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Hellenistic Egypt

Ptolemaic Kingdom
Πτολεμαϊκὴ βασιλεία
Ptolemaïkḕ Basileía
305 BC–30 BC


Eagle of Zeus

The Ptolemaic Kingdom in 300 BC (in blue).
Capital Alexandria
Languages Greek (official)
Egyptian (common)
Religion Cult of Serapis
Government Hellenistic monarchy
Pharaoh
 •  305–283 BC Ptolemy I Soter (first)
 •  51–30 BC Cleopatra VII (last)
Historical era Classical antiquity
 •  Established 305 BC
 •  Disestablished 30 BC
Currency Greek Drachma
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Macedonian Empire
Late Period of ancient Egypt
Egypt (Roman province)
Today part of  Cyprus
 Egypt
 Greece
 Libya
 Turkey
 Israel
 Palestine
 Lebanon
 Syria
 Jordan
 Sudan


Eagle of Zeus

The Ptolemaic Kingdom (/ˌtɒləˈm.ɪk/; Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαϊκὴ βασιλεία, Ptolemaïkḕ Basileía) was a Hellenistic kingdom based in Egypt. It was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty which started with Ptolemy I Soter's accession after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and which ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC.

The Ptolemaic Kingdom was founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter, who declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt and created a powerful Hellenistic dynasty that ruled an area stretching from southern Syria to Cyrene and south to Nubia. Alexandria became the capital city and a major center of Greek culture and trade. To gain recognition by the native Egyptian populace, they named themselves the successors to the Pharaohs. The later Ptolemies took on Egyptian traditions by marrying their siblings, had themselves portrayed on public monuments in Egyptian style and dress, and participated in Egyptian religious life. The Ptolemies had to fight native rebellions and were involved in foreign and civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its final annexation by Rome. Hellenistic culture continued to thrive in Egypt throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods until the Muslim conquest.


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