The Ptolemaic Era in Egypt | Dynasty of the Ptolemies
The Ptolemaic Era in Egypt
The establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty dates back to 323 B.C, and the leader Ptolemy Soter, known as (Ptolemy I), is the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, whose rule lasted until the year thirty B.C, meaning that it ruled for nearly three centuries, and Alexandria was its capital.
This state witnessed a long period of power and prosperity, which started with the first Ptolemaic era with its king Ptolemy I, and this state enaded with the end of the rule of Ptolemy the Third, and after the collapse of the Ptolemaic state, Egypt was subject to the scope of the Roman Empire.
It is noteworthy that Egypt suffered a lot before the Ptolemies came to it, as it was under the hostile Persian occupation, which ridiculed Egypt's religions, defiled its temples, nullified its religious rites, and used force to impose its religion on the Egyptians, so the Ptolemaic campaign led by Alexander the great over Egypt was a liberating movement; the Ptolemies showed their respect for the ancient Egyptian religions, and they took care of Egypt and its strategic location and built its cities, especially Alexandria, as they made it one of the most important commercial cities in the world, as this city has become a scientific beacon of a distinguished level because all students of knowledge from world meant its schools and libraries.
We can say that the era of the Ptolemies began in Egypt when Iskander came to the head of his army from Macedonia to fight the Persians and eliminate them. There is no doubt that the Egyptians took pleasure in the arrival of Alexander the Great and received him well, because they wanted to get rid of the rule of the Persians, as the Persians assaulted Egyptian beliefs and traditions and vandalized the temples.
Alexander the Great was the son of Greek civilization and he sanctified all religions when he entered Egypt he respected Egyptian traditions, as he visited Heliopolis, the capital of Egypt, and made offerings to the gods, as he visited the temple of Ptah the royal god Apis. When Alexander the Great came to winter in Egypt, he arranged his affairs, appointed the Egyptian rulers to be supervisors of the regions, and ordered the construction of Alexandria to be a luscious city between the Mediterranean and Lake Mariout.
Then he left Egypt and left commander Ptolemy and appointed him governor of Egypt and headed to the east to fight the Persians, and on June 13 of 323 BC, he opened the Indus River in Iraq and headed to the city of Babylon in Iraq. When he arrived in Babylon, he died and was buried in the city of Alexandria in Egypt when he was only thirty-three years old, to start the Ptolemaic state in Egypt.
