Skip to content
Χρονικόν
EL · Ελληνικά

Chronicle IX of XIV

The Ptolemaic Period

Hellenistic Egypt

Greek pharaohs, the Library of Alexandria, and Cleopatra's last stand at Actium.

Span
332 – 30 BCE
Entries
8
  1. 323 BC

    FoundationPolitical

    Ptolemy takes Egypt

    On the death of Alexander the Great, his general Ptolemy son of Lagus secures Egypt as satrap, founding the dynasty that will rule for nearly three centuries.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  2. 295 BC

    Early PtolemiesCultural

    The Library and Museum of Alexandria

    Ptolemy I and his son establish the Museum and Great Library of Alexandria, making the city the foremost centre of learning in the ancient world.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  3. 283 BC

    Ptolemaic DynastyPolitical

    Ptolemy II and the height of the kingdom

    Ptolemy II Philadelphus presides over the dynasty's golden age, expanding Egypt's empire abroad and its splendour at home.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  4. 217 BC

    Native UnrestMilitary

    Raphia and the revolt of the Egyptians

    Ptolemy IV defeats the Seleucids at Raphia by arming native Egyptian troops, who soon turn their new confidence into revolt and a breakaway state in the south.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  5. 196 BC

    Ptolemaic EgyptCultural

    The Rosetta Stone

    Priests issue a decree honouring the boy-king Ptolemy V in three scripts; centuries later this trilingual stone will unlock the reading of hieroglyphs.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  6. 168 BC

    Roman ShadowPolitical

    Rome's 'Day of Eleusis'

    When the Seleucid king Antiochus IV invades Egypt, a single Roman envoy forces him to withdraw, revealing that Egypt's fate now lies in Rome's hands.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  7. 51 BC

    Cleopatra VIIPolitical

    The accession of Cleopatra VII

    Cleopatra VII, the last and most famous of the Ptolemies, comes to the throne and binds Egypt's survival to the leaders of Rome.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  8. 31 BC

    The FallMilitary

    Actium and the death of Cleopatra

    Octavian crushes the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium; within a year both are dead and Egypt becomes a province of Rome, ending the age of the pharaohs.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3