Macedonian general, founder and first Pharaoh of Ptolemaic Kingdom
"Ptolemy I" redirects here. For the medieval count, see Ptolemy I of Tusculum.
Ptolemy I
Bust of Ptolemy I Soter, located at the Louvre.
Pharaoh
King of the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Reign
305 – January 282 BC
Predecessor
Alexander IV
Successor
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Royal titulary
Horus name
wr-pḥty nsw ḳni Wer pehty nesu qeny Great of strength and brave king[1]
Nebty name
iṯi m sḫm ḥḳꜢ ṯl Itji em sekhem heqa tjel Who has seized with (his own) power, the ruler of Sile[1]
Prenomen (Praenomen)
stp n rꜤ mry imn Setepenre meryimen Chosen by Ra and beloved of Amun [1]
Nomen
ptwlmys Ptolemys Ptolemy[1]
Consorts
Thaïs
Artakama
Eurydice
Berenice
Children
(at least 12)
Ptolemy Keraunos
Meleager
Arsinoe II
Philotera
Lysandra
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Berenice
Eirene
Lagus
Leontiscus
Ptolemais
Father
Lagus
Mother
Arsinoe of Macedon
Born
c. 367 BC Eordaea, Macedon, Greece
Died
January 282 BC (aged 84–85) Alexandria, Ptolemaic Kingdom
Dynasty
Ptolemaic dynasty
Ptolemy I Soter (/ˈtɒləmi/; Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr "Ptolemy the Savior"; c. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek[2] general, historian, and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered on Egypt and led by his progeny from 305 BC – 30 BC. Ptolemy was basileus and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 305/304 BC to his death,[3] during which time Egypt became a thriving bastion of Hellenistic civilization and Alexandria a great seat of Greek culture.
Ptolemy I was the son of Arsinoe of Macedon by either her husband Lagus or Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander. However, the latter is unlikely and may be a myth fabricated to glorify the Ptolemaic Dynasty.[4] Ptolemy was one of Alexander's most trusted companions and military officers. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Ptolemy retrieved his body as it was en route to be buried in Macedon, placing it in Memphis instead, where it was later moved to Alexandria in a new tomb. Afterwards he joined a coalition against Perdiccas, the royal regent over Philip III of Macedon. The latter invaded Egypt but was assassinated by his own officers in 320 BC, allowing Ptolemy I to consolidate his control over the country. After a series of wars between Alexander's successors, Ptolemy gained a claim to Judea in southern Syria, which was disputed with the Seleukid king Seleucus I. He also took control of Cyprus and Cyrenaica, the latter of which was placed under the control of Ptolemy's stepson Magas. Ptolemy also had the Library of Alexandria built.
Ptolemy I may have married Thaïs, his mistress during the life of Alexander; he is known to have married the Persian noblewoman Artakama on Alexander's orders. He later married Eurydice, daughter of the Macedonian regent Antipater; their sons Ptolemy Keraunos and Meleager ruled in turn as kings of Macedon. Ptolemy's final marriage was to Eurydice's cousin and lady-in-waiting, Berenice I. Ptolemy I died in 282 BC and was succeeded by his son with Berenice, Ptolemy II.
^ abcdLeprohon 2013, p. 178.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Hölbl, Günther (2013). A History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Routledge. p. 21. ISBN 9781135119836.
^Alexandre le Grand. Librairie Droz. 1962. p. 155. ISBN 978-2-600-04414-1.
PtolemyISoter (/ˈtɒləmi/; Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr "Ptolemy the Savior"; c. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general...
son of PtolemyISoter, he was originally heir to the throne of Ptolemaic Egypt, but he was displaced in favour of his younger brother Ptolemy II Philadelphus...
Berenice I (Greek: Βερενίκη; c. 340 BC – between 279 and 268 BC) was Queen of Egypt by marriage to PtolemyISoter. She became the second queen, after...
305 BC he declared himself Pharaoh PtolemyI, later known as Sōter "Saviour". The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs...
Ptolemy XV Caesar (/ˈtɒləmi/; Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Καῖσαρ, Ptolemaios Kaisar; 23 June 47 BC – 29 August 30 BC), nicknamed Caesarion (Greek: Καισαρίων, Kaisaríōn...
his body was initially buried in Memphis by one of his generals, PtolemyISoter, before being transferred to Alexandria, where it was reburied. Julius...
Antiochus ISoter (Greek: Ἀντίοχος Σωτήρ, Antíochos Sōtér; "Antiochus the Savior"; c. 324/3 – 2 June 261 BC) was a Macedonian king of the Seleucid Empire...
as initiated by his father Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Ptolemy III was the eldest son of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe I. When Ptolemy III was young, his mother...
Hellenistic period. It was founded in 305 BC by the Macedonian general PtolemyISoter, a companion of Alexander the Great, and ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty...
to PtolemyISoter, who may have established plans for the Library, but the Library itself was probably not built until the reign of his son Ptolemy II...
brother-in-law Pyrrhus of Epirus. His fifth wife was Ptolemais, daughter of PtolemyISoter and Eurydice of Egypt, by whom he had a son called Demetrius the Fair...
Cleopatra I Syra (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα ἡ Σύρα; c. 204 – 176 BC) was a princess of the Seleucid Empire, Queen of Ptolemaic Egypt by marriage to Ptolemy V of Egypt...
son of Ptolemy X Alexander I and Cleopatra Selene. Ptolemy XI was born to Ptolemy X Alexander I and supposedly Cleopatra Selene. His uncle Ptolemy IX Lathryos...
Demetrius I (Ancient Greek: Δημήτριος Α`, 185 – June 150 BC), surnamed Soter (Ancient Greek: Σωτήρ), reigned as king (basileus) of the Hellenistic Seleucid...
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemaĩos; c. 62 BC – 13 January 47 BC) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 51 to 47 BC, and one...
crossed the Hydaspes river on a boat, he was accompanied by Perdiccas, PtolemyISoter, Lysimachus and also Seleucus. During the subsequent Battle of the...
the Great and establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty by his general PtolemyISoter, one of the Hellenistic diadochi from Macedon in northern Greece. With...
Eurydice (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη) was the third known wife to PtolemyISoter and as such a queen of Egypt. Eurydice (ca. 330–post 279 BCE) is thought...
them, Ptolemy, son of Lagos, secured rule of Egypt and made it the base for his own imperial ambitions. To legitimize his rule as PtolemyISoter (r. 323–282...
BC. He succeeded his father Antiochus ISoter in the winter of 262–61 BC. He was the younger son of Antiochus I and princess Stratonice, the daughter...
popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh PtolemyISoter, as a means to unify the Greek and Egyptian subjects of the Ptolemaic...
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