View source for Ptolemy I Soter

{{Short description|Macedonian general and first Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom}}
{{redirect|Ptolemy I|the medieval count|Ptolemy I of Tusculum}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name = Ptolemy I Soter
| role = [[Pharaoh]] and [[Basileus|King]] of the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]]
| image = Ptolemy I Soter Louvre Ma849.jpg
| caption = Bust of Ptolemy I.
| image_alt = Bust of Ptolemy I
| reign = 305 – January 282 BC
| predecessor = [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]]
| successor = [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]]
| birth_date = {{circa}} 369/68 BC
| death_date = January 282 BC (aged 84–85)
| spouses = {{plainlist}}
*[[Thaïs]]
*[[Artakama]]
*[[Eurydice of Egypt|Eurydice]]
*[[Berenice I|Berenice]]
{{endplainlist}}
| children = {{plainlist}}
* [[Ptolemy Keraunos]]
* [[Meleager (king)|Meleager]]
* [[Arsinoe II]]
* [[Philotera]]
* [[Lysandra]]
* [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]]
* Berenice
* Eirene
* Lagus
* Leontiscus
* Ptolemais
{{endplainlist}}
| father = [[Lagus]]
| mother = [[Arsinoe of Macedon]]
| horus = {{center|''wr-pḥty nsw ḳni''<br />''Wer pehty nesu qeny''<br />Great of strength and brave king{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=178}}}}
| horus_hiero = <hiero>wr:r-F9:F9-sw-A43-q*nw:n:a</hiero>
| nebty = {{center|''iṯi m sḫm ḥḳꜢ ṯl''<br />''Itji em sekhem heqa tjel''<br />Who has seized with (his own) power, the ruler of [[Tjaru|Sile]]{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=178}}}}
| nebty_hiero = <hiero>V15:D40-U31\R90-sxm-U31\R90-q-HqA-d:l:D40</hiero>
| prenomen = {{center|''stp n rꜤ mry imn''<br />''Setepenre meryimen''<br />Chosen by Ra and beloved of Amun{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=178}}}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>C2-C12-stp:n-N36</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>C12\-N36:n:stp-C2</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>C2\-C12-s-t:p-stp:N36</hiero>}}
| nomen = {{center|''ptwlmys''<br />''Ptolemys''<br />Ptolemy{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=178}}}} {{Infobox pharaoh/Nomen|Nomen=<hiero>p:t-wA-l:M-i-i-s</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Nomen|Nomen=<hiero>p:d-A-l:M-i-i-s</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Nomen|Nomen=<hiero>p:d-w-l:M-i-i-s</hiero>}}
|birth_place=[[Eordaea]], [[Macedon]], [[Ancient Greece|Greece]]|death_place=[[Alexandria]], [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]]|ImageSize=235px|Dynasty=[[Ptolemaic dynasty]]|consort=}}

'''Ptolemy I Soter''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɒ|l|əm|i}}; {{langx|el|Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ}}, ''Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr'', "Ptolemy [[Soter|the Savior]]"; {{circa}} 369/68 BC – January 282 BC) was a [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonian Greek]]<ref name=":0" /> general, historian, and [[Diadochi|successor]] of [[Alexander the Great]] who went on to found the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]] centered on [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. Ptolemy was [[basileus|king]] and [[pharaoh]] of [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] from 305/304 BC to his death in 282 BC,{{NoteTag|[[File:Ptolemy I. Soter king's title.jpg|250px]]<br>King's title, ''Great in strength and bravery, elected by the god [[Ra]] and loved by [[Amun]]''}}<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of the Ptolemaic Empire|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|last=Hölbl|first=Günther|page=21|isbn=9781135119836}}</ref> and [[Ptolemaic dynasty|his descendants]] continued to rule Egypt until 30 BC. During their rule, Egypt became a thriving bastion of [[Hellenistic]] civilization and [[Alexandria]] a great seat of [[Greek culture]].

Ptolemy I was the son of [[Arsinoe of Macedon]] by either her husband [[Lagus]] or [[Philip II of Macedon]], the father of Alexander. However, the latter is unlikely and may be a myth fabricated to glorify the [[Ptolemaic Dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQq_podFRNYC&q=arsinoe&pg=PA10|title=Alexandre le Grand|year=1999|orig-date=1962|publisher=Librairie Droz|isbn=978-2-600-04414-1|pages=155|language=en}}</ref> Ptolemy was one of Alexander's most trusted companions and military officers. After the [[death of Alexander]] in 323 BC, Ptolemy retrieved his body as it was en route to be buried in Macedon, placing it in [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] instead, where it was later moved to Alexandria in a new [[Tomb of Alexander the Great|tomb]]. Afterwards he joined a coalition against [[Perdiccas]], the royal regent over [[Philip III of Macedon]]. Perdiccas invaded Egypt but was assassinated by his own officers in 320 BC, allowing Ptolemy I to consolidate his control over the country. After a [[Wars of the Diadochi|series of wars between Alexander's successors]], Ptolemy gained a claim to [[Judea]] in southern [[Syria (region)|Syria]], which was disputed with the Seleucid king [[Seleucus I]]. He also took control of [[Cyprus]] and [[Cyrenaica]], the latter of which was placed under the control of Ptolemy's stepson [[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]]. Ptolemy also commanded the construction of the [[Library of Alexandria]] and of the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]], one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]].

Ptolemy I may have married [[Thaïs]], his mistress during the life of Alexander; he is known to have married the Persian noblewoman [[Artakama]] on Alexander's orders. He later married [[Eurydice of Egypt|Eurydice]], daughter of the Macedonian regent [[Antipater]]; their sons [[Ptolemy Keraunos]] and [[Meleager (king)|Meleager]] ruled in turn as kings of Macedon. Ptolemy's final marriage was to Eurydice's cousin and lady-in-waiting, [[Berenice I]]. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son with Berenice, [[Ptolemy II]].

==Early life and career==
{{stack|[[File:Tetradrachm Ptolemaeus I obverse CdM Paris FGM2157.jpg|thumb|upright|Ptolemaic coin showing [[Alexander the Great]] wearing an elephant scalp, a symbol of his conquest in India]]}}
Ptolemy was born between 369 and 368 BC<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ptolemaic Dynasty -- Ptolemy I root |url=https://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_i_fr.htm |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.instonebrewer.com}}</ref> in the ancient kingdom of [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon]].<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Prudence J.|title=Cleopatra: A Sourcebook|url=https://archive.org/details/cleopatrasourceb0000jone|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/cleopatrasourceb0000jone/page/14 14]|location=Norman|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|year=2006|isbn=9780806137414|quote=They were members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Macedonian Greeks, who ruled Egypt after the death of its conqueror, Alexander the Great.}}</ref> His mother was [[Arsinoe of Macedon|Arsinoe]]. According to [[Satyrus the Peripatetic]], Arsinoe was a descendant of [[Alexander I of Macedon]] and thus a member of the [[Argead dynasty]], claiming ultimate descent from [[Heracles]]. Ostensibly, Ptolemy's father was [[Lagus]], a Macedonian nobleman from [[Eordaea]], but many ancient sources claim that he was actually an illegitimate son of [[Philip II of Macedon]]. If true, this would have made Ptolemy the half-brother of [[Alexander the Great]]. It is probable that this is a later myth fabricated to glorify the Ptolemaic dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Carney|first1=Elizabeth|title=Philip II and Alexander The Great: Father and Son, Lives and Afterlives|date=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-973815-1}}</ref> However, through his mother Ptolemy may have been a great-grandson of [[Amyntas I of Macedon]], making him a member of the Argead royal house and a distant relative of Alexander, who was a great-great-grandson of Amyntas.<ref>Alexander The Great: Myth, Genesis and Sexuality by Daniel Ogden 2011 P. 81 note 8</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Ptolemy an Argead – pothos.org | url=https://pothos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=47694#p47694 | access-date=2025-04-07 | website=pothos.org}}</ref>

Ptolemy served with Alexander from his first campaigns, and was among the seven ''[[somatophylakes]]'' (bodyguards) of Alexander. He played a principal part in the later campaigns in [[Afghanistan]] and [[India]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=616}} He participated in the [[Battle of Issus]], commanding troops on the left wing under the authority of [[Parmenion]]. Later he accompanied Alexander during his journey to the [[Oracle]] in the [[Siwa Oasis]] where he was proclaimed a son of [[Zeus]].<ref name=grimal>{{cite book |last=Grimal |first=Nicolas |author-link=Nicolas Grimal |year=1992 |title=A History of Ancient Egypt |url=https://archive.org/details/historyancienteg00grim |url-access=limited |location=Oxford |publisher=Blackwell Books |isbn=978-0-631-19396-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyancienteg00grim/page/n383 382]}}</ref> Ptolemy had his first independent command during the campaign against the rebel [[Bessus]] whom his own guards captured and handed over to Ptolemy, who then handed him over to Alexander for execution.<ref>{{cite book |isbn=978-0-14-044253-3 |author-link=Arrian |last=Arrian |title=Anabasis Alexandri (The Campaigns of Alexander) |editor1-first=Aubrey |editor1-last=de Sélincourt |editor1-link=Aubrey de Sélincourt |year=1976 |location=Harmondsworth |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |at=[https://archive.org/details/campaignsofalexa00arri/page/ III, 30] |title-link=Anabasis Alexandri }}</ref>

==Successor of Alexander==
{{multiple image
| image1 = Ptolemy I British Museum.jpg
| total_width = 450
| caption1 = Coin of Ptolemy I, British Museum, London
| image2 = PtolemyIGoldStaterElephantQuadrigiaCyrenaica.jpg
| caption2 = Ptolemy I gold [[stater]] with elephant [[quadriga]], [[Cyrenaica]]
| image3 = Ptolemy I as Pharaoh of Egypt.jpg
| caption3 = Ptolemy as Pharaoh in the [[British Museum]]
}}
When Alexander died in 323 BC, Ptolemy is said to have instigated the settlement of the empire made at [[Babylon]]. Through the [[Partition of Babylon]], he was appointed [[satrap]] of [[Egypt]], under the nominal kings [[Philip III of Macedon|Philip III]] and the infant [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]]; the former satrap, the Greek [[Cleomenes of Naucratis|Cleomenes]], stayed on as his deputy. Ptolemy quickly moved, without authorization, to subjugate [[Cyrenaica]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=616}}

By custom, kings in Macedonia asserted their right to the throne by burying their predecessor. Probably because he wanted to pre-empt [[Perdiccas]], the imperial regent, from staking his claim in this way, Ptolemy took great pains in acquiring the body of Alexander the Great. [[Death of Alexander the Great|On his deathbed]], Alexander wished to be buried at the Temple of [[Zeus Ammon]] in the [[Siwa Oasis]] of [[ancient Libya]] instead of the royal tombs of [[Aegae (Macedonia)|Aigai]] in Macedon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1097&context=constructing|title=The Remains of Alexander the Great: The God, The King, The Symbol|publisher =Constructing the Past|volume=10|issue=1|author=Lauren O'Connor|year=2008|access-date=28 March 2019}}.</ref> However, his successors including Perdiccas attempted to bury his body in Macedon instead. In late 322 or early 321 BC, Alexander's body was in Syria, on its way to Macedon, when it was captured by Ptolemy I. He brought Alexander's remains back to Egypt, interring them at [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]], but they were later moved to Alexandria where a [[Tomb of Alexander the Great|tomb]] was constructed for them.<ref>{{citation | last = Saunders | first =Nicholas| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wOTQXw16pOkC | title = Alexander's Tomb: The Two-Thousand Year Obsession to Find the Lost Conqueror| publisher = Basic Books |page=41 | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0465006212}}</ref> Shortly after this event, Ptolemy openly joined the coalition against Perdiccas. Perdiccas appears to have suspected Ptolemy of aiming for the throne himself, and may have decided that Ptolemy was his most dangerous rival. Ptolemy executed Cleomenes for spying on behalf of Perdiccas; this removed the chief check on his authority, and allowed Ptolemy to obtain the huge sum that Cleomenes had accumulated.<ref>Green, Peter (1990). ''Alexander to Actium''. University of California Press. pp 13–14. {{ISBN|9780520083493}}.</ref>

==Rivalry and wars==
[[File:Diadochi EN.png|thumb|450px|
{{legend inline|#787CAD|Kingdom of Ptolemy I}}
{{legend inline|#50A249|Kingdom of [[Cassander]]}}
{{legend inline|#C38833|Kingdom of [[Lysimachus]]}}
{{legend inline|#C3B933|Kingdom of [[Seleucus I]]}}
{{legend inline|#AF3662|[[Epirus]]}}<br>Other:
{{legend inline|#A361BD|[[Carthage]]}}
{{legend inline|#70A9BE|[[Ancient Rome|Rome]]}}
{{legend inline|#85AB54|[[Greek colonies]]}}
]]
{{multiple image
| image1 = Roemer-Pelizaeus-Museum 2018-09-20zq.jpg
| total_width = 400
| caption1 = Relief from the cult chamber of Thoth in Tuna el-Gebel, painted limestone, reign of Ptolemy I Soter, ca. 295 BC
| image2 = Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek - Ptolemäus I..jpg
| caption2 = Ptolemy I, [[Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek]], Copenhagen
}}
[[File:Prise de Jérusalem.jpg|thumb|Capture of Jerusalem by Ptolemy I Soter]]
In 321 BC, Perdiccas attempted to invade Egypt, only to fall at the hands of his own men.<ref>Anson, Edward M (Summer 1986). "Diodorus and the Date of Triparadeisus". ''The American Journal of Philology'' (The Johns Hopkins University Press) 107 (2): 208–217. {{doi|10.2307/294603}}. {{JSTOR|294603}}.</ref> Ptolemy's decision to defend the [[Nile]] against Perdiccas ended in fiasco for Perdiccas, with the loss of 2,000 men. This failure was a fatal blow to Perdiccas' reputation, and he was murdered in his tent by two of his subordinates. Ptolemy immediately crossed the Nile, to provide supplies to what had the day before been an enemy army. Ptolemy was offered the regency in place of Perdiccas, but he declined.<ref>Peter Green p14</ref> Ptolemy was consistent in his policy of securing a power base, while never succumbing to the temptation of risking all to succeed Alexander.<ref>Peter Green pp 119</ref>

In the long wars that followed between the different [[Diadochi]], Ptolemy's first goal was to hold Egypt securely, and his second was to secure control in the outlying areas: Cyrenaica and [[Cyprus]], as well as [[Coele-Syria|Syria]], including the province of [[Judea]]. His first occupation of Syria was in 318, and he established at the same time a protectorate over the petty kings of Cyprus. When [[Antigonus I]], master of Asia in 315, showed expansionist ambitions, Ptolemy joined the coalition against him, and on the outbreak of war, evacuated Syria. In Cyprus, he fought the partisans of Antigonus, and re-conquered the island (313). A revolt in [[Cyrene, Libya|Cyrene]] was crushed the same year.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=616}}

In 312, Ptolemy and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], the fugitive satrap of Babylonia, both invaded Syria, and defeated [[Demetrius I of Macedon|Demetrius I]], the son of Antigonus, in the [[Battle of Gaza (312 BC)|Battle of Gaza]]. Again he occupied Syria, and again—after only a few months, when Demetrius had won a battle over his general, and Antigonus entered [[Syria]] in force—he evacuated it. In 311, a peace was concluded between the combatants. Soon after this, the surviving 13-year-old king, Alexander IV, was murdered in Macedonia on the orders of Cassander, leaving the satrap of Egypt absolutely his own master.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=616}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Political Memory in and after Persian Empire|year=2015|publisher=SBL Press|last=Silverman|first=Jason|page=172-176|isbn=978-0-88414-088-7}}</ref>
[[File:Decree-Satrapa Ptolemy I.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The "''Satrap Stele''" was dedicated in commemoration of the rights restoration at the city [[Buto]] after Ptolemy Lagides victory over [[Demetrius Poliorcetes]] in [[Battle of Gaza (312 BC)| battle at Gaza in 312 BC]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The literature of Ancient Egypt; Decree of Satrapa Ptolemy Lagides|year=2003|url=https://www.attalus.org/egypt/lagides.html| publisher=Yale |last=Ritner|first=Williem Kelly|page=393-397|isbn=0-300-09920-7}}</ref>]]

The peace did not last long, early in 310 he was informed that his ally [[Nicocles of Paphos]] was planning to defect to Antigonus; he sent some agents, who together with his brother [[Menelaus (son of Lagus)|Menelaus]], who was still on Cyprus with an army, dealt with the situation, they surrounded Nicocles palace and forced him to commit suicide.{{sfn|Billows|1990|p=143}} In 309 Ptolemy personally commanded a fleet which detached the coastal towns of [[Phaselis]], [[Xanthos]], [[Kaunos]], [[Iasos]] and [[Myndus]] in [[Lycia]] and [[Caria]] from Antigonus, then crossed into Greece, where he took possession of [[Corinth]], [[Sicyon]] and [[Megara]] (308 BC). In 306, a great fleet under Demetrius attacked Cyprus, and Ptolemy's brother [[Menelaus (son of Lagus)|Menelaus]] was defeated and captured in another decisive [[Battle of Salamis (306 BC)|Battle of Salamis]]. Ptolemy's complete loss of Cyprus followed.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=616}}

The satraps Antigonus and Demetrius now each assumed the title of king; Ptolemy, as well as [[Cassander]], [[Lysimachus]] and [[Seleucus I Nicator]], responded by doing the same. In the winter of 306 BC, Antigonus tried to follow up his victory in Cyprus by invading Egypt; but Ptolemy was strongest there, and successfully held the frontier against him. Ptolemy led no further overseas expeditions against Antigonus.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}} However, he did send great assistance to [[Rhodes]] when it was [[Siege of Rhodes (305–304 BC)|besieged by Demetrius (305/304)]]. The Rhodians granted divine honors to Ptolemy as a result of the lifting of the siege.<ref>[https://www.livius.org/sources/content/diodorus/the-siege-of-rhodes/ Siege of Rhodes at Livius.org]</ref>

When the coalition against Antigonus was renewed in 302, Ptolemy joined it, and invaded Syria a third time, while Antigonus was engaged with Lysimachus in [[Asia Minor]]. On hearing a report that Antigonus had won a decisive victory there, he once again evacuated Syria. But when the news came that Antigonus had been defeated and slain by Lysimachus and Seleucus at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301, he occupied Syria a fourth time.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

The other members of the coalition had assigned all Syria to Seleucus, after what they regarded as Ptolemy's desertion, and for the next hundred years, the question of the ownership of southern Syria (i.e., Judea) produced recurring warfare between the [[Seleucid dynasty|Seleucid]] and Ptolemaic dynasties. Henceforth, Ptolemy seems to have involved himself as little as possible in the rivalries between [[Asia Minor]] and [[Greece]]; he lost what he held in Greece, but reconquered Cyprus in 295/294. [[Cyrene, Libya|Cyrenaica]], after a series of rebellions, was finally subjugated in about 300 and placed under his stepson [[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

==Marriages, children, and succession==
{{multiple image
|total_width=450
|image1=Ptolemy I and Berenike I.jpg
|caption1=Coin of Ptolemy I and Berenice I
|image2=Ptolemy I or II, perhaps Terenuthis, Egypt, Early Ptolemaic Period, 323-246 BC - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC09764.JPG
|caption2=Depiction of Ptolemy I or II, [[Royal Ontario Museum]]
|image3=Egyptian - Appliqué of Ptolemy I as Dionysus - Walters 54598 - Three Quarter.jpg
|caption3=Ptolemy I depicted as [[Dionysus]]
}}
[[File:Faience Sistrum Inscribed with the Name of Ptolemy I MET DP245512.jpg|thumb|205x205px|Faience Sistrum Inscribed with the Name of Ptolemy I]]
While Alexander was alive, Ptolemy had three children with his mistress [[Thaïs]], who may also have been his wife: Lagus; Leontiscus; and Eirene, who was given in marriage to Eunostos of Soloi in Cyprus. During the [[Susa weddings]], Ptolemy married Persian noblewoman [[Artakama]], as ordered by Alexander the Great.<ref name="ogden-dinasties">{{cite book|last1=Ogden|first1=Daniel|title=Polygamy Prostitutes and Death. The Hellenistic Dynasties|date=1999|publisher=Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd.|location=London|isbn=07156-29301|page=150}}</ref> Around [[322 BC]], he married [[Eurydice of Egypt|Eurydice]], daughter of [[Antipater]], regent of Macedonia. They had five children before she was repudiated: three sons–[[Ptolemy Ceraunus]], king of [[Macedon]] from [[281 BC]] to [[279 BC]]; his brother and successor [[Meleager (king)|Meleager]], who ruled for two months in 279 BC; and a 'rebel in Cyprus' who was put to death by his half-brother [[Ptolemy II]]–as well as the daughters Ptolemais, who married [[Demetrius I of Macedon]], and [[Lysandra]], first married to [[Alexander V of Macedon]] and after to Lysimachus' son [[Agathocles (son of Lysimachus)|Agathocles]].<ref name="ogden-dinasties" /><ref name="Clayman">{{cite book|last1=Clayman|first1=Dee L.|title=Berenice II and the Golden Age of Ptolemaic Egypt|date=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195370881|page=65}}</ref><ref name="Hellenistic-Queens">{{cite book|last1=Macurdy|first1=Grace Harriet|title=Hellenistic Queens|date=1985|location=Chicago|publisher=Ares Publishers|isbn=978-0-89005-542-7|edition=Reprint of 1932}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hölbl|first=Gūnther|title=A History of the Ptolemaic Empire|year=2001|pages=[https://archive.org/details/keysofegyptobses00adki/page/35 35–36]|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-06-019439-0|url=https://archive.org/details/keysofegyptobses00adki/page/35}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=McKechnie|first1=Paul|last2=Guillaume|first2=Philippe|title=Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QmwCQAAQBAJ|date=16 October 2008|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9047424208|page=43}}</ref><ref name=plut1_32_46>[[Plutarch]], ''[[Parallel Lives]]'', "Demetrius", [http://www.attalus.org/old/demetrius2.html#32 32], [http://www.attalus.org/old/demetrius2.html#46 46]</ref> Ptolemy married once more to [[Berenice I of Egypt|Berenice]], Eurydice's cousin, who had come to Egypt as Eurydice's lady-in-waiting with the children from her first marriage to [[Philip (husband of Berenice I of Egypt)|Philip]]. Their children were [[Arsinoe II]], [[Philotera]], and Ptolemy II. Their eldest child Arsinoe married Lysimachus, then her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos, and finally her full brother Ptolemy II.<ref name="Clayman" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/be-bm/berenice/berenice_i.html |title=Berenice I at Livius.org |access-date=2020-03-26 |archive-date=2016-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317111031/http://www.livius.org/be-bm/berenice/berenice_i.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 285, Ptolemy made his son Ptolemy II his co-regent. His eldest legitimate son, Ptolemy Keraunos, fled to the court of Lysimachus. Ptolemy I died in January 282 aged 84 or 85.<ref name="ptolemy">[https://www.livius.org/articles/person/ptolemy-i-soter/ Ptolemy I at Livius.org]</ref> Shrewd and cautious, he had a compact and well-ordered realm to show at the end of forty years of war. His reputation for good nature and liberality attached the floating soldier-class of Macedonians and other Greeks to his service, and was not insignificant; nor did he wholly neglect conciliation of the natives. He was a ready patron of letters, founding the Great [[Library of Alexandria]].<ref>Phillips, Heather A., [http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/phillips.htm "The Great Library of Alexandria?". Library Philosophy and Practice, August 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418191647/http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/phillips.htm |date=2012-04-18 }}</ref> The [[Ptolemaic dynasty]] which he founded ruled Egypt for nearly three hundred years. It was a [[Hellenistic culture|Hellenistic]] kingdom known for its capital Alexandria, which became a center of [[Greek culture]]. Ptolemaic rule ended with the [[death of Cleopatra|death]] of [[Cleopatra VII]] in 30 BC.<ref>[https://www.worldhistory.org/Ptolemaic_Dynasty/ Ptolemaic Dynasty at World History Encyclopedia]</ref>

[[File:Ptolemais I. Sotér. zlatá pentadrachma.png|thumb|right|300px|Ptolemy  Soter gold pentadrachm]]
==Economic reforms==
The Ptolemaic economy consisted of two ancient economic systems, linked by a bureaucratic hierarchy, but also by increased market activity, which was stimulated by the minting of coins and the formation of a state-controlled fiscal policy. The main sources of income were based on the cultivation of grain and the proceeds from the circulation of money, from its own trade, as well as tax revenues from the movement of goods. Another element of economic development was the ability to transport in the Mediterranean region, where the port of Alexandria played a dominant role.<ref>{{cite book |last=Manning |first=Joseph Gilbert  |date=2004 |title=The Ptolemaic Economy |url=https://people.bu.edu/chamley/HSFref/Manning04.pdf |location=Stanford |publisher=Stanford University |page= |isbn= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Manning |first=Joseph Gilbert |date=2011 |title=Networks, Hierarchies, and Markets in the Ptolemaic Economy |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199587926.003.0014 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford Scholarship Online |page=296-323 |isbn=978-0199587926 |access-date=}}</ref>

The Ptolemies directly owned almost half of Egypt's agricultural land, and Egyptian exports of grain, linen, and other goods helped finance the expansion of the empire. The population is estimated to have been about 3 million, and anyone who produced cloth, papyrus, or beer also had to comply with strict government controls and pay taxes on their sales. One advantage of all these processes was that the government could pay for improvements to the system and strengthen the economy. This included irrigation projects that expanded agricultural land. In practice, Egypt was divided into administrative provinces called nomes. At the nome level, officials dealt with municipal and village authorities to resolve economic issues such as land administration, taxation, and currency circulation. The Macedonians and Greeks who owned the land and traded its proceeds did not work the land themselves the tenant farmers were mostly local Egyptians.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strooman |first=Rolf |date=2019 |title=The Ptolemaic Sea Empire  |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336326747_The_Ptolemaic_Sea_Empire/link/5f735589a6fdcc008646db12/download |publisher=Utrecht University |page= |isbn= |access-date=}}</ref>

The evolving fiscal policy was based on reforms in the circulation of monetary units—coins—minted from precious metals (gold, silver, copper) as early as the 5th–4th centuries BC (for example, under Pharaoh [[Nectanebo II]] of the 30th Dynasty). At the time of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander's]] conquest of Egypt, the Egyptian economy was in the early stages of monetisation. The main coin was the Athenian silver [[Tetradrachm|tetradrachm]], called the [[Owl|''owl'']] which served as international currency in Egypt and the Levant in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The ''owls'' circulating in Egypt included coins from the Athenian mint, as well as imitations minted locally, in the Nile Delta and around [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]], but also in more distant areas such as the island of [[Elephantine]] and the oasis of [[Kharga Oasis|Kharga]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lorber |first=Carharine |date=2018 |title=The Currency Reforms and Character of Ptolemy I Soter |url= https://www.academia.edu/37772011/Ptolemy_I_Soter_A_Self_Made_Man |location=Oxford |publisher=OXBOW |page=60-87 |isbn=978-1-78925-042-8 |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Sboronos |first=Ioanes |date=1904 |title=Ta Nomismata tou Kratous ton Ptolemaion |language=el, de |url=https://dn790007.ca.archive.org/0/items/tanomismatatoukrv3v4sbor/tanomismatatoukrv3v4sbor.pdf|location= |publisher=En Athnais Typois P. D. Sakellariou |page= |isbn= |access-date=}}</ref>

Ptolemy Soter, after consolidating his position as satrap, around 310–311 BC, transformed Egypt into a closed monetary zone, which necessitated the exchange of foreign currencies at all points of entry into Egypt. This provided a new source of revenue for the state. Resources of gold and copper were relatively abundant, but silver, the standard of [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] currency, was always scarce in Egypt and had to be imported. To cope with the limited supply of silver, Ptolemy Soter reduced the silver and gold drachmas to 80% of their original weight by 305 BC. The standard of Ptolemaic currency as a whole was then frequently changed, especially when later rulers devalued the currency by reducing its precious metal content to finance their wars or cope with economic hardship. Around 299 BC, Ptolemy I Soter replaced the older gold stater of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] with his own image on the obverse, with coins whose weight was adjusted to the standard 14.25 g.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lorber |first=Catharina |date=2012 |title=Dating the Portrait Coinage of Ptolemy I |url=https://archive.org/details/americanjournalo0000unse_z8x5 |location=New York |publisher=The American Numismatic Society |page=33-47 |isbn=978-0-89722-324-9 |access-date=}}</ref>

This not only distinguished Egypt from other territories, but also, perhaps more importantly, allowed Ptolemy to expand his currency supply to keep up with the growth of military and judicial spending. Aspects of these later reforms included the creation of fiscal institutions that increased state revenues, and most notably a closed monetary zone with mandatory exchange of other coins at the borders. Around 294 BC a commission was tasked with exchanging gold for silver. The history of his monetary reforms shows him to have been an unusually energetic and capable ruler, as a result of which, together with his military successes  was recognised as the legitimate pharaoh of Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Caneva |first=Stefano |date= |title=Ptolemy I: Politics, Religion and the Transition to Hellenistic Egypt |url= |location= |publisher=OXBOW |page=88-127 |isbn=978-1-78925-042-8 |access-date=}}</ref>

==Historian==
Ptolemy himself wrote an eyewitness history of Alexander's campaigns (now lost).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker, Teil 2, Zeitgeschichte. – B. Spezialgeschichten, Autobiographien und Memoiren, Zeittafeln [Nr. 106-261]|last=Jacoby|first=Felix|publisher=Weidmann|year=1926|oclc=769308142|location=Berlin|pages=752–769, no. 138, "Ptolemaios Lagu"}}</ref> In the second century AD, Ptolemy's history was used by [[Arrian]] of Nicomedia as one of his two main primary sources (alongside the history of [[Aristobulus of Cassandreia]]) for his own extant ''[[The Anabasis of Alexander|Anabasis]]'' of Alexander, and hence large parts of Ptolemy's history can be assumed to survive in paraphrase or précis in Arrian's work.<ref>{{Cite book|title=From Arrian to Alexander: Studies in Historical Interpretation|last=Bosworth|first=A. B.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1988|isbn=978-0198148630|location=Oxford|pages=13–14}}</ref> Arrian cites Ptolemy by name on only a few occasions, but it is likely that large stretches of Arrian's ''Anabasis'' reflect Ptolemy's version of events. Arrian once names Ptolemy as the author "whom I chiefly follow",<ref>''Anabasis'' [[s:The Anabasis of Alexander/Book VI/Chapter II|6.2.4]]</ref> and in his Preface writes that Ptolemy seemed to him to be a particularly trustworthy source, "not only because he was present with Alexander on campaign, but also because he was himself a king, and hence lying would be more dishonourable for him than for anyone else".<ref>''Anabasis'', [[s:The Anabasis of Alexander#6|Prologue]]</ref>

Ptolemy's lost history was long considered an objective work, distinguished by its straightforward honesty and sobriety,{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}} but more recent work has called this assessment into question. R. M. Errington argued that Ptolemy's history was characterised by persistent bias and self-aggrandisement, and by systematic blackening of the reputation of [[Perdiccas]], one of Ptolemy's chief dynastic rivals after Alexander's death.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Errington|first=R. M.|date=1969-01-01|title=Bias in Ptolemy's History of Alexander|jstor=637545|journal=The Classical Quarterly|volume=19|issue=2|pages=233–242|doi=10.1017/S0009838800024642|s2cid=170128227 }}</ref> For example, Arrian's account of the fall of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] in 335 BC (''Anabasis'' [[s:The Anabasis of Alexander/Book I/Chapter VIII|1.8.1–1.8.8]], a rare section of narrative explicitly attributed to Ptolemy by Arrian) shows several significant variations from the parallel account preserved in [[Diodorus Siculus]] ([https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/17A*.html#8.3 17.11–12]), most notably in attributing a distinctly unheroic role in proceedings to Perdiccas. More recently, J. Roisman has argued that the case for Ptolemy's blackening of Perdiccas and others has been much exaggerated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Roisman|first=Joseph|date=1984-01-01|title=Ptolemy and His Rivals in His History of Alexander|jstor=638295|journal=The Classical Quarterly|volume=34|issue=2|pages=373–385|doi=10.1017/S0009838800031001|s2cid=163042651 }}</ref>

==Euclid==
Ptolemy personally sponsored the great [[Greek mathematics|mathematician]] [[Euclid]]. He found Euclid's seminal work, the ''[[Euclid's Elements|Elements]]'', too difficult to study, so he asked if there were an easier way to master it. According to [[Proclus]], Euclid famously quipped: "Sire, there is no [[Royal Road]] to [[geometry]]."<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Victor|title=The Story of Medicine|year=2005|location=Whitefish, Montana|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|isbn=978-1-4191-5431-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZAaAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Story+of+Medicine|page=80}}</ref>

==In art and fiction ==
*Ptolemy is portrayed by [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Elliot Cowan]] as the narrator and a main character in the historical epic [[Alexander (2004 film)|''Alexander'']], directed by [[Oliver Stone]].
*Ptolemy appears as a minor character in [[Mary Renault|Mary Renault's]] ''Alexander Trilogy'' novels.
*Ptolemy appears as a character in the mobile game [[Fate Grand Order]] as an Archer Class Servant.
*Ptolemy is portrayed by Dino Kelly as a recurring character in Netflix's 2024 drama docuseries ''Alexander: The Making of a God.''
==Note==
{{NoteFoot}}
==See also==
*[[History of Ptolemaic Egypt]]
*[[Serapis]], Greco-Egyptian god, promoted by Ptolemy

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Anson |first1=Edward M. |title=Ptolemy I Soter: Themes and Issues |date=15 June 2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-26082-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIayEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Caroli |first1=Christian A. |title=Ptolemaios I. Soter: Herrscher zweier Kulturen |date=2007 |publisher=Badawi - Artes Afro Arabica |location=Konstanz |isbn=9783938828052}}
* {{EB1911 |wstitle = Ptolemies |volume = 22 |pages = 616–618 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=Walter M. |title=Ptolemy of Egypt |date=1994 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9780415100205}}
* {{cite book|last=Leprohon |first=Ronald J. |title=The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary |url=https://archive.org/details/LEPROHON2013TheGreatNameAncientEgyptianRoyalTitulary/page/n198/mode/1up |access-date=4 January 2024 |date=2013 |publisher=SBL Press |isbn=978-1-58983-736-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=McKechnie |first1=Paul R. |last2=Cromwell |first2=Jennifer |title=Ptolemy I and the Transformation of Egypt, 404-282 BCE |date=2018 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-36696-1}}
*{{cite book | author=Waterfield, Robin |title=Dividing the Spoils – The War for Alexander the Great's Empire | location=New York | publisher= Oxford University Press| year=2011 | type = hardback | isbn=978-0-19-957392-9 }}
{{refend}}
* {{cite book |last1=Billows|first1=Richard A.|title=Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State|date=1990 |publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Los Angeles, London|isbn=0-520-20880-3}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Ptolemy I}}
*[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Africa/Egypt/_Texts/BEVHOP/2*.html Ptolemy Soter&nbsp;I at LacusCurtius] — (Chapter&nbsp;II of E.&nbsp;R&nbsp;Bevan's ''House of Ptolemy'', 1923)
*[http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_i.htm Ptolemy I] (at Egyptian Royal Genealogy, with genealogical table)
*[http://www.livius.org Livius], [https://www.livius.org/ps-pz/ptolemies/ptolemy_i_soter.htm Ptolemy I Soter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183856/https://www.livius.org/ps-pz/ptolemies/ptolemy_i_soter.htm |date=2016-03-03 }} by Jona Lendering
*[http://virtualreligion.net/iho/ptolemy_1.html Ptolemy I Soter] entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
*[http://fabpedigree.com/s040/f000034.htm A genealogical tree of Ptolemy, though not necessarily reliable] Alexander the Great

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou | [[Ptolemaic Dynasty]] || 369/68 BC || 282 BC}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[List of Pharaohs#Ptolemaic Dynasty|Pharaoh of Egypt]]
| years = 305/304–282 BC
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Ptolemy II]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Diadochi}}
{{Hellenistic rulers}}
{{Pharaohs}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Ptolemy I Soter| ]]
[[Category:360s BC births]]
[[Category:280s BC deaths]]
[[Category:4th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Ptolemaic dynasty]]
[[Category:Ancient Macedonian historians]]
[[Category:Ancient Eordaeans]]
[[Category:Hetairoi]]
[[Category:Historians who accompanied Alexander the Great]]
[[Category:Satraps of the Alexandrian Empire]]
[[Category:Somatophylakes]]
[[Category:Trierarchs of Nearchus' fleet]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Macedonians]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Macedonians]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Greek historians]]
[[Category:Argead dynasty]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek historians known only from secondary sources]]