Background
Ptolemy was born in Macedonia in 366 or 367 BC.
(Excerpt from Syntaxis Mathematica, Vol. 1: Libros I-Vi Co...)
Excerpt from Syntaxis Mathematica, Vol. 1: Libros I-Vi Continens F codex Parisinus Graecus 2390, bombycinus s. XIII, de quo u. Omont Inventaire II p. 251. Arte cohaeret cum bc. Hic illic in3pexi Parisiis 1893. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Ptolemy was born in Macedonia in 366 or 367 BC.
In 343 BC Ptolemy I joined Alexander at Mieza and there studied for 3 years with Aristotle.
Ptolemy returned to Pella with Alexander by 340 B. C. and supported his younger friend's quarrel with his father, Philip, in 337 B. C. Alexander left Macedonia with his mother Olympias, Ptolemy, and his close friends for Epirus and Illyria but soon returned to Macedonia. Alexander remained estranged from Philip, who banished Ptolemy from the court because he considered him a dangerous adviser to his son. Alexander's Adviser and General In 336 B. C. when Philip was assassinated by a conspiracy of nobles, Ptolemy returned to the court and supported Alexander's claim to the feudal throne. Alexander, in turn, appointed him Companion, Life-guard, and Seneschal. Ptolemy accompanied Alexander on his campaigns to the Danube in 336 B. C. and to crush the Corinthian League's rebellion and to destroy perfidious Thebes in 335 B. C. Ptolemy encouraged and aided Alexander's invasion of Asia Minor to liberate the eastern Greeks from the Persian Empire of Darius III and to invade Syria and conquer Persia. Ptolemy fought at Issos in 333 B. C. and, riding beside Alexander, pursued Darius into the hills; he accompanied Alexander through Phoenicia and in the siege of Tyre in 332 B. C. and marched through Jerusalem to Egypt. In Egypt, Ptolemy aided Alexander's peaceful conquest of the country and the founding of Alexandria in the western delta, and probably accompanied his king to the temple of Zeus Ammon in Siwa. Ptolemy quickly realized the immense value of Egypt, its structure as a geographical entity, and he developed keen interests in the region. From Egypt, Ptolemy accompanied Alexander to northern Mesopotamia and the third and final major conflict with Darius's armies, at Gaugamela in 331 B. C. During the next 6 years Ptolemy campaigned with Alexander through western India and along the Indus Valley. Ptolemy recognized Alexander's claim to the Persian throne and tiara without hesitation and revealed to Alexander the instigation of Callisthenes in the conspiracy of the royal pages to assassinate him. In India, Ptolemy fought beside Alexander and in one melée saved his king's life.
Ruler of Egypt With Alexander's death in Babylon on June 13, 323 B. C. , Ptolemy's political and military ambitions were freed. He momentarily recognized the faulty co-rulership of Alexander's epileptic half brother Arrhidaeios and his posthumous son Alexander and immediately claimed Egypt as his satrapy. Ptolemy strongly opposed Perdikkas, to whom Alexander gave his signet ring and the regency of the empire. Ptolemy brought Alexander's body for burial to Memphis, though Alexander had wished to be buried at Siwa. Ptolemy built an altar there for Alexander but retained the body at Memphis until a suitable mausoleum could be built in Ptolemy's new capital, Alexandria. Perdikkas's regency rapidly fell to violent warfare among Ptolemy, Lysimachos who held Thrace, Antigonus the "One-Eyed" in Greater Phrygia, and Seleucus who desired Syria. Until 281 B. C. the "successors" fought bitterly. In 306 B. C. Antigonus assumed the title of king and claimed all of Alexander's empire. In opposition, Ptolemy declared Egypt's independence, proclaimed himself king of Egypt, and established a dynasty which lasted until Cleopatra's suicide in 30 B. C.
Ptolemy concentrated on the development of his empire. He gained control of Cyrene and conquered Palestine, coastal Syria, and Cyprus. In 286 B. C. he became protector of the southern Cycladic islands and their center at Delos. Throughout his empire he established the well-constructed Ptolemaic administration: he built the legal and military organizations and the military settlements, raised mercenary armies, and conscripted native levies. Ptolemy wrote an excellent history of Alexander and his campaigns for which he utilized Alexander's daily Journal and other official materials. Arrian's Anabasis (2d century A. D. ) preserves much of Ptolemy's study. In 285 B. C. Ptolemy abdicated in favor of his 22-year-old son, Ptolemy II. Two years later Ptolemy I died and was deified by the young king in 279 B. C. and given the title Theos Soter, "God and Savior. "
(Excerpt from Syntaxis Mathematica, Vol. 1: Libros I-Vi Co...)
When Alexander bade his Companions marry Persians, Ptolemy dutifully married Artacama.
About 317 BC he married Berenice I. She gave birth to two children.