Ptolemaic Egypt
Explore Ptolemaic Egypt — the Hellenistic kingdom that fused Greek and Egyptian culture, built the Library of Alexandria, and ended with Cleopatra.
When Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE, his general Ptolemy claimed Egypt as his share of the empire. The dynasty he founded would rule for nearly three centuries, making Ptolemaic Egypt the longest-lasting and wealthiest of the Hellenistic successor kingdoms. The Ptolemies governed as pharaohs, adopting Egyptian religious traditions and building temples in the ancient style, while maintaining Alexandria as a Greek-speaking capital of extraordinary sophistication.
Alexandria was the Ptolemies' greatest creation. The city's Library and Museum attracted scholars from across the Mediterranean, making it the intellectual capital of the ancient world. Euclid wrote his Elements there. Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference. The Septuagint — the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible — was produced in Alexandria. The city also housed the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The dynasty ended spectacularly with Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic kingdom. Her political alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony drew Egypt into Rome's civil wars. When Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Egypt became a Roman province — ending not just Ptolemaic rule but over three thousand years of pharaonic civilization.