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Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaîos Philádelphos, "Ptolemy, sibling-lover"; 309 – 28 January 246 BC) was the pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 284 to 246 BC. He was the son of Ptolemy I, the Macedonian Greek general of Alexander the Great who founded the Ptolemaic Kingdom after the ...
- Youth & Succession
- Marriages
- Reign
- Patronage of The Arts & Sciences
- Economic Policy
- Nubia & The Red Sea
- Military Expenditures
- Wars with Macedon & The Seleucids
- Later Life & Death
Ptolemy II was born in Kos in 308 or 309 BCE to Ptolemy I and Berenice I of Egypt, his third wife. Ptolemy II had a full-blooded sister, Arsinoe II (l. c. 318/311 to c. 270/268 BCE), and several half-siblings, many of whom were destined to rule themselves. On his father's side, his half-brothers Ptolemy Keraunos (also spelled Ceraunus, r. 281-279 B...
Ptolemy II married Arsinoe I, the daughter of Lysimachus of Thrace shortly after the death of his father. Their marriage produced several children, including King Ptolemy III (r. 246-222 BCE) and the Seleucidqueen Berenice Syra (r. 252-246 BCE). Meanwhile, Ptolemy II's full-blooded sister Arsinoe II married Lysimachus c. 300 BCE and had two sons by...
Some of the greatest achievements of Ptolemy II's reign were the establishment of institutions to manage the Ptolemaic empire and keep the peoples under its rule relatively united. Ptolemy II presented different faces to his subjects, to fit their cultural expectations of rulers. In propaganda directed at his Egyptian subjects, he presented the ima...
Ptolemy II had a personal love of knowledge and oversaw the construction of the Library of Alexandria. In addition to being a repository of literature, the library also acted as a learning institution, similar to a modern university. Because of this, it drew many of the brightest minds in Greece to Alexandria, where they served the Ptolemaic court....
Ptolemy II initiated numerous architectural and cultural projects throughout Egypt. One of the largest of these undertakings was the draining of marshes in the Faiyum and Oxyrhynchus, to create farmland for retired soldiers to settle on. The agricultural productivity of these regions further enriched the royal treasury. He also built various public...
Throughout the 270s BCE, Ptolemy II waged a series of military campaigns in the neighboring kingdom of Nubia. This was the only military campaign that Ptolemy II personally led. Out of these campaigns came the conquest of the Dodekaschoinos in lower Nubia, extending the Ptolemaic kingdom's border to its southernmost point. The Dodekaschoinos provid...
Ptolemy II waged various campaigns throughout his reign, often taking advantage of instability in neighboring kingdoms to expand the borders of the Ptolemaic empire. Historian Christelle Fischer-Bovet estimated that roughly 80% of the kingdom's revenue was spent on its military and navy during the reign of Ptolemy II. In addition to paying and armi...
During the Syrian War of Succession (280-279 BCE), also known as the Carian War, Ptolemy II took advantage of the fact that the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter was distracted by civil unrest. He annexed territories in Asia Minor, as far as Caria and Samos, which became an important naval base for the Ptolemaic Kingdom. In the First Syrian War (274-...
By 268 BCE, Arsinoe II had died, and Ptolemy II appointed "Ptolemy the Son" as his heir. The identity of Ptolemy the Son is unclear, and modern scholars disagree over possible candidates. The most likely is Ptolemy of Telmessus, Arsinoe II's son by Lysimachus. Ptolemy II later had a falling out with his first heir and changed his heir to Ptolemy II...
- Arienne King
Aug 22, 2024 · daughter Berenice. Role In: Chremonidean War. Syrian Wars. Ptolemy II Philadelphus (born 308 bce, Cos—died 246) was the king of Egypt (285–246 bce), second king of the Ptolemaic dynasty, who extended his power by skillful diplomacy, developed agriculture and commerce, and made Alexandria a leading centre of the arts and sciences.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus ("The Sibling Loving", r. 282-246 BCE) was the second ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. He consolidated the kingdom conquered by his father Ptolemy I and presided over its golden age.
- Arienne King
Jan 11, 2022 · Ptolemy II Philadelphus, known as Ptolemy the Great, ruled Ptolemaic Egypt from 283–246 BC, fostering economic, cultural, and political advancements. He expanded Egyptian influence through strategic diplomacy and military success, like prevailing in the Syrian Wars. A patron of the arts and sciences, Ptolemy II culti...
Sep 29, 2021 · By the time Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ruled 284-246 BC) came to the throne of Egypt, Egypt had long ceased being an important power in the Mediterranean Basin or the Near East. The last great Egyptian dynasty was the Twenty-Sixth (664-525 BC), after which a series of weak native dynasties came to the throne interspersed with two periods of Achaemenid Persian rule.
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A bust depicting Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus 309–246 BC. Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who succeeded his father as pharaoh of Egypt in 283 BC, [22] was a peaceful and cultured pharaoh, though unlike his father was no great warrior.
