Ptolemy II. Ptolemy II Philadelphus - The Ptolemaic Dynasty - Dynasties of Ancient Egypt - Articles catalog - Ancient East Fighting in Asia Minor

Judea under the Ptolemies

Ptolemy I Lag

After many years of unrest, the lands of Western Asia and North Africa were divided between two Greek commanders: Egypt and Judea remained with Ptolemy I, and Syria, Asia Minor and Babylonia went to the commander Seleucus. Alexandria of Egypt was chosen as the capital of the Ptolemies, and Antioch, in Asia Minor, was chosen by the Seleucids. The Syrian rulers of the Seleucus clan could not reconcile themselves to the idea that Judea had fallen to the Egyptians, and they were always looking for an opportunity to recapture this land. But the Egyptian kings kept Judah under their rule for a long time.

Historians argue that Ptolemy I Lag treated the conquered peoples fairly. He settled the captives taken away from Judea in Alexandria and granted them all civil rights. Capable Jewish soldiers he appointed the chiefs of the army and entrusted them with the protection of the fortresses. Many voluntarily came from Judea to Egypt and settled there. But the Egyptians themselves were hostile to the Jews, as to foreigners who came to their country along with the conquering Greeks.

In Judea itself, Ptolemy I left the inhabitants the same freedom of government as under the Persians. The high priest was in charge of internal affairs with the help of the Sanhedrin. The high priest was the representative of Judah before the Egyptian government, he was responsible for the timely payment of taxes and maintaining peace in Eretz Israel.

Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Septuagint - translation of the seventy

After Ptolemy I, his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (reigned 283-247 BC), became king of Egypt, under whom the position of the Jews became even better. The new ruler surrounded himself with Greek scientists and poets, took care of the development of sciences and arts in his country. At his court in Alexandria, there was the greatest museum in the world, where literary and works of art all peoples.

Tradition tells that Ptolemy II Philadelphus, having learned about the high merits of Jewish sacred books, wished to get to know them and get an accurate Greek translation of them for his rich book depository. Despite the fact that there were many Jewish sages in Egypt, Ptolemy II turned to the high priest of Jerusalem Elazar and asked to send knowledgeable people to Alexandria who could translate Jewish books into Greek language. Elazar sent 70 scholars who brought with them the original Torah for translation.
The translators received a brilliant reception. The king talked a lot with them and marveled at their wisdom. The scientists were given a palace on the island of Pharos, not far from Alexandria, and there, in complete silence, they began their work. According to one of the existing legends, everyone received a separate room and could not communicate in the process of working with other translators. At the end of the work, it turned out that all 70 translations are exactly the same.
Another tradition tells that the translators constantly consulted with each other, discussing the details of the translation of the Holy Text for a long time.

The translation was handed over to Ptolemy II 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 mostly spoke Greek. Many of them could no longer read the Torah in mother tongue. Later, other books of the Tanakh were also translated. Through these translations, the Hellenistic world discovered a completely different religion, culture and philosophy. Subsequently, this translation was called the "Septuagint" - "translation of the seventy."

Until now, the attitude towards this event in the Jewish world is ambiguous. Some believe that the translation of the Torah ensured its dissemination in Hellenistic world and had a great influence on him. In addition, the translation of the Torah into Greek made it possible for Jews who had lost the knowledge of their language to remain faithful to the religion of their ancestors.

Others consider the translation of the Torah a catastrophic event in the life of the Jewish people. In their opinion, a book was opened to the world, which God gave only to the Jewish people. We add that texts like Holy Scripture, cannot be accurately translated into any other language.

Ptolemy III Euergetes

Under Ptolemy III Euergetes, who ruled from 246-221. BC e., Judah was in great danger. The Syrian kings wanted to take back Judah. They persuaded the high priest and the nobility to their side and persuaded them to refuse payments to the Egyptian king. Ptolemy III sent an ambassador to Judea with a strict demand for the immediate payment of 20 talents of silver (1 talent 21.5 kg), threatening to punish the disobedient.

Controversy flared up again in Jerusalem. Supporters of the Egyptian rule sent the young nephew of the high priest Yosef, the son of Tobias, to Alexandria to soften the wrath of Ptolemy III. With flattering speeches and rich gifts, Yosef managed to win over the king and convince him of the loyalty of the Jewish people.
Ptolemy III appointed Yosef as the chief tax collector in Palestine. A detachment of 2,000 soldiers was placed at his disposal. For twenty-two years Yosef was in charge of the collection of taxes and diligently fulfilled his duties. During this time, he not only significantly enriched the Egyptian treasury, but also enriched himself. As a royal representative, he had a great influence on the management of affairs in Judea and contributed to the establishment of Greek orders in it. Jews from the wealthy strata of society began to imitate the life of the Greeks more and more, indulged in luxury and idleness and increasingly moved away from Jewish customs.

Ptolemy IV Philopator

Hostility towards the Jews first manifested itself under Ptolemy IV Philopator, who ruled from 221-205. BC e. The Syrian king Antiochus III the Great threatened Judea. He has already taken possession of Galilee and the lands east of the Jordan. Ptolemy IV managed to defeat the Syrians and return the conquered lands. Contemporaries believed that after this successful battle, Ptolemy IV could launch a successful offensive and take all the lands from Antiochus III. But the king loved fun and holidays more than military campaigns.

Ambassadors from the Jewish people came to congratulate the Egyptian king on his victory. Tradition reports that the king expressed a desire to visit Jerusalem and make a sacrifice in the Temple.

Soon Ptolemy IV arrived in Jerusalem and climbed the Temple Mount. Entering the front rooms of the Temple, he wanted to go further into the Holy of Holies, where, by law, only the high priests were allowed access. Neither the pleas of the clergy nor the grumbling of the assembled people could change his intentions. Flavius ​​Josephus says that as soon as the king stepped on the threshold of sacred rest, his legs buckled, and he fell exhausted, so that he had to be carried out of the Temple in his arms. Since then, according to tradition, he hated the Jews and their faith.

Information about these events has been preserved for us by the Third Book of Maccabees, which was written by an Egyptian Jew and dedicated to the Jews of this country in the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator. The main goal of the author of the book was the exaltation of the Temple, the story of the manifestations of Divine power, and not the presentation of strict historical facts. That's why the book is more like literary work and not all of the events described in it can be considered scientifically confirmed.

Changes in the economic life of Judea

Military operations between Egypt and Syria brought death and ruin for the inhabitants of Eretz Israel. Even when hostilities were not conducted on its territory, the economic losses were enormous. Armies of warriors, accompanied by endless convoys, merchants, women, children and their own slaves, soldiers seized cities, appropriated supplies, plundered villages. With the usual size of armies of 80,000 foot soldiers and 8,000 horsemen, Eretz Israel was forced to feed about 300,000 people and a huge number of livestock - horses, donkeys, mules and camels.

The entire population was required to pay taxes on land and crops, which amounted to 1/3 of the grain harvest and 1/2 of the fruit harvest. Under Greek rule, the position of slaves also changed. If earlier man for debts he became dependent on the local owner and remained to live in his settlement, now the sale of slaves outside of Eretz Israel has become a mass phenomenon.

But along with the conquerors, technical improvements also came to Judea. The primitive hand mill, in which grain was ground with a stone millstone, was supplanted by the Greek mill, in which manual labor was required only at the beginning of work.

At the same time, oil presses and wine presses appeared. There is also a vertical loom. The water was raised with the help of a gate and an "endless" rope. It is possible that some improvements to the plow also belong to this time.

Serious changes took place in pottery - potters began to work on a wheel, which was driven by their feet. Hands freed to create exquisite forms. For poor buyers, potters began to cover clay products with glaze - and they could hardly be distinguished from the silver and gold dishes that were in vogue among aristocrats.

Even the lighting has changed. Traditionally in Palestine, an open saucer was used, the edge of which was slightly bent to support the wick - oil was poured into the saucer, and the lamp was ready. Now "Greek lamps" began to appear - small, black-glazed, with a wick attachment, they burned longer, saved oil and wicks, and were safer.

Questions for the chapter
1. Try to highlight the historical and mythical elements in the story about the creation of the translation of the Torah into Greek.
2. Ask the teacher of the tradition what other opinions there are about translating the books of the Tanakh into Greek.
3. Compose general description the life of the Jewish people under the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
4. Who was the main opponent of the Ptolemies in the struggle for the possession of Judea?
5. Tell us about the main occupations of the Jews of Eretz-Israel.
6. Find on the map the capital of the Ptolemaic kingdom of the Seleucid kingdom.

historical sources

Greek historian Agatharchides on the causes of the fall of Jerusalem

When reading the passage, pay attention to the attitude of the historian Agatharchides to the observance of the Torah by the Jews.

[…] There is a people called the Jews, who, possessing a fortified and large city of Jerusalem, allowed it to be occupied by Ptolemy only because they did not want to take up arms. It was because of such an untimely and inappropriate superstition that they had to prefer such a severe despot. […]
Josephus Flavius

1. What is the attitude of Agatharchis to Ptolemy Lag? Explain your guess.

Description of the Capture of Jerusalem by Josephus

Compare this passage with the description of Agatharchis.

[…] Ptolemy took possession of Jerusalem also by cunning and deception, namely, having entered the city on the Sabbath under the pretense of offering a sacrifice, he did not meet from the Jews the slightest obstacle to this (they did not in the least suppose an enemy in it) and because that they did not suspect anything and spent this day in carefree fun, easily took possession of the city and began to cruelly rule over it. […]
Josephus Flavius
Jewish Antiquities. Book. 12, 1:1.

1. How does this description differ from the previous one?
2. How does it characterize Ptolemy I?

Description of the Jewish Settlement of Alexandria of Egypt

As you read the passage, pay attention to the condition of the captives in Alexandria.

[…] Then Ptolemy, having taken captive many people from the mountainous part of Judea, from the vicinity of Jerusalem, […] led them all to Egypt and settled them here. When he learned that the inhabitants of Jerusalem were especially reliable in keeping their oaths and keeping their word [...] he placed many of them in garrisons and made them equal with the Macedonians of Alexandria, and took from them an oath that they would maintain this loyalty also to his descendants. […]
Josephus Flavius
Jewish Antiquities. Book. 12, 1:1.

1. What qualities of the people of Jerusalem are noted in the passage?

Book of Maccabees III on Ptolemy IV's visit to the Temple

As you read the passage, notice how Ptolemy's attitude toward the holiness of the Temple changed.

[…] 9. Arriving in Jerusalem, Ptolemy offered a sacrifice to the great God, gave thanks, and performed other things befitting a sacred place;
10. And when he entered there, he was amazed at the majesty and splendor, and, marveling at the beautification of the Temple, he desired to enter the sanctuary.
11. He was told that he should not do this, for none of his people is allowed to enter there, and even priests, but only one high priest who rules over all, and moreover, once a year; but he didn't want to listen.
12. They read the law to him, but even then he did not leave his intention, saying that he must enter: let them be deprived of this honor, but not I, and asked why, when he entered the Temple, none of those present forbade him ?
13. And when someone imprudently said that this was done badly, he answered, since this has already been done, should he not enter, whether they want it or not. […]
22. But, filled with insolence and neglecting everything, he was already taking a step forward in order to completely fulfill what was said before.
23. Seeing this, those who were with him began to call on the Most High together with ours, so that He would help in real need and not allow such an unlawful arrogant act. […]
25. It seemed that not only the people, but the very walls and all the foundations were groaning, as if already dying for the desecration of the sacred place. […]
Maccabees III, 1:9-25

1. Find words in the text that show the author's attitude to current events.
2. Why was Ptolemy IV so eager to get into the sanctuary of the Jewish Temple?

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 power of the king, provided patronage scientific activity, which later had as its center the famous Museum, a huge building connected to the royal palace, 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 to take care of internal affairs kingdoms more than war, but did not miss opportunities increase your holdings. 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 in Egypt military service. 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 new capital his, Alexandria, became the center of the arts, a rich city, surpassed 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.

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 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 first 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

The first representative and founder of the dynasty was Ptolemy Lag or Ptolemy I Soter ("savior"). He is believed to have been born around 360 BC. e. and was the son of Lag and Arsipoi. His mother's family was more noble than his father's, as it was related to the dynasty of the Macedonian kings. Ptolemy's father, Lag, belonged to one of the respectable Macedonian families, whose material well-being was based on land ownership.

The most important event that changed the life of the young Ptolemy was the Eastern campaign of Alexander, which opened up a completely new world to the Macedonians. For the first time they saw the mountains and valleys of Asia Minor, the snow-covered Taurus, the coastal plains of Phenicia with its largest cities of Tire and Sidon. At that time, Ptolemy did not yet belong to Alexander's inner circle. Nevertheless, he participated in the battle of Issus (333 BC) and, together with Alexander, entered the land of Egypt. He especially showed himself at the end of the Eastern campaign, he was a capable warrior, distinguished by prudence and personal courage. But another of his distinguishing features was cunning and foresight, without which he most likely could not have become the pharaoh of Egypt in the future. Ptolemy's life changed completely with the death of Alexander. In 323 BC. e. he became satrap of Egypt. Even under Alexander (332-331), Ptolemy was able to appreciate the advantages associated with the position and population of this country. 5

Ptolemy I declared himself king (pharaoh) of Egypt in 305 BC. e. He showed himself to be a cautious and persistent lord, as a pioneer in all areas of his activity. He led an active policy of conquest, starting from 322, in order not only to expand the borders of his kingdom, but also to secure his borders in the Mediterranean as much as possible. He did a lot for his empire: he introduced a monetary system, attracted Hellenes to Egypt, tried to keep mercenaries in the war, giving them land plots - cleres. He began to pursue a policy of cooperation between the Greeks and the indigenous population, just as Alexander did, offering them to worship a new god - Sarapis, who was equally revered by both the Egyptians and the Macedonians. He also paid great attention and patronized the development of culture and sciences. So he founded the Great Alexandrian Library and Museum in Alexandria of Egypt. 6

Forty years of his reign marked a period of rapid development and prosperity of the state. Ptolemy I died at the end of 283 BC. e. Two years before his death, he appointed his son Ptolemy as co-ruler. This is how the change of ruler in the Lagid state took place without any difficulties. Among the descendants of Ptolemy I, the later rulers and rulers of Egypt, he forever remained a model, worship of which was elevated to a sacred cult, and his memory was preserved and honored at all times of the existence of Hellenistic Egypt. 7

His son Ptolemy II, who ruled from 283-246. BC e., was married to his sister Arsinoe, hence he got his nickname Philadelphus ("loving sister"). He continued the work of his father and, like him, led an active foreign policy, which was based both on dynastic marriages and on wars, in particular with the power of the Seleucids (1st and 2nd Syrian wars) and the Antigonids. During the period of the highest power of Egypt, Cyrene, Cyprus, Pamphylia and others were under the rule of Ptolemy II. He could also influence the confederation of policies of the Cyclades. Ptolemy II gave Egypt a new administrative system that allowed the country to be more efficiently exploited through royal monopolies and strict tax policies. He reformed the monetary system that his father had once introduced, while prohibiting the use of foreign money within the country, ordered the restoration of the Nekho Canal, and restored the Fayum oasis to life. The most famous poets, scholars and physicians of the Hellenistic world gathered at his court, and the Museum and the Library of Alexandria flourished and reached their highest peak during his reign.

Ptolemy III Everget I (246-221 BC) - "benefactor", the son of Ptolemy II, was married to the daughter of the king of Cyrene - Berenice. In the second half of his reign, he waged war with the power of the Seleucids (3rd Syrian War). His court was no less brilliant than that of his father Ptolemy II. He expanded the Library of Alexandria, ordered to organize and send an expedition to the Persian Gulf, created the necessary conditions for the work of Eratosthenes.

But already at that time, popular unrest began, due to the ever-increasing social tension, and the so-called damage to the coin. These problems became especially acute during the reign of the first two successors of Ptolemy III: Ptolemy IV Philopator (“loving father”), who fought with Antiochus III the Great - the ruler of the Seleucid state (4th Syrian war), and Ptolemy V Epiphanes (“glorious”) , in which Egypt lost Celesiria - and as a result, only Cyprus and Cyrene remained from all the extra-Egyptian possessions.

After the death of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, a long period of decline began, covering the 2nd and 1st centuries. BC e. The last representatives of the Lagid dynasty, in particular the last queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, will try to return the former greatness and power to Egypt. 8

Each ruler of Egypt from the Lagid dynasty contributed and inscribed his name in world history. Ptolemy I, as one of the heirs of the first generation of Alexander, is one of the founders of the Hellenistic states, and his descendants continued what he started. Their deeds have survived the centuries. It was they who directed the fate of states in Macedonia, Asia Minor and Egypt, it was they who opened the way for new ideas and methods in the political and economic fields, which in the future were accepted by the Romans and brought to perfection. Egypt became one of the first Hellenistic states, and the history of the Hellenistic era will end there. 9

Tolemy began to rule the country during the life of his father. Having fallen in love with Arsinoe, his own sister both by father and mother, he married her, doing what the Macedonians were by no means allowed to do, but which was the custom of the Egyptians, over whom he ruled. For his love for his sister-wife, he was nicknamed Philadelphus. Ptolemy II received an excellent education, but was prone to effeminacy and cruelty.

He killed his brother Argey, who allegedly encroached on his life. He also transported the ashes from Memphis to Alexandria. Ptolemy also killed another brother, born of Eurydice, noticing that he was inciting the inhabitants of Cyprus to fall away from Egypt.

In foreign policy he tried to avoid fighting and acted by clever interventions and negotiations.

In 280 BC. e., taking advantage of the difficult situation of the Syrian kingdom, Ptolemy took away from the most southern regions Syria, even took possession of Damascus. Ptolemy's brother by mother to Berenike I, Magas, who, thanks to her, received the governorship in Cyrene and betrothed his daughter to the son of Philadelphus, in 274 BC. e. led an army from Cyrene to Egypt. Ptolemy, having strengthened the passages, expected the advance of the Cyrenian troops, but Magas did not attack him, since he was forced to conquer the tribes of nomadic Libyans who had fallen away from him. Ptolemy wanted to pursue him, but he also could not do this because of the outbreak of the uprising of the Galatian mercenaries. Magas did not rest on this and dragged the Asian king into the war. In 265 BC. e. Ptolemy sent his fleet to the coast of Greece to act against the Macedonian king. But this fleet was defeated at Kos.

After the second Syrian war (266-263) Ptolemy retained Phoenicia, Lycia, Caria and many coastal cities (eg Cavn, Ephesus). He interfered in the affairs of Greece, with the aim of acquiring the Cyclades and preventing the rise of Macedonia (the so-called Chremonid War, 266).

The children of Ptolemy were born not from the sister of Arsinoe, but from the daughter of Lysimachus. His sister died childless. According to Strabo, Ptolemy was distinguished by curiosity and, due to bodily weakness, was constantly looking for new entertainment and amusements.

In commercial matters, he also maintained relations with Rome: raw goods were obtained from there, processed in Egyptian factories. At his court, we meet many famous scientists and poets of that time (Callimachus, Theocritus, Manetho, Eratosthenes, Zoilus, etc.). Ptolemy II was a great bibliophile; under him, the public library increased so much that a new one was founded at the museum. He tried to collect in it and translate into Greek all the books that existed in the world. The number of books in this unique repository allegedly reached half a million copies. Among others, the Hebrew Bible was also translated into Greek.

Interested in the fate of the Jewish people, Ptolemy ordered the release of 100,000 captives brought by his father from Judea. He erected many luxurious buildings, built cities, held festivals, restored and decorated the southern temple between Luxor and Karnak.

The murder of his daughter Berenice, who was married to, caused the III Syrian War (247-239), which was started and ended by his successor and son -.