Editing Ptolemy III Euergetes (section)

===Pharaonic ideology and Egyptian religion===
[[File:Edfu_Tempel_Pronaos_03.JPG|thumb|Forecourt of the [[Temple of Horus at Edfu]], constructed under Ptolemy III]]

Ptolemy III built on the efforts of his predecessors to conform to the traditional model of the Egyptian [[pharaoh]]. He was responsible for the first known example of a series of [[Ptolemaic decrees|decrees]] published as [[trilingual inscription]]s on massive stone blocks in [[Ancient Greek]], [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], and [[Demotic (Egyptian)|demotic]]. Earlier decrees, like the [[Satrap stele]] and the [[Mendes stele]], had been in hieroglyphs alone and had been directed at single individual sanctuaries. By contrast, Ptolemy III's [[Canopus decree]] was the product of a special [[synod]] of all the priests of Egypt, which was held in 238 BC. The decree instituted a number of reforms and represents the establishment of a full partnership between Ptolemy III as pharaoh and the Egyptian priestly elite. This partnership would endure until the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty. In the decree, the priesthood praise Ptolemy III as a perfect pharaoh. They emphasise his support of the priesthood, his military success in defending Egypt and in restoring religious artefacts supposedly held by the Seleucids, and his good governance, especially an incident when Ptolemy III imported, at his own expense, a vast amount of grain to compensate for a weak [[inundation]]. The rest of the decree consists of reforms to the priestly orders (''phylai''). The decree also added a [[leap day]] to the [[Egyptian calendar]] of 365 days, and instituted related changes in festivals. Ptolemy III's infant daughter Berenice died during the synod and the stele arranges for her deification and ongoing worship. Further decrees would be issued by priestly synods under Ptolemy III's successors. The best-known examples are the [[Decree of Memphis]] passed by his son Ptolemy IV in about 218 BC and the [[Rosetta Stone]] erected by his grandson [[Ptolemy V]] in 196 BC.

The Ptolemaic kings before Ptolemy III, his grandfather [[Ptolemy I]] and his father Ptolemy II, had followed the lead of [[Alexander the Great]] in prioritising the worship of [[Amun]], worshipped at [[Karnak]] in [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] among the Egyptian deities. With Ptolemy III the focus shifted strongly to [[Ptah]], worshipped at [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]]. Ptah's earthly avatar, the [[Apis bull]] came to play a crucial role in royal new year festivals and coronation festivals. This new focus is referenced by two elements of Ptolemy III's [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary|Pharaonic titulary]]: his [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary|nomen]] which included the phrase ''Mery-Ptah'' (beloved of Ptah), and his [[golden Horus name]], ''Neb khab-used mi ptah-tatenen'' (Lord of the Jubilee-festivals as well as Ptah Tatjenen).<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=80–81}}</ref>
{{Location map+ |Egypt|width=300|float=right|relief=1|caption=Sites of construction work under Ptolemy III
|places=
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=31.2|long=29.916667|label=[[Alexandria]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=31.3|long=30.083333|label=[[Canopus, Egypt|Canopus]]|position=top}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=30.966667|long=31.25|label=[[Sebennytos]]|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=24.977778|long=32.873333|label=[[Edfu]]|position=}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=25.716667|long=32.65|label=[[Medamud]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=25.3|long=32.55|label=[[Esna]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=25.718611|long=32.658611|label=[[Karnak]]|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Egypt|lat=24.020833|long=32.889444|label=[[Philae]]|position=}}
}}
Ptolemy III financed construction projects at temples across Egypt. The most significant of these was the [[Temple of Horus at Edfu]], one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian temple architecture and now the best-preserved of all Egyptian temples. The king initiated construction on it on 23 August 237 BC.<ref name=H867/> Work continued for most of the Ptolemaic dynasty; the main temple was finished in the reign of Ptolemy IV in 231 BC, and the full complex was only completed in 142 BC, during the reign of [[Ptolemy VIII]], while the reliefs on the great pylon were finished in the reign of [[Ptolemy XII]]. Other construction work took place at a range of sites, including (from north to south):
* [[Serapeum of Alexandria]]
* Temple of Osiris at [[Canopus, Egypt|Canopus]];<ref name=H867/>
* Decorative work on the Temple of Isis at [[Behbeit El Hagar]], near [[Sebennytos]];<ref name=H867>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=86–87}}</ref>
* A [[sacred lake]] in the [[Temple of Montu (Medamud)|Temple of Montu]] at [[Medamud]];<ref name=H867/>
* The [[Pylon (architecture)|Gateway]] of Ptolemy III in the [[Temple of Khonsu]] and decorative work on the Temple of Opet at [[Karnak]] [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]].<ref name=H867/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Richard H. |title=The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt |url=https://archive.org/details/completetempleso00wilk |url-access=registration |date=2000 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |isbn=9780500283967 |page=[https://archive.org/details/completetempleso00wilk/page/163 163]}}</ref>
* Temple of [[Khnum]] at [[Esna]]
* A birth house at the Temple of Isis at [[Philae]].<ref name=H867/>