The First Ladies of Ptolemaic Egypt

Apparently, Cleopatra VII wasn't the first female pharaoh in the Ptolemaic line. Sure, you had other powerful women far before Ptolemy I took over Alexandria, like the Queens Hatshepsut and Nefertiti. But it was thought, until now, that there had never been another Ptolemaic ruler besides Ptolemy XII's favorite daughter, Cleopatra. Cleopatra VII wasn't the only Cleopatra in her royal line, but she was by far the most significant.

A little background on the Ptolemies...

Alexander of Macedon

Alexander the Great was the king and chief military commander of Macedonia. Macedonia was, circa 3rd century BC, a Grecian city-state, as Greece wasn't yet unified as a country. The city-states were constantly at war with one another, including Sparta, Athens, Corinth, and of course, Macedonia. Alliances were often made through intermarriages, but for the most part, at least until the Persians invaded the Greek mainland, the city-states remained divided. After Philip II of Macedon, Alexander's father, was murdered by conspirators, Alexander set off to conquer and Hellenize (basically Greco-fy) the entire known world. One of his closest friends, generals, and according to some sources, his distant cousin, Ptolemy, followed him to the end of the world and when Alexander died in Babylon (which he had conquered and Hellenized), the Empire was divided up amongst his generals. Ptolemy of course took Egypt, and as the first Macedonian pharaoh in Egyptian history, he based his palace out of Alexandria, the city by the sea in which Alexander had named after himself. In the two busts of Alexander and Ptolemy seen here, you can see somewhat of a resemblence.

Ptolemy I Soter

The Greco-Egyptian god Serapis

 Ptolemy loved Alexander so much that when the king's body was en route back to Macedonia, Ptolemy hijacked it and brought it back to Alexandria, where it stayed preserved until Cleopatra's reign (3 centuries later). Ptolemy sanctioned several reforms and did all he could to be accepted by his Egyptian subjects, including meshing the Greek god Zeus with the Egyptian god Apis to form Serapis (left). The Egyptians repsonded well to this and Ptolemy I's reign was considered a successful one. An older version of Ptolemy I Soter is played by Anthony Hopkins in the movie Alexander.

The Egyptians also responded well to the new Hellenistic regime taking over their cities. This is probably most due to the fact that they had revered Alexander as a liberator and savior, and more than likely, in respect to his former king and as a symbol to his connection to Alexander, Ptolemy began calling himself Soter, or savior. The Ptolemies were accepted as the new non-Egyptian dynastic family, and they continued to flourish from 305 BC under Ptolemy Soter to 30 BC under Cleopatra.

Hellenistic bust of Arsinoe II

In a new study, archaeologists have found evidence on the Ptolemaies in which Arsinoe II ruled far before Cleopatra, who was until now thought to be the only female ruler in the Ptolemaic line. Above is a Hellenstic bust of Arsinoe II, even though you see Egyptian hieroglyphics in the background. She was actually co-ruler along with her husband/brother, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Philadelphus in Greek meant 'lover of his sister'). This of course wasn't considered taboo in Ptolemaic Egypt or in ancient Egypt period, as the Ptolemies probably resorted to incest more to fit in, because the practice was more of an Egyptian pasttime than a Macedonian one. This was surely another way to incorporate themselves fully into the rule of Egypt. Arsinoe II, not to be confused with Arsinoe IV - who was the sister of Cleopatra VII, killed off as a threat of the Egyptian throne - was the daughter of Ptolemy I Soter, and was revered in Alexandria, appearing on regional coinage and having a cult formed in her honor. Ptolemy II was probably the more primary ruler here, but Arsinoe was certaintly taken seriously as a co-ruler and not simply wife to the pharaoh. Ptolemy II and Arsinoe apparently weren't born from an incestuous relationship, but they surely kept it in the bloodline after their reigns.

"Cleopatra" by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Macedonian Hellenistic influence in Egypt is one of my favorite eras in history. I'm a big fan of culture clashes and religious tolerance, and both were heavy elements found in Ptolemaic Egypt. Marcus Antonius surely found himself attracted to Macedonian-ruled Egypt, as did Julius Caesar. How could you not fall for a charismatic girl who speaks 7 languages, can hold intellectual conversions, and is an ancestor of Alexander the Great, the greatest conquerer in world history? Some years of Ptolemaic rule were marred by further incest, court intrigue, and political assassination, likened to the Renaissance Medicis and Borgias. A victory over Cleopatra of course catapulted Octavian to ultimate power in Rome, out of which he changed his name to Caesar Augustus. I once did a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Linking Greece, Egypt, and Rome: Alexander, Cleopatra, and Caesar Augustus." The is such an interesting time in western civilization. The story of Alexander spawned the story of Cleopatra, which in turned spawned the reign of Augustus. I'd like to write something one day about an alternate history - what the three rulers' stories would have looked like had Antonius and Cleopatra beaten Octavian in the Battle of Actium. Western, and world civilization would've looked a lot differently.

"An Audience at Agrippa's" by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema