Ptolemy

(noun)

Greco-Roman writer of Alexandria (c. CE 90–c. 168 CE) known as a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet. Ptolemy was the author of several scientific treatises, three of which were of continuing importance to later Islamic and European science.

Related Terms

Examples of Ptolemy in the following topics:

  • The Legacy of Alexander the Great

    • Ptolemy was appointed as satrap of Egypt in 323 BCE by Perdiccas during the succession crisis that erupted following Alexander the Great.
    • From that time, Ptolemy ruled Egypt nominally in the name of joint kings Philip III and Alexander IV.
    • As Alexander the Great’s empire disintegrated, however, Ptolemy established himself as a ruler in his own right.
    • In 321 BCE, Ptolemy defended Egypt against an invasion by Perdiccas.
    • Bust of Ptolemy I Soter, king of Egypt (305–282 BCE) and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

  • Egyptian Art After Alexander the Great

    • It was founded when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt, creating a powerful Hellenistic state stretching from southern Syria to Cyrene and south to Nubia.
    • Among male rulers, portraiture assumed a more naturalistic appearance, even when the sitter was pictured in traditional Egyptian regalia, as in a relief of Ptolemy IV Philopator (r. 221–204 BCE), who wears the traditional pharaonic crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.
    • In this relief from a ring, Ptolemy VI wears the traditional white and red dual crown of Upper and Lower Egypt while displaying the naturalistic and individualized facial features typical of Classical and Hellenistic portraiture.

  • Scientific Advancements in the Classical Period

    • Two institutions established there during the reigns of Ptolemy I Soter (reigned 323–283 BCE) and Ptolemy II Philadelphus (reigned 281–246 BCE) were the Library and the Museum.
    • Unlike Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, these institutions were officially supported by the Ptolemies, although the extent of patronage could be precarious, depending on the policies of the current ruler.

  • Hellenization and the Spread of Greek Culture

    • Despite their initial reluctance, the Diadochi seem to have later deliberately naturalized themselves to their different regions, presumably in order to help maintain control of the population.Thus, for instance, we find the Ptolemies, as early as Ptolemy I Soter, the first Hellenistic king of Egypt, portrayed as pharaohs.Similarly, in the Indo-Greek kingdom, kings who converted to Buddhism.The Greeks in the regions therefore gradually become "localized" and adopted local customs as appropriate.In this way, hybrid "Hellenistic" cultures naturally emerged, at least amongst the upper echelons of society.
    • Bust of Ptolemy I Soter, founder of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

  • The Julio-Claudian Emperors

    • Mauretania had previously been a client kingdom ruled by Ptolemy of Mauretania.
    • Ptolemy was had been invited to Rome by Caligula and suddenly executed in what was seemingly a personal political move rather than a calcuated response to military of economic needs.

  • Portugal and West Africa

    • Soon the cape was renamed by King John II of Portugal the "Cape of Good Hope" because of the great optimism engendered by the possibility of a sea route to India, proving false the view that had existed since Ptolemy that the Indian Ocean was land-locked.

  • Introduction to Ancient Greece

    • New centers of Hellenic culture flourished through Greece and on foreign soil, including the cities of Pergamon, Antioch, and Alexandria, the capitals of the post-Alexander the Great empires of the Attalids, Seleucids, and Ptolemies.

  • Expansion of the Maurya Empire

    • Later Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Mauryan court continuing ties between the Hellenistic world and the Mauryan Empire.

  • Foundations of "Science"

    • This was the Ptolemaic system attributed to Claudius Ptolemy [127-151 AD], a Greek mathematician and astronomer who lived in Egypt.

  • The Islamic Golden Age

    • Scientists recovered the Alexandrian mathematical, geometric, and astronomical knowledge, such as that of Euclid and Claudius Ptolemy.