Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/581

PTOLEMAEUS. Arsinoe, the sister of Ptolemy Philadelphns, was the wife of Lysiraachus himself, and exercised great influence over the mind of the old king. But instead of this being employed against her half- brother Ceraunus, she appears soon to have made common cause with him ; and he not only assisted her in her intrigues against Agathocles, but is even said to have assassinated that unhappy prince with his own hand. (Memnon. c. 8 ; Justin, xvii. 1.) The conduct of Ptolemy in the war that fol- lowed between Lysimachus and Seleucus is differ- ently reported: Pausanias (i. 16. § 2) represents him as quitting the court of Lysimachus, and taking refuge with his rival, while Memnon (c. 12) states, with more probability, that he adhered to Lysimachus to the last, but after his death made his peace with Seleucus. It is certain, however, that he was received by the latter in the most friendly manner, and treated with all the distinc- tion due to his royal birth. Seleucus, we are told, even held out hopes to him of establishing him on the throne of Egypt, when Ptolemy, probably deeming the crown of Macedonia to be more easily within his grasp, basely assassinated his new patron at Lysimachia, B. c. 280, and immediately assumed the diadem himself. (Appian. Si/r. 62 ; Memnon. c. 12 ; Justin, xvii. 2 ; Paus. i. 16. § 2 ; Euseb. Ann. p. 157.) His authority appears to have beeii acknow- ledged without opposition by the army, and this enabled him to make himself master, with little difficulty, of the European dominions of Lysi- machus. Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, was suf- ficiently occupied with maintaining his Asiatic and hereditary possessions, and Ptolemy Phila- delphns was well contented to see his half-brother established on another throne, which led him to abandon all projects concerning that of Egypt. The usurper had the address to gain over Pyrrhus king of Epeirus, who might have proved his most dangerous rival, by a promise of assisting him with an auxiliary force in his expedition to Italy. Thus his only remaining opponent was Antigonus, the son of Demetrius, who now attempted to re- cover the throne of his father, and for him Ptolemy was more than a match. His fleet, supported by an auxiliary squadron of the Heracleans. totally defeated that of Antigonus, and compelled the latter to withdraw into Boeotia, while Ptolemy established himself, without farther opposition, on the throne of Macedonia. (Memnon. c. 13 ; Justin, xvii. 2, xxiv. 1.) He was now able to fortify himself in his new position by a treaty with Antiochus, who acknow- ledged him as sovereign of Macedonia, But his jealousy and apprehensions were still excited by Arsinoe, the widow of Lysimachus, who had taken refuge at Cassandreia with her two sons, Lysimachus and Philip ; and he endeavoured to decoy them into his power by offering to marry Arsinoe, and share the kingdom with her children. The queen, notwithstanding her previous experience of his character, gave credit to his oaths and protestations and received him at Cassandreia, but Ptolemy took the opportunity, during the nuptial festivities, to seize on the fortress, and immediately caused the two young princes to be assassinated. (Justin. xxiv. 1 — 3.) Their elder brother Ptolemy had, it appears, made his escape, and taken refuge with Monunius, king of the Dardanians, who for a time espoused his cause, and waged war, though with- PTOLEMAEUS. 569 out effect, against the Macedonian king. (Trog. Pomp. Prol. xxiv.) Ptolemy, however, was not destined long to enjoy the throne which he had obtained by so many- crimes. Before the close of the year which had witnessed the death of Seleucus, he was alarmed by the approach of a new and formidable enemy, the Gauls, who now, for the first time, appeared on the frontiers of Macedonia. Their chief, I3elgius, sent overtures for a treaty to Ptolemy, but the Macedonian king haughtily refused them, and re- jecting the proffered assistance of Monunius, has- tened to meet and give battle to the barbarian host. The result was most disastrous ; the Mace- donian army was totally routed, and the king, having been thrown from the elephant on which he was riding, fell alive into the hands of the enemy, by whom he was put to death in the most barbarous manner, and his head carried about on the point of a spear, in token of victory. (Justin, xxiv. 3 — 5 ; Paus. x. 19. § 7; Memnon. c. 14 ; Diod. xxii. Exc. Hoescheh p. 4.95, Exc. Valefv,- p. 592 ; Dexippus ap. Syncell. p. 266 ; Polyb. ix. 35. § 4.) Concerning the chronology of these events, see Clinton (F. H. vol. ii. pp. 237, 238). It seems certain that the death of Ptolemy must have taken place before the end of B.C. 280, and that the period of seventeen months assigned to his reign by Dexippus (/. c.) must be reckoned from the death of Lysimachus, and not from that of Se- leucus. [E. H. B.j PTOLEMAEUS {TiroXeixaios), tetrarch of Chalcis in Syria, the son of Mennaeus. He ap- pears to have held the cities of Heliopolis and Chalcis as well as the mountain district of Ituraea, from whence he was in the habit of infesting Damascus and the more wealthy parts of Coele- Syria with predatory incursions. These Alexan- dra, queen of Judaea, endeavoured to repress by sending against him her son Aristobulus with an army, but without much success. Subsequently, when Pompey came into Syria, B. c. 64, Ptolemy was summoned to answer for his misdeeds, but was able to purchase impunity from the conqueror with a sum of a thousand talents. In B. c. 49, when Alexander, the son of Aristobulus, was put to death at Antioch by the partisans of Pompey, Ptolemy afforded shelter and protection to the brothers and sisters of the deceased prince, and his son Philippion at first married one of the fugi- tive princesses, Alexandra : but, afterwards, Pto- lemy becoming enamoured of her himself, put Philippion to death, and made Alexandra his own wife. After the battle of Pharsalia Ptolemy was con- firmed by Caesar in the possession of his dominions, over which he continued to rule till his death in B. c. 40, when he was succeeded by his son Lysa- nias. The only occasion on which we meet with his name during this interval is in B. c. 42, when he united with Marion, prince of Tyre, in an at- tempt to restore Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus, to the throne of Judaea. They were, however, both defeated by Herod. (Strab. xvi. p. 753 ; Joseph. Ant. xiii. 16. § 3, xiv. 3. § 2, 7. § 4, B.J. i. 9, § 2, 13. § 1.) We learn from his coins that he assumed the title of tetrarch. (Eckhel, vol. iii. p. 264.) [E. H. B.] PTOLEMAEUS, CLAU'DIUS UroKitiatos KKauhios). A few words will be necussary on