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

PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS. s89
was at length terminated, or rather suspended by his accession not only threw a lustre over his
a truce for ten years; but the contest between the reign, but added some important and valuable
two brothers soon broke out afresh, and continued acquisitions to his territories; while his subjects
until the total defeat of Antiochus compelled him continued to enjoy the same internal tranquillity
to take refuge in Egypt. Here, however, he was as under his predecessors. He appears also to
received rather as a captive than an ally; probably have shown more favour than the two former
because it did not suit Ptolemy to renew hostilities monarchs towards the native-born Egyptians; and
with Syria. (Justin. xxvii. 2, 3.) he evinced a desire to encourage their religious
In regard to the remainder of the reign of feelings, not only by bringing back the statues of
Euergetes we have scarcely any information. It their gods out of Asia, but by various architectural
appears, however, that ill his foreign policy he works. Thus we find him making large additions
followed the same line as his father. We find him to the great temple at Thebes, erecting a new one
generally unfriendly to Macedonia, and on one at Esne, and dedicating a temple at Canopus to
occasion at least in open hostility with that power, Osiris in the names of himself and his queen
as we are told that he defeated Antigonus (Go- Berenice. (Wilkinson's Tlhebes, p. 425; Letronne,
*natas) in a great sea-fight off Andros (Trog. Pomp. Recueil, pp. 2-6.) On the other hand, his founProl. xxvii.); but the date and circumstances of dations of new cities and colonies were much less
this action are wholly uncertain. (See on this numerous than those of his father, though that of
subject, Niebuhr, KL. Schrift. p. 297; Droysen, Berenice in the Cyrenaica may in all probability
vol. ii. p. 364.) With the same views he con- be ascribed to him. (See Droysen, vol. ii. pp. 723
tinued to support Aratus and the Achaean league, -726.) Among the last events of his reign may
until the sudden change of policy of the former, be mentioned the magnificent presents with which
and his unnatural alliance with Macedonia, led to he assisted the Rhodians after their city had been
a corresponding change on the part of Ptolemy, overthown by an earthquake; the amount of which
who thenceforth threw all the weight of his influ- is in itself a sufficient proof of the wealth and
ence in favour of Cleomenes, to whom he afforded power which he possessed. (Polyb. v. 89.)
an honourable retreat after his decisive defeat at The death of Euergetes must have taken place
Sellasia, B. C. 222. (Plut. Arat. 24, 41, Cleom.' before the end of B.c. 222: it is clearly ascribed
22, 32; Paus. ii. 8. ~ 5.) We find him also main- by Polybius (ii. 71) to natural causes; though a
taining the same friendly relations as his father rumour followed by Justin (xxix. 1) asserted that
with Rome, though he declined the offers of assist- he was poisoned by his son, a suspicion to which
ance made him by that powerful republic during the character and subsequent conduct of the young
his war with Syria. (Eutrop. iii. ].) During the man lent sufficient countenance. He had reigned
latter years of his reign Euergetes took advantage twenty-five years in uninterrupted prosperity. By
of the state of peace in which he found himself his wife Berenice, who survived him, he left three
with his neighbours to turn his arms against the children: 1. Ptolemy, his successor; 2. Magas;
Ethiopian tribes on his southern frontier, whom he and 3. Arsinoe, afterwards married to her brother
effectually reduced to submission, and advanced as Ptolemy Philopator.
far as Adule, a port on the Red Sea, where he Trogus Pompeius twice designates Ptolemy
established an emporium, and set up an inscription Euergetes by the epithet of Tryphon (Prol. xxvii.
commemorating the exploits of his reign. To a and xxx.), an appellation which is also found in
copy of this, accidentally preserved to us by an Eusebius (p. 165, ed. Arm.). Neither this nor the
Egyptian monk, CosMnAs INDICOPLEUSTES, we title of Euergetes appears on his coins, which can
are indebted for much of the scanty information we only be distinguished from those of his two prede
possess concerning his reign. (See Buttmann's cessors by the difference of physiognomy. [E.H.B.]
Museunz f. Alterthzumswissenschaft, vol. ii. pp. 105166; the inscription itself is also given by Chishull, Antiq. Asiaticae, p. 76, and by Salt in his o %A
Travels in Abyssinia (1814), p. 453, as well as by o
Clinton, F. H. vol. iii. p. 382, note.)
Ptolemy Euergetes is scarcely less celebrated 4
than his father for his yatronage of literature and
science: he added so largely to the library at
Alexandria that he has been sometimes erroneously
deemed its founder, and the well-known anecdote A
of the stratagem by which he possessed himself of
the original manuscripts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, COIN OF PTOLEMAEUS III., KING OF EGYPT.
and Euripides, sufficiently attests the zeal with
which he pursued this object. (Galen, Comm. ad PTOLEMAEUS IV. (rnrohexuasos), king of
Hippocr. lib. iii. Epidem. p. 411; Parthey, Dos E(YPT, surnamed PHILOPATOR, was the eldest son.1 lex. MIus. p. 88.) Among the distinguished men -and successor of Ptolemy Euergetes. He was very far
of letters who flourished at Alexandria during his from inheriting the virtues or abilities of his father:
reign, the names of Eratosthenes, Apollonius Rho- and his reign was the commencement of the decline
dius, and Aristophanes, the grammarian, are alone of the Egyptian kingdom, which had been raised to
sufficient to prove that the literature and learning such a height of power and prosperity by his three
of the Alexandrian school still retained their former predecessors. Its first beginning was stained with
eminence. crimes of the darkest kind. Among his earliest
The reign of Euergetes may undoubtedly be acts, on assuming the sovereign power (B. c. 222),
looked upon as the most flourishing period of the was to put to death his mother, Berenice, and his
Egyptian kingdom. (See Polyb. v. 34.) His brother, Magas, of whose influence and popularity
brilliant military successes in the first years after with the army he was jealous, as well as his un cle