Islanders in the Aegean.1 The battles between the successors were fought with sizable infantry and cavalry forces. However, one of the most notable and highly valued components of these military forces were battle-elephants. Alexander had encountered these animals in a number of battles, including at Gaugamela in Mesopotamia (331) and at the Hydaspes (modern Jhelum River) in the Indus region (326).2 Despite the practical and logistical problems posed by these very large animals they made such an impression on Alexander that he established his own corps.3 These were later to be divided up among his successors, and in several instances changed hands through capture.4 Ptolemy I possibly took control of some or all of the elephants (up to forty?) which Perdiccas had employed in his failed invasion of Egypt (321), and he certainly captured forty- 1 For the career of Ptolemy I Soter see, G. Hölbl, A History of the Ptolemaic Empire (London, 2001), 9-34. Note all dates mentioned are BC unless otherwise stated.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rosetta Stone in Historical Perspective
    Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 12/1 (2001): 1Ð21. Article copyright © 2001 by Keith Schoville. The Rosetta Stone in Historical Perspective Keith Schoville University of Wisconsin, Madison The history of modern, scientific archaeology is little more than a century old. Before 1890, western interest in the ancient Near East was basically a hunt for treasures to stock the great national museums of Europe.1 This interest in antiquities began to develop into a disciplined, enlightened effort thanks to the work of Sir William Flinders Petrie. This was particularly true for Syro- Palestinian archaeology. We mark his brief encounter with Tell el-Hesi, not far from Gaza, in 1890, as the stellar point. It was in the publication of that six week long excavation that he presented the principles that permeated his work: dig- ging according to the stratigraphy and dating according to typology.2 The application and refinement of those principles have continued to define modern archaeology to this very day. During and since PetrieÕs time (he died in Jerusalem in 1940), a vast number of excavations throughout the Middle East have recovered a tremendous volume of objects, including those bearing writing from the dim past of the biblical world. But some of the most significant finds were accidental rather than methodically recovered in excavations. A primary example that comes to mind was the discovery of the scrolls recovered from the caves near Khirbet Qumran by Bedouin shepherds in 1947. Today we are re- calling an equally significant discovery made not a half-century but two centu- ries agoÑthe discovery of the Rosetta Stone.
    [Show full text]
  • POLITICS of the PTOLEMAIC DYNASTY Monica Omoye Aneni
    POLITICS OF THE PTOLEMAIC DYNASTY Monica Omoye Aneni* http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/og.v12i 1.7 Abstract Hellenistic studies and Egyptology have concentrated on the spread and influence of Hellenism, on the one hand, and the value of ancient Egypt’s monument and artifacts, on the other hand. This study focuses on the politics that directed and helped sustain the successors of Alexander the Great on the throne of Egypt. Ptolemy 1 Soter, the instigator of the Ptolemaic dynasty, fought vehemently, gallantly and decisively to consolidate his authority and control over Egypt and her consequent spread. However, his successors played several politics; majorly that of assassination, for the enviable position of Pharaoh, unfortunately, to the detriment of the state. This study contends that besides the earliest Ptolemies, the other successors, having ignored the legacy of Ptolemy 1 Soter and the expansion of Egypt’s frontiers, fostered and nurtured this politics of assassination among others. It concludes with the argument that the contenders encouraged political retrogression to the nadir and therefore were not fit for the throne, for this politics of assassination among others reduced Egypt and hindered her from attaining the status of a much more formidable world power that would have been reckoned with during that period. The study is historical in nature but adopts the expository method. Studies that may interpret Egypt’s strong diplomatic relations with other ancient nations are recommended. Keywords: Politics, Egypt, Ptolemaic dynasty, successors, assassination Introduction Several ancient authors present expository narratives about different political, economic, social and religious activities of the Omoye Aneni: Politics of the Ptolemaic dynasty various eras that characterize ancient times.
    [Show full text]
  • Floating Palace on the Nile: a Study on the Luxury Ship of Ptolemy IV Philopator
    Floating Palace on the Nile: A Study on the Luxury Ship of Ptolemy IV Philopator Yuichiro Habe Introduction In his About Alexandria, Callixeinus of Rhodes mentions the creation by Ptolemy IV Philopator of two magnificent ships: the first was called ‘The Forty (Tessarekontéres)’, which would have been used as a warship. The second was a Nile cargo boat, called ‘Thalamegos’.1 According to Callixeinus’ description, the two ships were among the largest of the Hellenistic period, and had characteristic structures. While the description of The Forty is extremely brief, Callixeinus mentions that the Thalamegos had various cabins decorated with magnificent ornaments, i.e. reliefs, pictures and statues. This boat has therefore attracted the interest not only of ship-engineers, but also of architectural historians. On the other hand, Ptolemy IV’s splendid ships have also been considered as examples of the king’s luxurious and idle tendencies. In his Life of Demetrius, Plutarch noted that The Forty was difficult to navigate, and it rose as stately as an immovable building.2 Historians have blamed The Forty’s instability on the inconsistency of builder. Similarly, they have considered the Thalamegos to be useless, and considered Ptolemy IV a megalomaniac, and too flamboyant.3 However, recent studies have tended to revise the evaluation of Ptolemy IV’s two ships. The Forty and the Thalamegos have been considered symbols of Ptolemaic sea-power.4 Particularly in the case of the Thalamegos, one needs to discuss the purpose of its construction. The ship had various rooms inside; private rooms for the king, the queen and their inner circle.
    [Show full text]
  • Abydos in the Basement
    ABYDOS IN THE PENN MUSEUM HIDDEN TREASURES Abydos in the Basement BY JENNIFER HOUSER WEGNER t the turn of the last century, long before the Penn Museum began its work at Abydos under David O’Connor and William Kelly Simpson in the late 1960s, the site of Abydos in southern Egypt was the focus of intense archaeological exploration. At that time, the Penn Museuma was keen to build its Egyptian collection, but it had not yet begun its own archaeological work in Egypt. In order to foster its collection, the Museum provided 7nancial support for archaeological work through a variety of di6erent endowments, such as the Egypt Exploration Fund (founded in 1882 in the United Kingdom); its American counterpart, the American Exploration Society; the Egyptian Research Account (founded by W. M. Flinders Petrie in 1894 with the purpose of training his students in 7eldwork); and the British School of Archaeology in Egypt, which Petrie founded in 1905. Because of its 7nancial support, the Penn Museum received a substantial share of the 7nds uncovered by Petrie and other excavators whose work at Abydos in the early 1900s yielded tremendous results. Of the roughly 3,000 artifacts from Abydos in our collection, almost 2,000 of them derive from these early excavations. 5e material consists of some extremely important, fascinating, and beautiful artifacts, of which only a small percentage are on display in our permanent Egyptian Galleries. EXPEDITION Spring 2014 43 ABYDOS IN THE PENN MUSEUM rguably, the best known and most important of the early group of artifacts from Abydos to enter A the Museum collection are those materials from excavations in and around the royal tombs of the kings of the 1st and 2nd Dynasties (ca.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of the Ptolemaic Empire Ebook
    A HISTORY OF THE PTOLEMAIC EMPIRE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Gunther Holbl,Tina Savadra | 416 pages | 07 Nov 2000 | Taylor & Francis Ltd | 9780415234894 | English | London, United Kingdom A History of the Ptolemaic Empire PDF Book His growth and popularity reflected a deliberate policy by the Ptolemaic state, and was characteristic of the dynasty's use of Egyptian religion to legitimize their rule and strengthen their control. At the Great Harbor's mouth, on an outcropping of Pharos, stood the lighthouse , built c. Paul Getty Trust. Main article: Ptolemy IV. Following Alexander's death in Babylon in BC, [11] a succession crisis erupted among his generals. Laid out on a grid pattern, Alexandria occupied a stretch of land between the sea to the north and Lake Mareotis to the south; a man-made causeway, over three-quarters of a mile long, extended north to the sheltering island of Pharos , thus forming a double harbor, east and west. The result of this synod was the Raphia Decree , issued on 15 November BC and preserved in three copies. To ask other readers questions about A History of the Ptolemaic Empire , please sign up. Shaw, Ian ed. Cleopatra VI Qn. Under Roman rule, Egypt was governed by a prefect selected by the emperor from the Equestrian class and not a governor from the Senatorial order, to prevent interference by the Roman Senate. Uruk V dynasty Utu-hengal. Minor flaws and unnecessary comments on power-hungry queens aside, it has by and large stood the test of time. Views Read Edit View history. This custom made Ptolemaic politics confusingly incestuous, and the later Ptolemies were increasingly feeble.
    [Show full text]