Ptolemy of Megalopolis

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Ptolemy ( Greek Πτολεμαίος ), son of Agesarchos, was in the 2nd century BC. A biographer and official of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt .

His father came from Megalopolis , but according to his name Ptolemy himself was born in Egypt. Shortly after the official enthronement of King Ptolemy V , he was sent to Rome by the regent Agathocles to announce the change of ruler in Egypt. Obviously Ptolemy had been in opposition to the regent, as he relied on taking his time with his journey and staying with relatives in Greece for a long time. In 197/96 BC Ptolemy was installed as governor (strategos) on Cyprus , as the successor of Polycrates . There are no written records of him on the island. He held the office until about 180 BC. And was replaced by Ptolemy Makron , with whom he was often equated in older historical studies.

Ptolemy had a daughter named Eirene, who lived from 199 to 171 BC. The office of priestess for the "father-loving goddess" / Arsinoë III. was the first woman to hold office.

In old age Ptolemy wrote a multi-volume biography ( Περὶ τὸν Φιλοπάτορα ἱστορίαι ) in at least 3 books about King Ptolemy IV. Philopator . The work has no longer survived, but Athenaios and Polybios quote from it, although most of the sections used by Polybios have also been lost. The assessment of Ptolemy is rather negative due to these statements in research. The surviving fragments are collected in The Fragments of the Greek Historians (No. 161); a new edition with commentary, an English translation and a biographical essay is offered by Jacques A. Bromberg in Brill's New Jacoby (No. 161).

literature

  • Willy Peremans, Edmond Van't Dack, L. Mooren, W. Swinnen: Prosopographia Ptolemaica . Volume 6: La Cour, les relations internationales et les possessions extérieures, la vie culturelle. N ° s 14479-17250. Publications universitaires de Louvain, Louvain 1968, no.15082.
  • Werner Huss : Investigations into the foreign policy of Ptolemy IV. Beck, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-406-00669-8 , pp. 17-20.
  • James L. O'Neil: Places and Origin of the Officials of Ptolemaic Egypt. In: Historia. Ancient History Journal . Vol. 55, 2006, pp. 16-25 (on Ptolemaios especially pp. 20f.).

Remarks

  1. ↑ An Agesarchos is around 225 BC. Recorded as a clergy (colonist) in Krokodilopolis . See O'Neil, p. 20. Furthermore, officiated under Ptolemy III. a Hagesarchos as Ptolemaic governor of Caria (στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ Καρίας stratēgós epí Karíās ). See Prosopographia Ptolemaica , Vol. 6 (1968), No. 14778.
  2. ↑ Polybios , Historíai , 15, 25, 14.
  3. ↑ Polybios, Historíai , 18, 55, 6.
personal data
SURNAME Ptolemy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Πτολεμαίος
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Biographer, governor of the Ptolemies in Cyprus
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century BC Chr.