Ptolémée Ier

Genealogy

Biography

Career under Alexandre

August 1st

Ptolémée is born in Macedonia about the year -367. Wire legitimate of Lagos (from or comes the term “lagide” which indicates this line), it could be in fact, according to Pausanias, a bastard child of Philippe {{II}}, father of Alexandre (Lagos would have done nothing but assume paternity for its king). Friend of childhood of Alexandre, it becomes about it one of the Sômatophylaques (bodyguards) and of the closest lieutenants. Its rise is as much due to its military values than with its friendship with Alexandre. With the division of Babylon which follows the death of Alexandre in -323, it receives the rich person satrapie of Egypt in the name of the kings Philippe {{III}} and Alexandre {{IV}}. At the time of the council of Babylon, Ptolémée would have proposed that the deliberations are led around the throne and of the royal attributes of Alexandre.

Satrap of Egypt

As of -323, it seizes with the contempt the agreements Babylon the Cyrénaïque. Especially, towards -322, it diverts the funerary convoy which must lead the crowned skin of Alexandre of Babylon as far as Macedonia. What causes the immediate reaction of Perdiccas, Chiliarque of the empire, which carries its army against Egypt while its ally, Eumène de Cardia, fight in Asia Mineure against the coalition carried out by Antipater, Cratère and Antigone. But in -321, Perdiccas fails to invade Egypt whose Eastern border is well defended by Ptolémée. Perdiccas fails in front of Péluse, then in vain tries to make pass the the Nile to its army, which rings the knell of its offensive. After the assassination of Perdiccas in Egypt, Ptolémée refuses regency intelligently. Between -319 and -318, it seizes the Syria then is withdrawn vis-a-vis advanced from Antigone. In -312, it takes again Syria before folding up in Egypt in -311. In -308, it conducts a campaign mitigated in continental Greece against the possessions of Cassandre. It includes/understands whereas Egypt must become a Thalassocratie but in -306, it undergoes off Cyprus a maritime cuisante demolished vis-a-vis Démétrios {{Ier}} Poliorcète, but takes nevertheless the title of king with the others Diadoques following Antigone in -305. Thanks to its powerful fleet, it conquers Cyprus, with depends on Démétrios, a final way in -295.

King d' Égypte

Ptolémée receives the epithet of Sôter (Σωτήρ, “the saver”) by the Rhodiens to which it carries help in -305 whereas they were besieged by the fleet of Démétrios. Then it is made proclaim Pharaon in -305/-304. In -302, Lysimaque, Séleucos and Ptolémée league against Antigone, but Ptolémée shows little eagerness to fight and after the Bataille of Ipsos in -301, its allies refuse to give him the Cœlé-Syria, which will be from now on the stake of a permanent argument between Lagides and Séleucides during the six Guerres of Syria.

It institutes as capital Alexandria of which he is the large manufacturer and founds a colony of veterans with Ptolémaïs, in the south of Memphis. It continues the construction of the headlight which it connects to the ground. In -288, it launches the construction of the Bibliothèque of Alexandria, which belongs to the Museion , the Temple of the Muses, including/understanding the university of Alexandria, one of the first of the history, and an Academy, where to appointment the poets, scientists and artists invited by Ptolémées are given. It accommodates at its court of the historians, such as Clitarque, in order to glorifier the memory of Alexandre and to sit his prestige. It also makes build the majestic tomb ( sêmaa ) of Alexandre. It is with its request that the priest Manéthon writes in Greek a Histoire of Egypt counting the name of the ancient Pharaons. It sets up an effective administration combining Greek rationalism and the Egyptian tradition. Lastly, Ptolémée makes restore with the Egyptian clergy the statues of the gods, furniture and the books previously stolen in the temples by Xerxès {{Ier}} and recovered since the conquest Macedonian. And to mark its membership of the Egyptian habits, it makes celebrate its Festival-Sed and launches a program of restoration and constructions of temples of Egyptian tradition.

Towards -285, Ptolémée publishes its Mémoires , now lost, where he tells with precision the military campaigns carried out by Alexandre. Its Memories , although inevitably partial, like those written by Aristobule, inspires the Anabase of Arrien which offers most reliable of the ancient accounts (preserved at our days) of the conquest Macedonian. Arrien considers Ptolémée as a witness worthy of faith since it took not only share with forwarding, but that, king himself, it is dishonouring to him to lie; moreover, Ptolémée having transmitted its Memories a long time after the death of Alexandre, to deform the facts does not represent for him a need. The Mémoires of Ptolémée are also one of the primary sources of Plutarque in the Vie of Alexandre . They represent with final, via Arrien and Plutarque, a historical tradition different from that resulting from Clitarque that Diodore of Sicily, Fifth-Curce and Trogue-Pumped (authors of the Vulgate of Alexandre) largely consulted.

With its death, Ptolémée leaves a flourishing State. Ptolémée {{II}} Philadelphe succeeds to him on the throne of Egypt in -283. It is at the time of its burial that the body of Alexandre is repatriated of Memphis to Alexandria where the construction of the tomb was completed.

With the courtesan Thai, it has three children: two wire and a girl, who marries the king of Cyprus Eunoste. It Marie then three times. Initially with Artacama, girl of the Satrap Artabase, married on the order of Alexandre at the time of the weddings of Suse in -324. Then in -321 it marries Eurydice, girl of Antipater of which it has a son, Ptolémée Kéraunos (called “the Lightning” because of its character violate), and two girls, Ptolémaïs and Lysandra. Lastly, he marries, between -316 and -310, following of Eurydice, Bérénice, of which he has four children: two wire, the future Ptolémée {{II}} and Argées, and two girls, Arsinoé and Philatéra.

Random links: