Caesar And Ptolemies

Rome. Before it was a mighty empire it was a republic with allies. One of the many was with the Ptolemies of Egypt. Most known and famous was the last queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII. There is more to the tale of the Ptolemies of Egypt. The paper will start with discussing Ptolemy I and the establishment of his dynasty in Egypt. The beginning of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt started with Alexander the Great. Ptolemy Ι was a Macedonian general serving under Alexander the Great. “Egypt had been occupied by Persia who had incorporated it into the growing empire, and assuming the Egyptian crown by right of conquest the Persian king had ruled in absentia through a satrap , exploiting its vast grain reserves and taxing its people.”(Dr. Fletcher, …show more content…
After the death of Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, she ruled with her little brother Ptolemy XII. It was clear after a few years that she wanted to be sole-ruler. However Ptolemy XII and his Asinoe rose up against her and sent her to exile. Egypt was divided in civil war. Rome was also in a civil war. A political division, which began with Tiberius, caused the creation of the first Triumvirate: Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus. After time had past the senate wanted Pompey to be sole-consul and tried to disband Caesar. Caesar, who became a hero of the people, was ordered back to Rome and declared a traitor. Caesar with his army entered Rome by crossing the Rubicon River, which was an act of war. In the end, around 48 BC, the senate and Pompey lose. Pompey then fled to Egypt hoping for sanctuary, but young Ptolemy XIII hoping for Caesar’s alliance had Pompey killed. It did not go according to Ptolemy’s plan Caesar was outraged. The act of killing Pompey is one of the reasons Caesar sides with …show more content…
Ptolemy and Asinoe raise an army against Cleopatra and Caesar. Caesar is able to defend Alexandria even though he was outnumbered. Sadly the library of Alexandra was burned. “He (Caesar) was forced to divert that danger by setting fire to his own ships, which after burning the docks, thence spread on and destroyed the great library.” (Plutarch, 224) Caesar defeated Ptolemy VIII in the Battle of the Nile, where the boy-king drowned, and captured Asinoe, parading her through the streets of Rome, but also protected her from Cleopatra. Caesar and Cleopatra became lovers; she would eventually give birth to Caesar’s only biological son Ptolemy XV “Caesarion”. The young queen again ruled along with her even younger brother Ptolemy XIV. Caesar left, Egypt before any knowledge of Cleopatra’s pregnancy, for