Ptolemy (general)

Ptolemy (general)

Ptolemy (in Greek Πτoλεμαιoς; died 309 BC) was a nephew of Antigonus, the general of Alexander the Great (338–323 BC) who afterwards became king of Asia. His name is first mentioned as present with his uncle at the siege of Nora in 320 BC, when he was given up to Eumenes as a hostage for the safety of the latter during a conference with Antigonus.rf|1|plut_10 At a later period we find him entrusted by his uncle with commands of importance. Thus in 315 BC, when Antigonus was preparing to make head against the formidable coalition organized against him, he placed Ptolemy at the head of the army which was destined to carry on operations in Anatolia against the generals of Cassander. This object the young general successfully carried out—relieved Amisus, which was besieged by Asclepiodorus, and recovered the whole satrapy of Cappadocia; after which he advanced into Bithynia, of which he compelled the king Zipoites to join his alliance, and then occupied Ionia, from whence Seleucus withdrew on his approach.rf|2|diod_19.57_60 He next threatened Caria, which was however for a time defended by Myrmidon, the Egyptian general; but the following year (314 BC) Ptolemy was able to strike a decisive blow in that quarter against Eupolemus, the general of Cassander, whom he surprised and totally defeated.rf|3|diod_62_68 The next summer (313 BC) the arrival of Antigonus himself gave a decided preponderance to his arms in Anatolia, and Ptolemy, after rendering active assistance in the sieges of Caunus and Iasus, was sent with a considerable army to Greece to carry on the war there against Cassander. His successes were at first rapid: he drove out the garrisons of his adversary from Chalcis and Oropus, invaded Attica, where he compelled Athens' tyrant Demetrius Phalereus to make overtures of submission, and then carried his arms triumphantly through Boeotia, Phocis, and Locris. Wherever he went he expelled the Macedonian garrisons, and proclaimed the liberty and independence of the several cities. After this he directed his march to the Peloponnese, where the authority of Antigonus had been endangered by the recent defection of his general Telesphorus.rf|4|diod_75_77_78_87 Here he appears to have remained till the peace of 311 suspended hostilities in that quarter. But he considered that his services had not met with their due reward from Antigonus; and when, therefore, in 310 BC the kings of Macedonia and Egypt were preparing to renew the war, Ptolemy suddenly abandoned the cause of his uncle and concluded a treaty with Cassander and Ptolemy I Soter. Probably his object was to establish himself in the chief command in the Peloponnese: but the reconciliation of Polyperchon with Cassander must have frustrated this object: and on the arrival of the Egyptian king with a fleet at Cos, Ptolemy repaired from Chalcis to join him. He was received at first with the utmost favour, but soon gave offence to his new patron by his intrigues and ambitious demonstrations, and was in consequence thrown into prison and compelled to put an end to his life by poison, 309 BC.rf|5|diod_20.19_27

He appears in Harry Turtledove's novel "The Gryphon's Skull", under the variant form of his name, "Polemaios." The two heroes carry him from Kos to Chalcis, and one of them later witnesses his execution. He is portrayed as a bullying, unpleasant man.

References

*Smith, William (editor); "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology", [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2898.html "Ptolemaeus (7)"] , Boston, (1867)

Notes

ent|1|plut_10 Plutarch, "Parallel Lives", "Eumenes", [http://www.attalus.org/old/eumenes.html#10 10] ent|2|diod_19.57_60 Diodorus Siculus, "Bibliotheca", xix. 57, 60ent|3|diod_62_68 Ibid., 62, 68 ent|4|diod_75_77_78_87 Ibid., 75, 77, 78, 87ent|5|diod_20.19_27 Ibid., xx. 19, 27


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ptolemy (name) — The name Ptolemy or Ptolemaeus comes from the Greek Ptolemaios , which means warlike. There have been many people named Ptolemy or Ptolemaeus, the most famous of which are the Greek Egyptian astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus and the Macedonian… …   Wikipedia

  • Ptolemy of Mauretania — or Ptolemy of Morocco (Ptolemy or Ptolemaios, Greek: ο Πτολεμαίος , Latin: PTOLEMAEVS , 1 BC – AD 40) was a prince and the last Roman client king of Mauretania.Ptolemy was the only son to queen Cleopatra Selene II and king Juba II of Mauretania.… …   Wikipedia

  • Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator — ptolemyPtolemy XIII Theos Philopator (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemaĩos Theós Philopátōr , lived 62 BC/61 BC–January 13, 47 BC?, reigned from 51 BC) was one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC) of Egypt. Co ruler of …   Wikipedia

  • Ptolemy XII Auletes — Ptolemy Neos Dionysos Theos Philopator Theos Philadelphos ( el. polytonic|Πτολεμαῖος Νέος Διόνυσος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ Θεός Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaĩos Néos Diónusos Theós Philopátōr Theós Philádelphos ), New Dionysus, God Beloved of his Father, God… …   Wikipedia

  • Ptolemy V Epiphanes — (Greek: polytonic|Πτολεμαῖος Ἐπιφανής, Ptolemaĩos Epiphanḗs , reigned 204–181 BCE), son of Ptolemy IV Philopator and Arsinoe III of Egypt, was the 5th ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty. He became ruler at the age of five, and under a series of… …   Wikipedia

  • Ptolemy — Ptolemy1 [täl′ə mē] n. 1. name of a Macedonian dynasty of Egypt founded by Ptolemy I and ruling from 323 to 30 B.C. 2. pl. Ptolemies a member of this dynasty Ptolemy2 [täl′ə mē] 1. (L. name Claudius Ptolomaeus) 2d cent. A.D.; Alexandrian… …   English World dictionary

  • PTOLEMY MACRON° — PTOLEMY MACRON°, a general under antiochus IV (Epiphanes). The author of II Maccabees (10:12) explicitly states that Ptolemy had taken the lead in preserving justice for the Jews. As a result, he was accused before antiochus V (Eupator) and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • General Chronology —     General Chronology     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► General Chronology     Chronology (Greek chronos time, logos, discourse), the science of time measurement, has two branches:     ♦ Mathematical Chronology, which determines the units to be… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ptolemy Reid — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Ptolemy Reid; (Dartmouth, Essequibo, Guyana, 8 de mayo de 1918 2 de setiembre de 2003). Profesor, veterinario y político Guyanés. Estudió en el Instituto Tuskegee, Alabama, Estados Unidos, en donde se hizo doctor en… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ptolemy I Soter — born 367/366, Macedonia died 283/282 BC, Egypt Ruler of Egypt (323–285) and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. A Macedonian general of Alexander the Great, he and the other generals divided the empire after Alexander s death, Ptolemy becoming… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”