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

PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS. 585
evitably be broken up, and who wisely directed his between the king and the men of letters by whom
endeavours to secure for himself the possession of an he was surrounded, and prove that the easy famiimportant and valuable portion, instead of wasting liarity of his manners corresponded with his simple
hi;s strength in idle attempts to grasp the whole. and unostentatious habits of life. We also find
But whatever were the faults of Ptolemy as an him maintaining a correspondence with Menander,
individual, as a ruler he certainly deserves the whom he in vain endeavoured to attract to his
highest praise. By his able and vigorous admin- court, and sending overtures probably of a similar.istration he laid the foundations of the wealth and nature to Theophrastus. (Suid. s. v. ME'vavpos;
prosperity which Egypt enjoyed for a long period, Diog. Lairt. v. 37.) Nor were the fine arts
and which even many successive generations of neglected: the rival painters Antiphilus and
misrule were afterwards insufficient to destroy. Apelles both exercised their talents at Alexandria,
l-ie restored order to the finances of the country, where some of their most celebrated pictures were
encouraged commerce and industry, and introduced produced. (Plin. H. N. xxxv. 36; Lucian. de
a system of administration which appears to have Calumn. 2.)
been well suited to the peculiar state of society But Ptolemy was not content with the praise of
which had so long existed in Egypt, and to the an enlightened patron and friend of literature; lihe
religious and social prejudices of the nation. (See sought for himself also the fame of an author, and
on this subject Droysen, Hellenismus, vol. ii. composed an historical narrative of the wars of
pp. 34 —52.) Under his fostering care Alexandria Alexander, which is frequently cited by later
quickly rose to the place designed for it by its writers, and is one of the chief authorities which
founder, that of the greatest commercial city of the Arrian made the groundwork of his own history.
world. Among other measures for the prosperity That author repeatedly praises Ptolemy for the
of his new capital we find Ptolemy establishing fidelity of his narrative and the absence of all
there a numerous colony of Jews, who frequently fables and exaggerations, and justly pays the
acted an important part during the reigns of his greatest deference to his authority, on account of
successors. (Joseph. Ant. xii. 1.) With this ex- his personal acquaintance with the events which
ception, the policy of the king was mainly directed he relates. No notice of his style has been preto the prosperity of his Greek subjects, while the served to us, from which we may probably infer
native Egyptians, though no longer subjected to that his work was not so much distinguished in
the oppressions they had suffered under former this respect as for its historical value. Arrian
rulers, were kept in comparative obscurity. Nor expressly tells us that it was composed by him
do we find that the first Ptolemy showed any after he was established on the throne of Egypt,
especial marks of favour to their religion, though and probably during the latter years of his life.
to him is ascribed the first introduction of the (Arr. Anab. i. prooem. The other passages in
foreign worship of Serapis, and the foundation of which his authority is cited are collected, and all
the celebrated temple dedicated to that divinity at the information relating to his history brought
Alexandria. (Tac. Hist. iv. 84; Plut. de Isid. et together by Geier,. de Ptolemaei Lagidae Vita et
Osirid. 28.) [SERAPIS.] Scriptis, pp. 72-77; and in his ScriptoresHistoriae
Not less eminent or conspicuous were the ser- Alex. Mayni, pp. 1-26. The fragments are also
vices rendered by Ptolemy to the advancement of given in the edition of Arrian published by Didot,
literature and science. In this department indeed at Paris, 1846.) It appears also that the letters
it is not always easy to distinguish the portion of of Ptolemy to Seleucus were extant at a later
credit due to the father from that of his son: but period, and were collected by one Dionysodorus, of
it seems certain that to the elder monarch belongs whom nothing more is known. (Lucian. Pro Lcaps.
the merit of having originated those literary insti- inZ Salut. 10.)
tutions which assumed a more definite and regular Ptolemy had been three times married: 1. to
form, as well as a more prominent place, under his the Persian princess Artacama [see above, p. 581],
successor. Such appears to have been the case by whom he appears to have had no children; 2. to
with the two most celebrated of all, the Library Eurydice, the daughter of Antipater, who had
and the Museum of Alexandria. (See Droysen, borne him three sons-Ptolemy Ceraunus, MeHellenisnm. vol. ii. p. 43; Geier, de Ptolenzaei La- leager, and one whose name is not mentioned
gidae Vita, p. 61; Parthey, Das Alexanbrinische (Paus. i. 7. ~ i.), and two daughters, Lysandra
Museunm, pp. 36-49; Ritschl. Die Alexandr. and Ptolemais; 3. to Berenice, who became the
Bibliothek. pp. 14-16.) mother of Ptolemy Philadelphus as well as of
The first suggestion of these important foun- ArsinoA, the wife of Lysimachus. For further
dations is ascribed by some writers to Demetrius information concerning his children by these marof Phalerus, who spent all the latter years of his riages, see the articles ARSINOE and BERENICE.
life at the court of Ptolemy, and became one of his But besides these, he became the father of a numost confidential friends and advisers. But many mnerous progeny by various concubines, of whom
other men of literary eminence were also gathered
around the Egyptian king: among whom may be
especially noticed the great geometer Euclid, the
philosophers Stilpo of Megara, Theodorus of Cyrene, i
and Diodorus surnamed Cronus; as well as the
elegiac poet Philetas of Cos, and the grammarian
Zenodotus. (Diog. Laert. ii. 102, 111, 115, v. 37,
78; Plut. de Exil. 7, 4Apoplth. Reg. p. 189, d; \
Suid. s.. v. 4,Arras and Zrdvo'oros.) To the two last
we are told Ptolemy confided the literary education,of his son Philadelphus. Many anecdotes sufficiently attest the free intercourse which subsisted COIN OF PTOLEMAEUS i., KING OF EGYPT.