Editing History of Egypt (section)

== Greek rule ==

===Ptolemaic Kingdom===
{{Main|Ptolemaic Kingdom}}
[[File:Denderah3 Cleopatra Cesarion.jpg|thumb|211x211px|The [[Greeks|Greek]] Ptolemaic queen [[Cleopatra]] and her son by [[Julius Caesar]], [[Caesarion]], at the [[Dendera Temple complex]].]]
[[File:Ptolemaic Kingdom III-II century BC - en.svg|thumb|left|Ptolemaic Egypt {{Circa|235&nbsp;BC}}. The green areas were lost to the [[Seleucid Empire]] thirty five years later.]]
The [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]] was a powerful [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic state]] extending from southern [[Syria]] in the east, to [[Cyrene, Libya|Cyrene]] to the west, and south to the frontier with Nubia. [[Alexandria]] became the capital city and a center of [[Hellenistic Greece|Greek]] culture and trade. To gain recognition by the native Egyptian populace, they named themselves as the successors to the Pharaohs. The later Ptolemies took on Egyptian traditions, had themselves portrayed on public monuments in Egyptian style and dress, and participated in Egyptian religious life.<ref>{{cite book | last=Bowman | first = Alan K | title= Egypt after the Pharaohs 332 BC – AD 642 | publisher=[[University of California Press]] | location=Berkeley | year=1996 | edition=2nd | pages=25–26 | isbn=978-0-520-20531-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Stanwick | first = Paul Edmond | title= Portraits of the Ptolemies: Greek kings as Egyptian pharaohs | publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] | location=Austin | year=2003 | isbn=978-0-292-77772-9}}</ref>

The last ruler from the [[Ptolemaic dynasty]] was [[Cleopatra]], who committed suicide following the burial of her lover [[Mark Antony]], who had died in her arms (from a self-inflicted stab wound) after [[Augustus]] had captured Alexandria and her mercenary forces had fled.

The Ptolemies faced rebellions of native Egyptians, often caused by an unwanted regime, and were involved in foreign and civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its annexation by Rome. Nevertheless, [[Hellenistic culture]] continued to thrive in Egypt well after the [[Muslim conquest of Egypt|Muslim conquest]]. The native Egyptian/Coptic culture continued to exist as well (the Coptic language itself was Egypt's most widely spoken language until at least the 10th century).