The Ptolemaic Dynasty of Ancient Egypt

Dates: 305-30 BC.

Capital: Alexandria

The Ptolemaic Dynasty was a Macedonian Greek royal family, which ruled Egypt for 275 years. They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt, before Egypt was made a Roman province after being conquered by the Roman Empire.

#	Pharaoh	Throne name	Also known as	Reign*
1	Ptolemy I	Setepenra meryamun	Ptolemaios Soter	305–285
2	Ptolemy II	Userkara meryamun	Ptolemaios Philadelphos	288–246
3	Ptolemy III		Ptolemaios Euergetes	246–222
4	Ptolemy IV		Ptolemaios Philopator	222–204
5	Ptolemy V		Ptolemaios Epiphanes	204–180
6	Ptolemy VI		Ptolemaios Philometor	180–145
7	Ptolemy VII		Ptolemaios Neos Philopator	145
8	Ptolemy VIII		Ptolemaios Euergetes Physcon	169–164, 144–132, 126–116
9	Ptolemy IX		Ptolemaios Soter Lathyrus	116–110, 109–107, 88–81
10	Ptolemy X		Ptolemaios Alexander	110–109, 107–88
11	Ptolemy XI		Ptolemaios Alexander II	80
12	Ptolemy XII		Ptolemaios Neos Dionysus Auletes	80–58
13	Ptolemy XIII		Ptolemaios Philopator II	51–47
14	Ptolemy XIV		Ptolemaios Philopator Philadelphus	47–44
15	Cleopatra VII		Kleopatra	51–30
16	Ptolemy XV		Ptolemaios Philopator Philometor Caesarion	44–30

Jump to Dynasty

Kinglists

Turin king list
223 kings – Dynasty 19
Abydos Canon
76 kings – Dynasty 19
Saqqara Canon
58 kings – Dynasty 19
Karnak Canon
61 kings – Dynasty 18
Comparing the canons
Abydos, Saqqara and Karnak
Ramesseum Canon
Ramesses II Mortuary Temple
Medinet Habu Canon
Ramesses III Mortuary Temple

Ancient historians

Herodotus
450 BC – Histories
Manetho
250 BC – Aegyptiaca
Diodorus
50 BC – Bibliotheca Historica
Josephus
100 CE – Against Apion
Africanus
220 CE – Chronographai
Eusebius
325 CE – Chronicon
Jerome
380 CE – Chronicon
Syncellus
800 CE – Egloga Chronographai
Eratosthenes
Probably a forgery (date unknown)
Comparing the sources
Transmission of Manetho
by Africanus et. al.

Terms & information

OK – Old Kingdom
Dynasties 3-6

MK – Middle Kingdom
Dynasties 11-12

NK – New Kingdom
Dynasties 18-20

SIP – Second Intermediate Period
Dynasties 13-17

Thebes – The Southern capital

Memphis – The Northern capital

Epitome – Manetho’s original Aegyptiaca was lost in antiquity, and in the following centuries, it was replaced by Epitomes (summaries) by rivalling advocates of Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek history that saw each side trying to establish the truth according to their point of view.

Vorlage – From the German for prototype or template, a vorlage is a prior version of a manuscript, in this case an earlier version of the canon.

Recto and verso – Recto is the front side and verso is the back side of a written or printed text.

Cartouche – oval band enclosing a pharaohs name

Hieratic – cursive form of hieroglyphic script

Hyksos – Greek form of ḥḳꜢ-ḫꜢswt or “rulers of foreign lands,” referring to peoples who migrated and controlled parts Egypt during the SIP.

Mortuary Temple – where the gods and the king who built the temple were worshipped.

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