PTOLEM.EUS, pteil-Xence-us. T. SOTER, so'-ter (preserver) or LO'ves, the first of the Ptolemies, was son of the Macedonian Lagus (q. v.), and educated at the court of King Philip of Macedonia, whose reputed son be was. He went to the East with Alexander, on whose death, 323 B.C., he obtained Egypt, to which he soon added Phenicia and Ccele Syria ; he joined Cassander and Lysimachus against Antigenus, and crossed over to liberate Greece, but he was defeated, 306, by Anti genus's son Demetrius off Cyprus, which he lost, but afterwards forced Demetrius to raise the siege of Rhodes, 304, on which occasion the Rhodians conferred on him the title of Soler. In the remainder of his reign he de voted himself to the patronage of literature and science • he founded the famous friziseunt, or Royal Library, of Alexandria, and enter tained at his court Demetrius of Phalerus, who was his counsellor in political and scientific matters ; Euclid, the geometrician ; Theodo rus of Cyrene ; Stilpo of Megara ; Dioderus Cr6nus ; Zenodatus ; Philetas of Cos ; &c. Ptolemy himself wrote a history of Alexander's wars he beautified Alexandria, and dis tinguished himself by his good government. He abdicated in favour of (a) in 285, and died in 283. 2. PTOLEM1EUS II., PHILADELPHUS, phil-d-delVhas, succeeded on the abdication of his father, Ptolemy I., of Egypt, 285 B.C. He de voted himself to the commercial developgient of his kingdom and the patronage of literature and science ; he founded many commercial cities in his dominions, constructed the famous Pharos off Alexandria, and made the harbours Bere nice and Myoshormos, on the Red Sea. Among the literary men at his court were Manetho, Aratus, Theocritus, Callimachus, Lycophron, Zenodatus, Aristophanes the grammarian, &c. ; and the famous Septuagz:/zt translation, into Greek, of the Hebrew Scrip tures was made under his orders. Ptolemy also made valuable additions to the royal library He died 247; he had married his sister Arsinee, to whom he was deeply at tached, and to whose memory he commissioned Dinocrates to raise a monumental temple. 3. PTOLEM/EUS III., EUERGETES, eu-er'-e-tes (benefactor), succeeded his father, Ptolemy II.
of Egypt, 247 B.C. To avenge the death of his sister Berenice, he marched through Syria and Babylonia to the borders of India, and brought back the Egyptian gods carried off by Cambyses ; whence his epithet of Euergetes. Seleucus, however, succeeded in wresting a considerable portion of territory from him. Like his two predecessors, Ptolemy patronized literature, science, and the arts : he died 222. 4. PTOLEMEUS IV., PHILOPATOR, tor (father-lover), was ironically so named from being suspected of having poisoned his father, Ptolemy III. of Egypt, whom he suc ceeded 222 B.C. He rendered himself odious by his maladministration, and his murder of his mother, brother, and uncle ; he allowed Crete-Syria and Palestine to be wrested from him by Autiochus the Great, but he recovered them, 217. Ptolemy patronized philosophers and literary men, and especially Aristarchus ; but he disgraced himself by his licentiousness and luxury,—whence his epithets of Gallus And Tryfililen,—and became the tool of his uncle and chief minister Sosibius : he died 205. 5. PTOLEAMUS V., EPIPHANES, 1.1511W-d-nes (illustrious), succeeded his father, Ptolemy 1V. of Egypt, 205 B.C. when only five years old. Philip V. of and Antiii chus III. of Syria at once attempted to divide his dominions, but were restrained by the Romans. He eventually married Antio chus's daughter Cleopatra. Ptolemy's reign was at first benign, but gradually became oppressive, and thepower of Egypt declined : he died 181. 6. PTOLEM/EUS VI., PHILo METOR, fihil-5-ine'-tor, succeeded his father, Ptolemy V. of Egypt, 181 B.c., when a child. His ministers,. who assumed the regency on the death of his mother, attacked Antiochus Epiphanes, to regain Ccele-Syria, but were defeated near Pelusium, and Ptolemy himself was made a prisoner (see 7). He was afterwards expelled by his brother (7), but was reinstated as sole ruler by the Romans, who assigned Cyrenaica to Euergetes II. Ptolemy supported the usurper Alexander Balas, of Syria, but afterwards broke with and defeated him, but died of injuries received in the battle,