Ptolemy Eupator

Ptolemy Eupator ( Greek  Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Ευπάτωρ * 166, † probably shortly before 31 August . 152 BC. ) Came from the dynasty of the Ptolemies and was 152 v. For a few months until his untimely death co-regent of his father, the Egyptian king Ptolemaios VI. Philometor .

Life

Ptolemy Eupator, whose cult title Eupator means “descended from a noble father”, was the eldest son of Ptolemy VI. ' by his sister-wife Cleopatra II. It is possible that he was born on October 15, 166 BC. Born in BC. His siblings were Ptolemy VII , Cleopatra Thea and Cleopatra III. For the year 158/157 BC He is attested as an eponymous Alexander priest.

From the fact that Ptolemy Eupator in the dating formula of February 3, 152 BC. The papyrus originating in BC is not yet mentioned, but it is mentioned in that of the papyrus that follows next in time from April 5, 152 BC. BC, it can be concluded that between these two dates he was made co-regent by his father and given the cult title Eupator . Amazingly, Ptolemy VI. giving his eldest son a cult title, which so far only one king from the opposing dynasty of the Seleucids , namely Antiochus V , had held.

On the basis of three dedicatory inscriptions from Cyprus which mention a "King Ptolemy God Eupator", as well as an epigram apparently alluding to Ptolemy Eupator's death, Walter Otto put forward the thesis that Ptolemy VI. his eldest son 152 BC As king to Cyprus. In return, Ptolemy Eupator gave up his title of co-regent of Egypt and was 150 BC. Died. This theory has not gone unchallenged, and Christopher Bennett does not at all believe in a reign of Ptolemy Eupator in Cyprus. On the other hand, the ancient historian Werner Huss assumes that Ptolemy Eupator not only remained co-regent, but also went to Cyprus as the Ptolemaic viceroy to tie the island closer to Egypt; for Ptolemy VIII , the younger brother of Ptolemy VI, had tried several times - albeit in vain - to subjugate Cyprus to his rule. A high-ranking companion of Eupator could have been his alleged tutor Andromachos.

On the basis of papyrus dating, in which Ptolemy Eupator disappears from the dating formulas and instead is named before his parents, the theoi Philometores , together with the deified Ptolemies , Werner Huss sets the death of the still young prince before August 31, 152 BC. Chr., An opinion that, for example, Christopher Bennett shares. The discovery of his tomb in Cyprus was announced in 2017.

literature

• Marco Frenschkowski :  Ptolemy VI. Philometor. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 1036-1038.
• Thomas Schneider : Lexicon of the Pharaohs . Albatros, Düsseldorf 2002, ISBN 3-491-96053-3 , p. 217 .
• Günther Hölbl : History of the Ptolemaic Empire . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 3-534-10422-6 , pp. 169 .
• Werner Huss : Egypt in the Hellenistic Period 332–30 BC Chr.Beck , Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47154-4 , p. 576-578 .

Web links

• Full biography of Christopher Bennett
• List of Ptolemaic kings

Remarks

1. ^ JD Ray: Observations on the Archive of Hor. In: Journal of Egyptian Archeology. (JEA) 64, 1978, p. 119.
2. ↑ B. Kramer et al. (Ed.): Kölner Papyri. Vol. 3, Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen 1980, ISBN 978-3-531-09911-8 , p. 144.
3. ^ CH Roberts, EG Turner (Ed.): Catalog of the Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library. Volume IV: Documents of the Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Periods. University Press, Manchester 1952, p. 16.
4. ^ W. Huss: Egypt in Hellenistic times. Munich 2001, p. 576 with note 307.
5. ^ W. Huss: Egypt in Hellenistic times. Munich 2001, p. 576, note 311.
6. ^ Wilhelm Dittenberger : Orientis Graeci inscriptiones selectae. (OGIS), Lipsiae, Leipzig 1903-1905, Volume I, pp. 125-127.
7. ^ Antipater of Sidon , Anthologia Palatina 7, 241.
8. ^ W. Otto: On the history of the time of the 6th Ptolemy (= treatises / Bavarian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-historical class. New series, vol. 11). Munich 1934, p. 119f.
9. ↑ Christopher Bennett: Ptolemy Eupator. ( Memento of the original from November 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Note 7, On: reocities.com , last accessed August 25, 2014. 
10. ^ W. Huss: Egypt in Hellenistic times. Munich 2001, p. 577.
11. ^ W. Huss: Egypt in Hellenistic times. Munich 2001, p. 577f. with notes 317–319.
12. ↑ Christopher Bennett: Ptolemy Eupator. ( Memento of the original from November 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Note 8, On: reocities.com , last accessed August 25, 2014. 
13. ↑ New discovery at the Tombs of the Kings ( Memento of the original dated April 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed April 6, 2017)