Ptolemy III Euergetes

Ptolemy III Euergetes
Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης
Bust of Ptolemy III
Pharaoh
King of the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Reign28 January 246 – November/December 222 BC[1]
PredecessorPtolemy II
SuccessorPtolemy IV
Royal titulary
Horus name
ḥkn-nṯrw-rmṯ-ḥr.f
Khekenetjeruremetj-heref
The one over whom gods and people have rejoiced
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Second Horus name:
ḥkn-nṯrw-rmṯ-ḥr.f m-šsp.f-nsyt-m-Ꜥ-jt.f
Hekenetjeruremetj-heref emshesepefnesytemaitef
The one over whom gods and people have rejoiced
when he has received the kingship from his father's hand

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p		 D40
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Nebty name
ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj
Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery
The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land
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Golden Horus
wr-pḥtj jrj-Ꜣḫt nb-ḥꜢbw-sd-mi-ptḥ-tꜢ-ṯnn jty-mi-rꜤ
Werpehty iryakhut nebkhabusedmiptah-tatenen itymire
Whose might is great, doing that which is beneficial,
Lord of the years of Jubilee like Ptah Ta-Tjenen, a ruler like Ra
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Prenomen  (Praenomen)
jwꜤ-n-nṯrwj-snwj stp.n-rꜤ sḫm-Ꜥnḫ-n-jmn
iwa-en-senwy netjerwy, setep-en-ra sekhem-ankh-en-imen[2]
Heir of the Twin Gods, Chosen of Re, Living Image of Amun[2]
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n		 sxmanxS3
Nomen
ptwlmys Ꜥnḫ-ḏt mrj-ptḥ
Petolemys ankhdjet meryptah
Ptolemy, who lives eternally, beloved of Ptah
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M		 iisanxD
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ConsortBerenice II
ChildrenPtolemy IV
Arsinoe III
Alexander
Magas
Berenice
FatherPtolemy II
MotherArsinoe I
Bornc. 280 BC[1]
Kos or Egypt
DiedNovember/December 222 BC (aged c. 58)[1]
BurialAlexandria
DynastyPtolemaic dynasty

Ptolemy III Euergetes (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης, romanized: Ptolemaîos Euergétēs, "Ptolemy the Benefactor"; c. 280 – November/December 222 BC) was the third pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt from 246 to 222 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom reached the height of its military and economic power during his kingship, as initiated by his father Ptolemy II Philadelphus.

Ptolemy III was the eldest son of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe I. When Ptolemy III was young, his mother was disgraced and he was removed from the succession. He was restored as heir to the throne in the late 250s BC and succeeded his father as king without issue in 246 BC. On his succession, Ptolemy III married Berenice II, reigning queen of Cyrenaica, thereby bringing her territory into the Ptolemaic realm. In the Third Syrian War (246–241 BC), Ptolemy III invaded the Seleucid empire and won a near total victory, but was forced to abandon the campaign as a result of an uprising in Egypt. In the aftermath of this rebellion, Ptolemy forged a closer bond with the Egyptian priestly elite, which was codified in the Canopus decree of 238 BC and set a trend for Ptolemaic power in Egypt for the rest of the dynasty. In the Aegean, Ptolemy III suffered a major setback when his fleet was defeated by the Antigonids at the Battle of Andros around 246 BC, but he continued to offer financial support to their opponents in mainland Greece for the rest of his reign. At his death, Ptolemy III was succeeded by his eldest son, Ptolemy IV.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference CBP3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Ronald J. Leprohon, The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary, Society of Biblical Literature (2013), p. 190.