A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS. 565
of Pteras shows that the story of his buildingS the entrusted by his uncle with commanlds of imtemple is only a rationalistic interpretation of this portance. Thus in B. c. 315, when Antigonus
fable. Another story about Pteras was that the was preparing to make head against the formidable
Apteraei in Crete took their name from him. (Pans. coalition organized against him, he placed Ptolemy
x. 5. ~ 5. s. 9, 10.) [P. S.] at the head of the arumy which was destined to
PTOLEMAEUS (rlroAXEa7os), the name of carry on operations in Asia Minor against the
two mythical personages, one a son of Peiraeas, generals of Cassander. This object the young
who accompanied Agamemnon as charioteer to general successfully carried out-relieved Amisus,
Troy (Hoem. II. iv. 228), and the other a son of which was besieged by Asclepiodorus, and reDnamasichthon, king of Thebes. (Paus. ix. 5. covered the whole satrapy of Cappadocia; after
~ 8.) [L. S.] which he advanced into Bithynia, of which he
PTOLEMAEUS (rlTrooXJnaos), minor historical compelled the king Zipoetes to join his alliance,
persons. (Several persons of this name, which ap- and then occupied Ionia, from whence Seleucus
pears to have been one in its origin exclusively withdrew on his approach. (Diod. xix. 57, 60.)
Macedonian, occur among the officers and generals He next threatened Caria, which was however for
of Alexander the Great, whom it is not always easy a time defended by Myrmidon, the Egyptian
to distinguish from one another.) general; but the followinlg year Ptolemy was able
1. Son of Lagus. [PTOLEMAEUS I. king of to strike a decisive blow in that quarter against
EGYXPT.] Enpolemus, the general of Cassander, whom he
2. Son of Philip, an officer who commanded surprised and totally defeated. (Id. ib. 62, 68.)
the leading squadron of Macedonian cavalry at the The next summer (B. c. 313) the arrival of Antipassage of the Granicus. (Arr. A1nab. i. 14.) It is genus himself gave a decided preponderance to
supposed by Gronovius (ad Arr: 1. c.) and by his arms in Asia Minor, and Ptolemy, after renDroysen, that he is the same who was afterwards dering active assistance in the sieges of Caunus
left by Alexander with a force of 3000 foot and and Iasus, was sent with a considerable army to
200 horse to defend the province of Carla, and Greece to carry on the war there against Caswho subsequently, together with Asander the go- sander. His successes were at first rapid: he
vernor of Lydia, defeated the Persian general drove out the garrisons of his adversary from Chalcis
Orontobates, B. c. 332. (Arr. ib. i. 23. ii. 5.) and Oropus, invlded Attica, where lie compelled
3. One of the select officers called Somatophylaces, Demetrius of Phalerus to make overtures of subor guards of the king's person, who was killed at mission, and then carried his arms triumphantly
the siege of Halicarnassus, B. c. 334. (Arr. Anab. through Boeotia, Phocis, and Locris. Wherever
i. 22.) Freinlsheim, in his supplement to Curtius he went he expelled the Macedonian garrisons,
(ii. 10. ~ 13), has assumed this to be the son of and proclaimed the liberty and inldependence of
Philip, but it is more probable, as already pointed the several cities. After this he directed his
out, that the latter was the governor of Caria. march to the Peloponnese, where the authority of
4. Son of Seleucus, another of the Somato- Antigonus had been endangered by the recent
phylaces, who combined with that distinguished defection of his general Telesphorus. (Id. ib. 75,
post the command of one of the divisions of the 77,78, 87.) Here ihe appears to have remained
phalanx. He was lately married when he accom- till the peace of 311 suspended hostilities in that
panied Alexander on his expedition to Asia, B. c. quarter. But he considered that his services had
334, on which account he was selected by the not met with their due reward from Antigonus;
king to command the body of Macedonians, who and when, therefore, in B. c. 310 the kings of
were allowed to return home for the winter at the Macedonia and Egypt were preparing to renew
end of the first campaign. In the following spriing the war, Ptolemy suddenly abandoned the cause of
he rejoined Alexander at Gordium, with the troops his uncle and concluded a treaty with Cassander
under his command, accompanied by fresh rein- and the son of Lagus. Probably his object was
forcemenlts. At the battle of Issus (B. C. 332) his to establish himself in the chief command in the
division of the phalanx was one of those opposed Peloponnese: but the reconciliation of Polysperchon
to the Greek mercenaries under Dareius, and upon with Cassanlder must have frustrated this object:
which the real brunt of the action consequently and on the arrival of the Egyptian king with a
devolved; and he himself fell in the conflict, after fleet at Cos, Ptolemy repaired from Chalcis to join
displayinlg the utmnost valour. (Arr. Anab. i. 24, him. He was received at first with the utmlost
29, ii. 8, 10; Curt. iii. 9. ~ 7.) favour, but soon gave offence to his new patron by
5. An officer who comnianuded a force of Thracian his intrignes and ambitious demonstrations, anid
mercenaries, with which he joined Alexander in was in consequence thrown into prison and comBactria, B. C. 329. (Arr. Anab. iv. 7; Curt. vii. 10. pelled to put an end to his life by poison, B. C.
~ 11.) 309. (Id. xx. 19, 27.) Schlosser has represented
6. Son of Ptolemy, an officer appointed by this general as an enthusiast in the cause of the
Antipater in B.c. 321, to be one of the Somato- liberty of Greece, but there seems no reason to
phylaces of the titular king, Philip Arrhidaeus. suppose that his professions to that effect were
(Arr. ap. Phot. p. 72, a.) Nothing more is known more earnest or sincere than those of his contermof hilm, but Droysen conjectures that he was a son poraries.
of No. 4. (Iellenismz. vol. i. p. 154.) 8. Son of Lysimachus, king of Thrace. He was
7. Nephew of Antigonus, the general of Alex- the eldest of the three seols of that monarch by his
ander, who afterwards became king of Asia. His last wife Arsinoe, and the only one who escaped fallname is first mentioned as present with his uncle ing into the hands of Ptolenly Ceraunus. Having in
at the siege of Nora in B. C. 320, when he was vain urged his mother not to trust to the frienldly
given up to Eumenes as a hostage for the safety of professions of the usurper, he himself appears to
the latter during a conference with Antigonus. have made his escape and taken refuge with
(Plut. Eulm. 10.) At a later period we find him Monunius, king of the Dardanians, whom he per.
oo 3