An empire named after Ptolemy I Soter. Ptolemy was a Macedonian general of Alexander the Great. He was appointed satrap (governor) of Egypt shortly after Alexander died in 323 BC. The empire was strongest during the third century BC. It included Egypt, Cyrenaica (Cyrene), south Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, the south coast of Asia Minor, and some Aegean islands. All the rulers of the empire came from the same family, called the Ptolemaic dynasty. Every ruler used the name Ptolemy.
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy fought many battles against other leaders who had ruled parts of Alexander's empire. He won most of these battles. In 305 BC, he became so powerful that he made himself king. Later, he helped protect the island of Rhodes when Macedonia tried to take control of it. Because he saved Rhodes, people gave him the name 'Soter,' which means 'savior.' Today, we use numbers to tell different kings with the same name apart (like Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II). But in ancient times, people used special titles instead of numbers to identify their kings.
In 301 BC, Ptolemy Soter took control of Palestine after attacking the area four times. His family would rule this land for more than 100 years. In 285 BC, he chose to no longer be king. He had built a strong kingdom where Greek people were loyal to him. He also worked hard to make peace with the Egyptian people (the original inhabitants of the land). He made Alexandria his capital city. There he built a famous library and museum and supported artists and scholars.
Ptolemy II
Ptolemy II Philadelphus ruled Egypt from 285 to 246 BC. He lived in a grand palace in Alexandria with great wealth and luxury. He supported the arts and scientific research. He made the library in Alexandria even bigger. Ptolemy II was also very powerful. His ships controlled much of the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea. He increased trade throughout his kingdom. He even built a canal to connect the Nile River to the Red Sea, which helped ships travel and trade more easily.
Ptolemy III
Ptolemy III Euergetes ruled from 246 to 221 BC. He kept control of the empire's powerful ships. Early in his rule, he won battles against the Seleucid kingdom in Mesopotamia (the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers). After these victories, he did not keep the army as strong as before. Under Ptolemy III, the empire reached its greatest power. Like his father, he supported the arts and built many public buildings and temples.
Ptolemy IV
Ptolemy IV Philopater ruled from 221 to around 203 BC. He lived an unhealthy lifestyle and was not a good ruler. Under his leadership, the empire began to grow weaker. The fighting with the Seleucid kingdom continued during his time. In 217 BC, Egypt won a major battle against Syria's king, Antiochus III. To win this battle, the Greek leaders gave weapons to Egyptian soldiers. This decision led to several rebellions over the next 30 years, as the Egyptian people began fighting against their Greek rulers.
Ptolemy V
Ptolemy V Epiphanes became king in 203 BC when he was only five years old. Because Egypt had such a young ruler, it was weak. Two powerful kings saw a chance to take parts of Egypt's empire: Antiochus III of Syria and Philip V of Macedonia. They divided parts of the empire between themselves. Syria took control of Palestine, which Egypt had ruled for more than 100 years. During this difficult time, Egypt began working closely with Rome for protection. Rome helped Egypt because it did not want Syria and Macedonia to become too powerful.
Ptolemy VI
Ptolemy VI Philometor became king in 181 BC when he was still a child. Because he was too young to rule, other people governed Egypt for him. This made Egypt even weaker. These temporary rulers tried to take Palestine back from Syria, but they failed. In 170 BC, Syria attacked Egypt and captured Ptolemy VI. Rome stepped in to help and put him back on the throne. Later, in 163 BC, Ptolemy VII tried to take power from Ptolemy VI. Again, Rome helped Ptolemy VI keep his position as king. People thought Ptolemy VI was a good ruler because he was kind and made wise decisions. Many say he was the best of all the Ptolemaic kings.
Ptolemy VII
Ptolemy VII Physcon ruled Egypt from 145 to 116 BC. He was very different from Ptolemy VI, who ruled before him. While Ptolemy VI had been kind and wise, Ptolemy VII was cruel and did not care for his people. He was also very overweight and had poor health.
The End of the Ptolemaic Empire
After Ptolemy VII died, the royal family had many conflicts with each other. The empire became unstable. During the 100s BC, Rome began to interfere more and more in Egyptian matters, claiming to help the Ptolemaic rulers. Several weak kings followed. By the time of Ptolemy XII and his daughter Cleopatra VII, Rome had gained much control over Egypt. When Cleopatra died by suicide in 30 BC, Rome took complete control of Egypt. This marked the end of the Ptolemaic Empire.