Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Lore & Background

Ptolemy II was the son of Ptolemy I and his third wife, Berenice I, born on the island of Kos in 309/308 BC during his father's invasion of the Aegean in the Fourth Diadoch War. He had two full sisters, Arsinoe II and Philotera. Ptolemy was educated by a number of the most distinguished intellectuals of the age, including Philitas of Cos and Strato of Lampsacus. At his birth, his older half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos was the heir presumptive. As Ptolemy II grew older a struggle for the succession developed between them, culminating in Ptolemy Keraunos' departure from Egypt around 287 BC. On 28 March 284 BC, Ptolemy I had Ptolemy II declared king, formally elevating him to the status of co-regent. The co-regency continued until Ptolemy I's death in April–June 282 BC. One ancient account claims that Ptolemy II murdered his father, but other sources say that he died of old age, which is more likely given that he was in his mid-eighties.

Reader's Guide

Ptolemy II's reign marked the apex of Alexandrian court splendor, with his patronage of the Museum and Library establishing Alexandria as a center of learning. His aggressive foreign policy brought mixed results: from 275 to 271 BC, he led the Ptolemaic Kingdom against the rival Seleucid Empire in the First Syrian War and extended Ptolemaic power into Cilicia and Caria, but lost control of Cyrenaica after the defection of his half-brother Magas. In the Chremonidean War (c. 267–261 BC), Ptolemy confronted Antigonid Macedonia for control of the Aegean and suffered serious setbacks. This was followed by a Second Syrian War (260–253 BC) against the Seleucid empire, in which many of the gains from the first war were lost. His marriage to his full sister Arsinoe II, shocking to Greeks but conforming to Egyptian tradition, set a precedent for later Ptolemaic monarchs. Around 275 BC, Ptolemaic forces invaded Nubia and annexed the northern twelve miles of territory, the Dodekaschoinos, securing rich gold mines at Wadi Allaqi where Ptolemy founded a city called Berenice Panchrysus and instituted a large-scale mining programme.

Did You Know?

• Ptolemy II was given the epithet 'Philadelphos' (sibling-lover) after marrying his full sister Arsinoe II, a practice shocking to Greeks but conforming to Egyptian pharaonic tradition.
• The poet Sotades, who mocked Ptolemy II's sibling marriage, was exiled and assassinated.
• Ptolemy II had a canal from the Nile near Bubastis to the Gulf of Suez cleared and restored to operation in 270/269 BC, commemorated in the Pithom Stele.
• Around 275 BC, Ptolemy II hired 4,000 Galatian mercenaries who mutinied; he marooned them on a deserted island in the Nile where they perished by one another's hands or by famine.
• Ptolemy II's Nubian campaign (c. 275 BC) annexed the Dodekaschoinos and secured gold mines at Wadi Allaqi, where he founded the city Berenice Panchrysus.