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[[File: Ptomely_Napoli.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Hellenistic Bust of Ptolemy II in the Naples Museum]]__NOTOC__
By the time Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ruled 284-246 BC) came to the throne of Egypt, Egypt had long ceased being an important power in the Mediterranean Basin or the Near East. The last great Egyptian dynasty was the Twenty-Sixth (664-525 BC), after which a series of weak native dynasties came to the throne interspersed with two periods of Achaemenid Persian rule. So when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC, it may have seemed like just another group of foreigners was going to rule Egypt from afar, making sure to deplete as many of her resources in the process.
====The Greeks and Egypt====
[[File: Ptolemaic-Empire-300BC.png|300px250px|thumbnail|left|The Extent of Ptolemaic Egypt during the Reign of Ptolemy I]]
Long before the Macedonian Greeks ruled Egypt, other Greeks had long histories of interactions with Egypt and the Egyptians going back to the Middle Bronze Age. The earliest recorded interactions between the Egyptians and people from Greece and the Greek Isles are found in tombs and texts from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (1974-1640 BC). The contact was probably limited for the most and primarily traded with the Minoans of Crete and then later in the New Kingdom (1550-1075 BC) with the Myceneans of the Cyclades Islands and mainland Greece. By the seventh century BC, the Greeks had begun expanding their influence in the Mediterranean Basin by colonizing coastal areas outside of Greece and by offering their services as mercenaries to non-Greeks, which is how they established a permanent foothold in Egypt.
When Alexander and his army drove the Persians from Egypt, they were welcomed as liberators for the most part. He visited the oracle of Amun in the Siwa Oasis, was proclaimed the legitimate pharaoh, and was coronated in Memphis, the traditional political capital of ancient Egypt. <ref> Chauveau, Michael. <i>Egypt in the Age of Cleopatra: History and Society under the Ptolemies.</i> Translated by David Lorton. (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2000), p. 121</ref> Although Alexander left Egypt and never returned, he mainly laid the foundations for a new Macedonian Greek dynasty to rule the Nile Valley.
After Alexander the Great died, his top generals divided his kingdom up among themselves. Ptolemy Lagos, later known as Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt, received the prize of Egypt, although he had to defeat the general Perdiccas for that reward. <ref> Bowman, Alan K. <i>Egypt after the Pharaohs: 332 BC-AD 642 from Alexander to the Arab Conquest.</i> (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1996), p. 22</ref> Ptolemy I wasted little time rebuilding Egypt in his image. Some of the more impressive aspects of Ptolemy I’s reign are detailed on in the Egyptian language <i>Satrap Stela</i>, foremost of which was his construction of the new capital, Alexandria. <ref> Chauveau, p. 38</ref> Alexandria may have been Ptolemy I’s vision, but it was the responsibility of his son and successor, Ptolemy II, to make that vision a reality.
====Ptolemy II’s Building Projects====
[[File: PompeysPillarSerapeum.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|Pompey’s Pillar and the Ruins of the Serapeum in Alexandria]]
The creation of Alexandria was an ambitious project in itself since there was only a small settlement in the vicinity when Ptolemy took the throne, but it was the major monuments and institutions he began construction of that made the city truly famous. The most famous of all the buildings Ptolemy began construction of that was completed during Ptolemy II’s reign was the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Also known as the Pharos Lighthouse for the island in the Alexandria harbor where it was located, construction of the landmark probably began in the 290s and continued until the 270s BC. <ref> Scheidel, Walter. “Creating a Metropolis: A Comparative Demographic Perspective.” In <i>Ancient Alexandria between Egypt and Greece.</i> Edited by W.V. Harris and Giovanni Ruffini. (Leiden: Brill, 2004), p. 318</ref>
====Ptolemy II and the Economy====
The primary reason why Ptolemy II completed the Red Sea Canal and built the road from Berenice to Coptos was to facilitate trade and economic activity in Egypt. For centuries the Egyptian economy had stagnated, but new economic ideas introduced by Ptolemy I and further pursued by Ptolemy II helped make Egypt an important trading partner in the region once more. Coinage was introduced on a wide scale, and royal banks were franchised and given tax -collecting powers, which helped to make the economy grow and be more efficient <ref> Chauveau, pgs. 82-82</ref> The Ptolemies continued to export grain as the Egyptians had done before them, but they also diversified their exports by taking advantage of the papyrus and rare oils that Egypt had to offer. <ref> Chauveau, p. 93</ref>
====Ptolemy II the Conquering Pharaoh====
====Conclusion====
Ancient Egypt was a civilization that had many cultural peaks and valleys. When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC the land of the pharaohs was in one of its deepest valleys since the formation of the Egyptian state around 3100 BC. After the Macedonian Greek Ptolemy Dynasty was established, Ptolemy II revitalized Egypt by completing his father’s ambitious building program, embarking on foreign conquest, introducing new economic ideas, and by pursuing a cultural program that respected the native Egyptian traditions while introducing aspects of Hellenism. Because of Ptolemy II’s efforts, Egypt once more became one of the most important kings in the region and would be so for another 200 years.
====References====
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[[Category: Ancient History]] [[Category: Ancient Egyptian History]] [[Category: Ancient Greek History]] [[Category: Hellenistic Period]] [[Category: Late Period Egypt]] [[Category:Wikis]]
