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

PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS. 587
cured solely from India, and so important did he records of the Egyptians; and according to a welldeem this resource that he founded a city or fortress known tradition, -which, disguised as it has been
named Ptolemais on the confines of Ethiopia, solely by fables, may not be without an historical foundawith a view to this object (Agatharchides ap. Phot. tion,-it was by his express command that the
p. 441, b, 453, a; Hieronym. ad Dan. xi. 5; Plin. Holy Scriptures of the Jews were translated into
H. N. vi. 34; Diod. iii. 36). With Ergamenes, the Greek (Joseph. xii. 2. For the fuller investigaGreek king of Meroe, he appears to have main- tion of this subject, see ARISTEAS). Whatever
tained friendly relations. In order to command the truth there may be in this tale, it is certain that
important navigation and commerce of the Red Sea, he treated the Jewish colonists, many of whom
he founded the city of ArsinoP at the head of the had already settled at Alexandria under Ptolemy
gulf (on the site of the modern Suez), and that of Soter, with much favour, and not only allowed
Berenice on the coast almost under the tropic. them perfect toleration for their religion, but apThe former he connected with the Nile by renew- pears to have placed them in many respects on a
ing and clearing out the canal which had previously par with his Greek subjects. (Joseph. 1. c.)
been constructed by Necho, while he opened a high The fine arts met with scarcely less encourageroad from Berenice to Coptos on the Nile, which ment under Ptolemy than literature and science,
continued for ages to be the route by which all the but his patronage does not appear to have given
merchandise of India, Arabia, and Aethiopia was rise to any school of painting or sculpture of real
conveyed to Alexandria. Not contented with this, merit; and we are told that Aratus gained his
we find him sending Satyrus on a voyage of dis- favour by presents of pictures of the Sicyonic
covery along the western coast of the Red Sea, and school. (Plut. A-at. 12.) His architectural
founding another city of Berenice as far south as works, on the contrary, were of a superior order,
the latitude of MeroP (Strab. xvii. pp. 770, 804, and many of the most splendid buildings at Alex815; Plin. H. N. vi. 34; Died. i. 33; Droysen, andria were erected or completed under his reign,
Hellenism. vol. ii. p. 735 —738; Letronne, Rec. especially the museum, the lighthouse on the
des Inscr. p. 180-188). It was doubtless also island of Pharos, and the royal burial place or
with a view to the extension of his commerce with sepulchre, to which he removed the body of AlexIndia that we find him sending an ambassador of ander from Memphis, while he deposited there
the name of Dionysius to the native princes of that the remains of his father and mother (Paus. i. 7.
country. (Plin. H. N. vi. 21.) ~ I; Strab. xvii. p. 791). As a farther proof of
But it is more especially as the patron and pro- his filial piety he raised a temple to the memory of
meoter of literature and science that the name of Ptolemy and Berenice, in which their statues were
Philadelphus is justly celebrated. The institutions consecrated as tutelary deities of Egypt (Theocr.
of which the foundations had been laid by his Id. xvii. 123). The new cities or colonies founded
father quickly rose under his fostering care to the by Philadelphus in different parts of his dominions
highest prosperity. The Museum of Alexandria were extremely numerous. On the Red Sea alone
became the resort and abode of all the most dis- we find at least two bearing the name of ArsinoU,
tinguished men of letters of the day, and in the one called after another of his sisters Philotera,
library attached to it were accumulated all the and two cities named in honour of his mother
treasures of ancient learning. The first person who Berenice. The same names occur also in Cilicia
filled the office of librarian appears to have been and Syria: and in the latter country he founded
Zenodotus of Ephesus, who had previously been the important fortress of Ptolemais in Palestine.
the preceptor of Ptolemy: his successor was the (Concerning these various foundations, see Droysen,
poet Callimachus. (Suid. s. v. Zs6So'rTos; Parthey, Hellenism. vol. ii. pp. 678, 699, 721, 731, &c.; Ledas Alex. Museum, p. 71; Ritschl, die Alex. Bib- tronne, Recueil des Inscr. pp. 180-188.)
liothek, p. 19.) Among the other illustrious names All authorities concur in attesting the great
which adorned the court and reign of Ptolemy, power and wealth, to which the Egyptian monmay be mentioned those of the poets Philetas and archy was raised under Philadelphus. We are
Theocritus (the last of whom has left us a laboured told that he possessed at the close of his reign a
panegyric upon the Egyptian monarch, which is of standing army of 200,000 foot and 40,000 horse,
some importance in an historical point of view), the besides war-chariots and elephants; a fleet of
philosophers Hegesias and Theodorus, the mathe- 1500 ships, among which were many vessels of
matician Euclid, and the astronomers Timocharis, stupendous size; and a sum of 740,000 talents in
Aristarchus of Samos, and Aratus. It was not his treasury; while he derived from Egypt alone an
merely by his munificence, or the honours which annual revenue of 14,800 talents (Appian. praef.
~he bestowed upon these eminent men that Ptolemy 10; Hieronym. ad Daniel. xi. 5). His dominions
was able to attract them to his court: he had him- comprised, besides Egypt itself, and portions of
self received a learned education, and appears to Ethiopia, Arabia, and Libya, the important prohave possessed a genuine love of literature, while vinces of Phoenicia and Coele-Syria, together with
many anecdotes attest to us the friendly and fa- Cyprus, Lycia, Caria, and the Cyclades: and
miliar terms upon which he associated with the during a great part at least of his reign, Cilicia and
distinguished strangers whom he had gathered Pamphylia also (Theocrit. Idyll. xvii. 86-90;
around him. Nor was his patronage confined to Droysen, 1. c. p. 316). Before his death Cyrene
the ordinary cycle of Hellenic literature. By his was reunited to the monarchy by the marriage of
interest in natural history he gave a stimulus to his son Ptolemy with Berenice, the daughter of
the pursuit of that science, which gave birth Magas.
to many important works, while he himself The private life and relations of Philadelphus
formed collections of rare animals within the pre- are far from displaying his character in as favourcincts of the royal palace. It was during his able a light as we might haveinferred from the splenreign also, and perhaps at his desire, that Manetho dour of his administration. Almost immediately on
gave to the world in a Greek form the historical his accession he had banished Demetrius Phalereus,