Egypt. The priests at Canopus declared their status in
238 B.C.E.
Ptolemy IV Philopator (d. 205 B.C.E.) Fourth ruler of
the Ptolemaic Period
He reigned from 221 B.C.E. until his death. The son of
PTOLEMY III EUERGETESand Queen BERENICE(3), he was
controlled by SOSIBIUS Alexander, a Greek counselor.
Ptolemy IV is believed to have poisoned his mother and
scalded his brother, MAGAS, to death. Because of his disso-
lute ways, Ptolemy IV could not maintain the loyalty of
the various court officials.
Sensing this weakness, ANTIOCHUS III, the Seleucid
king, threatened the Egyptian vassal territory of Caele
Syria, some distance from Egypt’s military defenses. Arabs
in the region and defecting Egyptians joined Antiochus,
but in 217 B.C.E., using phalanx maneuvers skillfully, the
armies of Ptolemy IV defeated Antiochus at Raphia in
southern Palestine. Ptolemy IV, however, did not follow
up on his military advantage but made peace.
Called Philopator, “Lover of His Father,” Ptolemy IV
married his sister, ARSINOE (3), and she bore him
PTOLEMY V EPIPHANES. In time, however, Ptolemy IV was
controlled more and more by Sosibius and other coun-
selors, including AGATHOCLES(2),and his sister, Agatho-
clea. They aided him in his excesses.
Native Egyptians in the Delta rebelled against him as
a result, and by 205 B.C.E., the revolt was nationwide.
Restoring order, Ptolemy IV refrained from all foreign
interventions and began good relations with MEROËin
Nubia (modern Sudan). A PHILAE inscription lists the
cooperation between Ptolemy IV and King ARKAMANIof
Meroë in building a temple for the Nubian deity
ARSENUPHISat Aswan. He also received ambassadors from
Rome who were seeking grain. When Ptolemy IV died
from his excesses, Sosibius and his confederates did not
allow the news to be made public. To safeguard their own
lives, they murdered Queen Arsinoe and installed
Ptolemy V on the throne before announcing the royal
death. Riots followed the announcements.
Ptolemy V Epiphanes(d. 180 B.C.E.) Fifth ruler of the
Ptolemaic Period
He reigned from 205 B.C.E. until his death. The son of
PTOLEMY IV PHILOPATORand Queen ARSINOE(3), Ptolemy
V was only five years of age when the court counselor
SOSIBIUSand his allies crowned him as king. These con-
spirators then murdered Queen Arsinoe. At the corona-
tion, Sosibius issued writs of exile in the ruler’s name
against prominent Egyptians who opposed his powers.
Sosibius, however, was soon forced to retire, and AGATHO-
CLES(2) became the young ruler’s master.
General TLEPOLEMUS, the governor of Egypt’s frontier
city, PELUSIUM, did not intend to allow Queen Arsinoe’s
murderers to go unpunished. He rode into ALEXANDRIA
with a small force and gathered the people of the city
behind his impromptu army as he demanded that
Ptolemy V be brought before the people. Agathocles had
to allow the young ruler to appear in the arena, and there
Tlepolemus accused the courtiers of murder. The Alexan-
drian people swept through the city when they heard the
names of the criminals. Agathocles, Agathoclea, and their
allies died at the hands of the outraged populace.
Freed of the courtiers, Ptolemy V Epiphanes was
crowned again in MEMPHIS in a grand ceremony.
Epiphanes meant “God Manifest.” The event was accom-
panied by a decree remitting debts and taxes, releasing
prisoners, benefiting temples, and pardoning rebels who
had submitted. The nation rejoiced at the fall of the evil
courtiers.
Ptolemy V eventually had to put down other revolts
throughout Egypt, however. A battle with ANTIOCHUS III,
the Syrian Seleucid king, was also fought in Ptolemy V’s
name in 201 B.C.E. Antiochus III continued to harass
Egyptian lands until the Romans intervened in 194–193
B.C.E. Within Egypt Ptolemy V fought battles against
rebels in 197 B.C.E. In order to quell the revolts in Upper
Egypt, he invested the governor of Thebes with juridical
powers. Peace was insured with Syria when Ptolemy V
married CLEOPATRA(1), the daughter of Antiochus III the
Great. She bore him two sons, including PTOLEMY VI
PHILOMETOR, and a daughter.
Ptolemy V also erected a stela on the ELEPHANTINE
Island, at ASWAN, describing the famine and pious activi-
ties of the Old Kingdom pharaoh DJOSER(r. 2630–2611
B.C.E.). He slowly regained control of Upper Egypt and
erected a temple of IMHOTEP, Djoser’s gifted architect, at
Philae. He also provided endowments for the cults of
APIS, MNEVIS, and other animals, erecting a temple for
Apis and equipping shrine and cult centers. Cleopatra
poisoned Ptolemy V, and when he died, she stood as
regent for Ptolemy VI Philometor.Ptolemy VI Philometor(d. 145 B.C.E.)Sixth ruler of
the Ptolemaic Period
He reigned from 180 to 164 B.C.E. and then from 163
B.C.E. until his death. Ptolemy VI was the son of PTOLEMY
V EPIPHANESand Queen CLEOPATRA(1), and when his
father was poisoned, his mother stood as regent until her
death in 176 B.C.E. Then two courtiers, Eulaeus and
Lenaeus, became his self appointed guardians.
Ptolemy VI married his sister CLEOPATRA (2) and
began to plan an invasion of Coele-Syria. In 170 B.C.E., he
raised up his brother, PTOLEMY VIII EUERGETES II, to rule
with him and Cleopatra. The attempt to regain Coele-Syria
was unsuccessful, as ANTIOCHUS IVdefeated the Egyptian
forces and took PELUSIUM, the frontier city. Antiochus had
other ambitions, but he withdrew when the Roman legate
Papillius LAENASand his legions persuaded him that any
further assault would be met with a Roman response.316 Ptolemy IV Philopator