Ptolemy I Soter: Themes and IssuesPtolemy I, whose epithet was Savior, was in many respects the most successful of all of Alexander the Great's successors. He created the longest lasting of the Hellenistic kingdoms that rose in the aftermath of the great conqueror's death, ending with the death of Cleopatra VII and Egypt's incorporation into the Roman Empire. This book is not a standard biography, but rather an examination of the major issues surrounding Ptolemy's reign, the major controversies and questions surrounding his career and legacy. What were his ultimate ambitions? How did he administer his kingdom? What was his role in the demise of the unified empire created by Alexander? Ptolemy's administration of this foreign land, although privileging colonists from Greece and Macedonia over native Egyptians, maintained a level of political stability in a land with a long history of resisting foreign rule. Each of the key themes discussed in the chapters follows a chronological order so that readers unfamiliar with the life of Ptolemy can follow the narrative. Each chapter includes a discussion of the major academic positions on each issue and an evaluation of the primary historical and archaeological evidence. Ptolemy I Soter: Themes and Issues brings new clarity to the history of one of the chief architects of the Hellenistic Age. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 An Early Life Imagined | 13 |
3 The Man with a Plan | 29 |
4 The Destruction of an Empire | 45 |
5 The General | 67 |
6 The Lord of Egypt | 103 |
7 Ptolemy and Religion | 127 |
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Alex Alexander Alexander’s Alexander's death Alexandria alliance allies Amyntas Anab Anson Antigonus Antipater Apis appear Argead Aristobulus aristocratic army Arrhidaeus Arrian Asia Minor Athenian Athens attempt Babylon battle became Bessus Bosworth campaign captured Caria Cassander Cilicia Cleitus Coelê Syria commander Companion Cavalry Conqueror's Craterus created Cult of Serapis Curt Curtius Cyprus Cyrene defeated Demetr Demetrius Diadoch Diod Diodorus Diodorus 18 dynasty Egypt Diod elite empire Eumenes father FGrH fleet force garrisons Gaza Greece Heckel Hellenistic hetairoi hypaspists individuals infantry invade invasion of Egypt Justin king king’s Lagus land later Leonnatus Lysimachus Macedonian marriage married Meleager Memphis mercenaries military Moreover Nile Osiris Paus Perdiccas Persian Gates Peucestas pharaoh Philip Phoenicia Plut Plutarch Polyaen Polyperchon proclaimed Ptolemy Ptolemy’s Ptolemy’s history Pyrrhus regent respect role royal ruler satrap Seleucus Serapis siege Siwah soldiers somatophylaces sources Succ Successors suggests surviving Thebes throne traditional troops Tyre