Scope: With the power vacuum left by the death of Ptolemy XI (he had no legitimate heirs), we see Ptolemaic politics at their worst. Staying alive was the most difficult part of ruling, and we will see how Cleopatra’s father managed this task. We will also examine the growing interaction of Rome with Egypt, a relationship that will ultimately doom Egyptian civilization.
Outline
I. Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (80-58 BC) and (55-51 BC) was the illegitimate son of Ptolemy IX. He was called “the bastard” and also “Auletes” (flute player) because he spent more time playing than ruling.
II. Rome, not Egypt, was now the superpower.
A. Rome’s army was the most powerful and disciplined in the world. (We get the word “decimate” from the Roman army.)
B. Although we think of Rome as a seat of culture, compared to Alexandria it was a backward city. The Greeks looked down on the Romans, even if they needed their help.
C. The weak Ptolemies bribed Rome to keep themselves on the throne.
D. Rome went along to keep a supply of wheat flowing into Rome. Egypt became the breadbasket of Rome.
E. Soon, Alexandria was divided into three sections: Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek.
III. Ptolemy XII’s early reign is revealed from a stela inscription.
A. His family, including Berenice, Cleopatra VI, Cleopatra VII, Arsinoe, and two sons, journeyed to Memphis.
B. What did they see?
1. The Serapeum, probably the burial place of the Apis bull, for one.
2. Cleopatra VII was no doubt taken by this trip into the Egyptian past; this young girl would become the only Ptolemy to speak Egyptian.
IV. The Second Triumvirate came to power in the Roman republic: Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar. The consequences for Egypt were great.
A. Ptolemy XII made a deal with them: He bribed the Romans to keep him on the throne.
B. As a result, he taxed so excessively that all Egyptians hated him.
C. He was run out of the country, leaving his daughter Berenice to rule. Such a succession couldn’t have happened in Greece, where women had little power.
D. Berenice was insecure, given the Ptolemies’ history of family treachery. She was married to her cousin, but had him strangled a week after the wedding.
E. She then took a friend as husband and they ruled while her father was exiled in Rome.
F. Cleopatra, meanwhile, was a teenager, growing up in luxury. She spent time in the Alexandria Library. It may be that here she read Herodotus and learned much about the history of Egypt.
G. Ptolemy XII bribed Julius Caesar and others and returned to Alexandria with Roman troops, led by Marc Antony. Berenice’s husband was killed in battle.
1. Ptolemy wanted to let the body rot.
2. Antony wouldn’t permit it and had the body buried.
H. Ptolemy was back on the throne and had his daughter Berenice murdered. There were now Roman troops stationed in Alexandria, the greatest city in the world.
V. Ptolemy XII proved to be a builder of renown; his legacy was substantial.
A. Philae Island, near Aswan, where Nectanebo I, one of the last native rulers, had built a kiosk, became a favorite place to build. Philae became the Kamak Temple of Ptolemaic Egypt.
B. Philae Temple, although built piecemeal, is a beautiful piece of work. It is dedicated primarily to Isis, who had become the most important goddess in Egypt, considered the wife of Serapis.
C. Philae’s temples were all moved when the Aswan Dam was built. Different countries adopted different temples and sponsored their relocation. The entire temple complex was numbered, stone by stone; dismantled; and moved to higher ground.
D. Ptolemy left a will for the administration of Egypt. The document provided that there would be two rulers of Egypt. His eldest daughter (Cleopatra VII) was to rule with her younger brother, who would become Ptolemy XIII.
Essential Reading:
Laura Foreman, Cleopatra’s Palace.
Supplementary Reading:
Ernie Bradford, Cleopatra.
Questions to Consider:
1. How did Rome influence Cleopatra's father?
2. What were the relations like in Cleopatra's family?