Editing Ptolemy VI Philometor

{{Short description|Egyptian pharaoh}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name         = Ptolemy VI Philometor
| role        = [[Basileus|King]] of the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]] 
| image        = Ring with engraved portrait of Ptolemy VI Philometor (3rd–2nd century BCE) - 2009.jpg
| caption      = Ring of Ptolemy VI wearing an [[Ancient Egyptians|Egyptian]] [[pschent]]
| reign        = 180 – 164 BC<br />163 – 145 BC
| predecessor  = [[Ptolemy V]]<br/>[[Cleopatra I]]
| successor    = [[Ptolemy VIII]]<br/>[[Cleopatra II]]
| horus        = ''ṯnj-m-ẖt ḥtr-ḥpw-Ꜥnḫ-ḥr-msḫnt.sn''<br/>''Tjeniemkhet Heterhapuankhhermeskhen(e)tsen''<br/>Distinguished in the sanctuary, the twin brother of the living Apis bull upon their birth stone
| horus_hiero  = <hiero>C18-M:X:F51B*t-A26\-A26-H-Aa5:p-E1-anx-D2:Z1-ms-s-x*nw:O39*O39:z:n</hiero>
| nebty        = ''m-mꜢꜤt sḫꜤj-n-sw-jt.f''<br/>''Emmaat sekhaensuitef''<br/> Truly, whose father enthroned him
| nebty_hiero  = <hiero>Aa15:Aa11:t*H8-s-xa:a:n-sw-w-t:f:Z1:f</hiero>
| golden       = ''wr-pḥtj nb-ḥbw-sd-mj-ptḥ tꜢ-ṯnn-jt-nṯrw ity-mj-rꜤ''<br/>''Werpehty Nebhabused Miptahtatjenenitnetjeru Itymire''<br/>The one great of strength, <br/>a possessor of Sed festivals like Ptah Ta-Tjenen, the father of the gods, and a sovereign like Ra
| golden_hiero = <hiero>wr:r-F9:F9-nb:O23-Z3-p:t-H-C18-mi-i-R7:f:t*Z1-nTr*Z1-nTr*Z1-nTr*Z1-i-i-A23-x*Z1:mi</hiero>
| prenomen     = ''wr-pḥtj nb-ḥbw-sd-mi-ptḥ tꜢ-ṯnn-jt-nṯrw jty-mj-rꜤ''<br/>''Iwaennetjerwyperu Setepenptahkheperi Irymaatamunre''<br/> Heir of the two gods who has emerged, chosen by Ptah-Khepri,<br/> who carried out Maat (for) Amun-Ra{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>nTr\-N8-nTr-F44-p:t-H-xpr:r-C12-stp:n-C2\-C12-ir:Aa11:t*H8</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>nTr-pr:r:D54-nTr-F44:n-p:t-H-xpr:r-stp:n-C2\-C12-ir:Aa11</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>nTr\-N8-nTr-F44:n-p:t-H-xpr:r-stp:n-C2\-C12-D4-Sw-t:H8</hiero>}}{{Infobox pharaoh/Prenomen|Prenomen=<hiero>nTr\-N8-nTr-F44-p:t-H-n:stp:ir-Aa11:n-C2\-C12-r:H*H</hiero>}}
| nomen        = ''ptwlmjs Ꜥnḫ-ḏtmrj-ptḥ''<br/>''Ptolemys Ankhdjetmeryptah''<br/> Ptolemaios, living forever, beloved of Ptah
| nomen_hiero  = <hiero>p:t-wA-l:M-i-i-s-anx-D:t:N17-p:t-H-mr</hiero>
| birth_date   = May/June 186 BC<ref group=note name="birthdate"/>
| death_date   = 145 BC (aged 41)
| spouse       = [[Cleopatra II]] ({{abbr|m.|married}} 175 BC)
| children= {{plainlist|
*[[Ptolemy Eupator]]
*[[Cleopatra Thea|Cleopatra Thea, Queen of Syria]]
*[[Cleopatra III, Queen of Egypt]]
*[[Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator|Ptolemy]]
}}
| dynasty      = [[Ptolemaic dynasty]]
| father       = [[Ptolemy V]]
| mother       = [[Cleopatra I]]
| burial       = [[Alexandria]]
|Predecessor=[[Ptolemy IV]]|Coregency={{plainlist|
*[[Cleopatra II]] (170-145 BC)
*[[Ptolemy VIII]] (170-164 BC)
}}}}
'''Ptolemy VI Philometor''' ({{langx|el|Πτολεμαῖος Φιλομήτωρ}}, ''Ptolemaĩos Philomḗtōr'';<ref group="note">"Ptolemy, lover of his Mother". {{Ptolemy}}</ref> 186–145&nbsp;BC) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[Pharaoh|king]] of [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] who reigned from 180 to 164&nbsp;BC and from 163 to 145&nbsp;BC.<ref name=Tyndale>{{cite web|url=http://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_vi.htm|title=Ptolemy VI|author=Chris Bennett|publisher=Tyndale House|access-date=May 22, 2013}}</ref> He is often considered the last ruler of [[ancient Egypt]] when that state was still a major power.

Ptolemy VI, the eldest son of King [[Ptolemy V]] and Queen [[Cleopatra I]], came to the throne aged six when his father died in 180 BC. The kingdom was governed by regents: his mother until her death in 178 or 177&nbsp;BC and then two of her associates, Eulaeus and Lenaeus, until 169&nbsp;BC. From 170&nbsp;BC, his sister-wife [[Cleopatra II]] and his younger brother [[Ptolemy VIII]] were co-rulers alongside him. Ptolemy VI's reign was characterised by external conflict with the [[Seleucid Empire]] over Syria and by internal conflict with his younger brother for control of the Ptolemaic monarchy. In the [[Sixth Syrian War]] (170–168&nbsp;BC), the Ptolemaic forces were utterly defeated and Egypt was twice invaded by Seleucid armies. A few years after the Seleucid conflict ended, Ptolemy VIII succeeded in expelling Ptolemy VI from Egypt in 164&nbsp;BC.

The people of [[Alexandria]] turned against Ptolemy VIII and invited Ptolemy VI back to the throne in 163&nbsp;BC. In this second reign Ptolemy VI was much more successful in his conflicts against the Seleucids and his brother. He banished his brother to [[Cyrenaica]] and repeatedly prevented him from using that as a springboard to taking [[Cyprus]], despite substantial Roman intervention in Ptolemy VIII's favour. By supporting a series of rival claimants for the Seleucid throne, Ptolemy VI helped instigate a civil war which would continue for generations and eventually consume the Seleucid dynasty. In 145&nbsp;BC, Ptolemy VI invaded Seleucid Syria and won a total victory at the [[Battle of Antioch (145 BC)|Battle of the Oenoparus]], which left him in charge of both the Seleucid and Ptolemaic realms. However, injuries that he sustained in the battle led to his death three days later. The gains from the war were almost immediately lost and Ptolemy VIII returned to power.

==Background and early life==
[[File:Ptolemy VI Philometor ring.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Golden ring depicting Ptolemy VI wearing a [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] diadem]]
Ptolemy VI was the eldest son of [[Ptolemy V]] and [[Cleopatra I]]. The early reign of Ptolemy V was dominated by the [[Fifth Syrian War]] (204–198&nbsp;BC) against the [[Seleucid]] king [[Antiochus III]], who completely defeated the Ptolemaic forces, annexed [[Coele-Syria]] and [[Judaea]] to his empire, and reduced [[Ptolemaic Egypt|Egypt]] to a subordinate position.<ref name="Grainger 2010 274">{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|p=274}}</ref> Under a peace treaty, Ptolemy V married Antiochus III's daughter Cleopatra I in 194&nbsp;BC.<ref name=BennettC>{{cite web|url=http://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_i_fr.htm|title=Cleopatra I|author=Chris Bennett|publisher=Tyndale House|access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref>

Ptolemy VI was born in 186&nbsp;BC, probably in May or June.<ref group=note name="birthdate">The year is deduced from: (1) the award of extensive divine honours to his mother Cleopatra I in the Philae I decree of 185 BC, (2) the fact that Ptolemy VI's [[Horus name]] refers to him as 'twin brother of the living [[Apis Bull]]', which suggests that he was born in the same year as an Apis Bull - the only available candidate was born and installed in 185 BC: {{cite journal |last1=Koenen |first1=Ludwig |title=Die 'demotische Zivilprozessordnung' und die Philanthropa vom 9. Okt. 186 vor Chr. |journal=Archiv für Papyrusforschung |date=1960 |volume=17 |page=13 n. 2}}. The month is known from an inscription on Cyprus (''[[Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum|SEG]]'' 20.311), recording birthday celebrations in his honour in the month of Pharmouthi: {{cite journal |last1=Mitford |first1=T. B. |title=Further Contributions to the Epigraphy of Cyprus |journal=American Journal of Archaeology|date=1961 |volume=65 |issue=2 |page=129|doi=10.2307/502666 |jstor=502666 |s2cid=191391700 }}</ref><ref name=Tyndale/> He had two siblings: a sister, [[Cleopatra II]], who was probably born between 186 and 184&nbsp;BC, and a younger brother, [[Ptolemy VIII]]. His father advertised Ptolemy VI's position as heir within Egypt and to the wider world, for example by entering a chariot team under his name in the [[Panathenaic Games]] of 182&nbsp;BC.<ref>[[Inscriptiones Graecae|IG II²]] 2314 line 56; {{cite journal |last1=Tracy |first1=Stephen V. |last2=Habicht |first2=Christian |title=New and Old Panathenaic Victor Lists |journal=Hesperia |date=1991 |volume=60 |issue=2 |page=221 |jstor=148087 }}</ref><ref name=Tyndale/> The defeat in the Fifth Syrian War cast a shadow over the rest of Ptolemy V's reign. One prominent faction within the Ptolemaic court agitated for a return to war in order to restore Egyptian prestige, while another faction resisted the expense involved in rebuilding and remilitarising the realm.<ref name="Grainger 2010 274"/> Ptolemy V died unexpectedly in September 180&nbsp;BC, at the age of only 30. It is possible that he was murdered as a result of this factional infighting – a late source claims that he had been poisoned.<ref>[[Jerome]], ''Commentary on Daniel'' 11.20</ref>

==First reign (180–164 BC)==
===Regencies===
Ptolemy VI, who was only six years old, was immediately crowned king, with his mother Cleopatra I as co-regent. In documents from this period, Cleopatra I is named before Ptolemy VI and coins were minted under the joint authority of her and her son.<ref name=Tyndale/> In the face of continued agitation for war with the Seleucids, Cleopatra I pursued a peaceful policy, because of her own Seleucid roots and because a war would have threatened her hold on power.<ref name=H143>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=143}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=281–2}}</ref> She probably died in late 178 or early 177&nbsp;BC, though some scholars place her death in late 176&nbsp;BC.<ref name=BennettC/>

Ptolemy VI was still too young to rule on his own. On her deathbed, Cleopatra I appointed Eulaeus and Lenaeus, two of her close associates, as regents. Eulaeus, a eunuch who had been Ptolemy VI's tutor, was the more senior of the two, even minting coinage in his own name. Lenaeus was a Syrian slave who had probably come to Egypt as part of Cleopatra I's retinue when she got married. He seems to have been specifically in charge of managing the kingdom's finances.<ref>{{harvnb|Morkholm|1961|pp=32–43}}</ref>

Eulaeus and Lenaeus sought to reinforce their authority by augmenting the dignity of Ptolemy VI. In early 175&nbsp;BC, they arranged his marriage to his sister Cleopatra II. Brother-sister marriage was traditional in the Ptolemaic dynasty and was probably adopted in imitation of earlier Egyptian [[Pharaoh]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/PtolemyII.html|title=Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt|publisher=Ancient Egypt Online|access-date=May 22, 2013}}</ref> The couple were incorporated into the Ptolemaic dynastic cult as the ''Theoi Philometores'' ('the Mother-loving Gods'), named in honour of the deceased Cleopatra I.<ref name=Tyndale/> In Egyptian religious contexts, the title recalled the relationship of the Pharaoh as [[Horus]] to his mother [[Isis]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=143 & 168}}</ref> Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II were still young children, so the marriage was not consummated for many years; they would eventually have at least four children together.

===Sixth Syrian War (170 BC–168 BC)===
[[File:Antiochus IV Epiphanes - Altes Museum - Berlin - Germany 2017.jpg|thumb|[[Antiochus IV]]]]
{{main|Sixth Syrian War}}
The Seleucid king [[Seleucus IV]], Ptolemy VI's uncle, had followed a generally peaceful policy, but he was murdered in 175&nbsp;BC. After two months of conflict his brother [[Antiochus IV]] secured the throne.<ref>[[II Maccabees]] 3.</ref> The unsettled situation empowered the warhawks in the Ptolemaic court, and Eulaeus and Lenaeus were unable or unwilling to resist them, with Cleopatra I no longer alive. By 172&nbsp;BC, preparations for war were underway.<ref>[[Livy]] XLII.26.8</ref> [[Roman Republic|Rome]] and [[Antigonid Macedonia|Macedon]] commenced the [[Third Macedonian War]] in 171&nbsp;BC, lessening their ability to interfere with Ptolemaic affairs, and the Egyptian government considered the moment for war had come.<ref name=H1434>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=143–4}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=284–8}}</ref>

In October 170&nbsp;BC, Ptolemy VIII was promoted to the status of co-regent alongside his brother and sister. The current year was declared the first year of a new era.<ref name=Tyndale/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Skeat |first1=T.C. |title=The twelfth year which is also the first": the invasion of Egypt by Antiochos Epiphanes |journal=Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |date=1961 |volume=47 |pages=107–113}}</ref> John Grainger argues that the two brothers had become the figureheads for separate factions at court and that these ceremonies were intended to promote unity within the court in the run-up to war.<ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=294–5}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, Ptolemy VI, now around sixteen, was declared an adult and celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony (the ''anakleteria'').<ref>Polybius XXVIII.12.8</ref><ref name=Walbank>{{cite book |last1=Walbank |first1=F. W. |title=Commentary on Polybius III: Commentary on Books XIX–XL |date=1979 |publisher=The Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |pages=321ff}}</ref><ref name=Tyndale/> He was now ostensibly ruling in his own right, although in practice Eulaeus and Lenaeus remained in charge of the government.
 
The Sixth Syrian War broke out shortly after this, probably in early 169&nbsp;BC.<ref>Diodorus 30.16</ref><ref name=Walbank/> The Ptolemaic army set out from the border fort of [[Pelusium]] to invade Palestine, but was intercepted and defeated by Antiochus IV's army in the [[Sinai (peninsula)|Sinai]].<ref>Porphyry, ''FGrH'' 260 F 49a</ref> Antiochus seized Pelusium and then pursued the Egyptians, who had withdrawn to the [[Nile Delta]].<ref>Polybius 28.19; Diodorus 30.18</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=296–7}}</ref>

This defeat led to the collapse of the Ptolemaic government in Alexandria. Eulaeus attempted to send Ptolemy VI to the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] island of [[Samothrace]] with the Ptolemaic treasury.<ref>Polybius 28.21; Diodorus 30.17</ref> Before this could happen, two prominent Ptolemaic generals, Comanus and Cineas, launched a military coup and took control of the Egyptian government.<ref>Polybius 28.19</ref> As Antiochus IV advanced on [[Alexandria]], Ptolemy VI went out to meet him. They negotiated an agreement of friendship, which in effect reduced Ptolemy VI to a Seleucid client.<ref>Polybius 30.23</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=297–300}}</ref> When news of the agreement reached Alexandria, the people of the city rioted. Comanus and Cineas rejected the agreement and Ptolemy VI's authority, declaring Ptolemy VIII the sole king (Cleopatra II's position remained unchanged).<ref>Polybius 29.23.4; Porphyry ''FGrH'' 260 F 2.7</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=300–1}}</ref>  Antiochus IV responded by placing Alexandria under siege, but he was unable to take the city and withdrew from Egypt in September 169&nbsp;BC, as winter approached, leaving Ptolemy VI as his puppet king in [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] and retaining a garrison in Pelusium.<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=144–6}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=301–2}}</ref>

Within two months, Ptolemy VI had reconciled with Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II and returned to Alexandria. The restored government repudiated the agreement that Ptolemy VI had made with Antiochus IV, and began to recruit new troops from Greece.<ref>Polybius 29.23.4; Livy 45.11.2-7</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=303–4}}</ref> In response, Antiochus IV invaded Egypt for a second time in the spring of 168 BC. Officially, this invasion was presented as an effort to restore Ptolemy VI's position against his younger brother.<ref>Diodorus 31.1</ref> Antiochus IV quickly occupied Memphis, where he was crowned king of Egypt, and advanced on Alexandria.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mooren |first1=L. |title=Actes du XVe Congrès Internationale du Papyrologie |date=1978–1979 |location=Brussels |pages=IV.78–84 |chapter=Antiochos IV Epiphanes und das Ptolemäische Königtum}}</ref> However, the Ptolemies had appealed to Rome for help over the winter; a Roman embassy led by [[Gaius Popillius Laenas]] confronted Antiochus IV at the town of Eleusis and forced him to agree to a settlement, bringing the war to an end.<ref>Polybius 9.27; Diodorus 31.2-3.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=146–8}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=305–8}}</ref>

===Rebellions and expulsion (168–164 BC)===
The joint rule of the two brothers and Cleopatra II continued in the immediate aftermath of the war. However, the complete failure of the Egyptian forces had left the Ptolemaic monarchy's prestige seriously diminished and caused a permanent rift between Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII.<ref name=G3101>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=310–1}}</ref>

In 165&nbsp;BC, [[Dionysius Petosarapis]], a prominent courtier who appears to have been of native Egyptian origin, attempted to exploit the conflict in order to take control of the government. He went to the [[stadium]] and announced to the people of Alexandria that Ptolemy VI was plotting to assassinate Ptolemy VIII. Ptolemy VI managed to convince his younger brother that the charges were untrue and the two kings appeared together in the stadium, defusing the crisis. Dionysius fled the city and convinced some military contingents to mutiny.<ref>Diodorus 31.15a</ref> Heavy fighting took place in the [[Fayyum]] over the next year.<ref name="McGing"/><ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=181}}</ref><ref name=G3101/> Another, apparently unrelated, rebellion broke out simultaneously in the [[Thebaid]], the latest in a series of native Egyptian uprisings against Ptolemaic rule. Ptolemy VI successfully suppressed the rebellion after a bitter siege at [[Panopolis]].<ref>Diodorus 31.17b</ref><ref name="McGing">{{cite journal |last1=McGing |first1=B.C. |title=Revolt Egyptian Style: Internal Opposition to Ptolemaic Rule |journal=Archiv für Papyrusforschung |date=1997 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=289–90}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=181–2}}</ref><ref name=G3101/>

Owing to the preceding years of conflict, many farms had been abandoned, threatening the government's agricultural revenue. In autumn 165&nbsp;BC the Ptolemies issued a royal decree, ''On Agriculture'', which attempted to force land back into cultivation. The measure was very unpopular and prompted widespread protests.<ref>''P. Genova'' 3.92 ([http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.genova;3;92 original text])</ref> A new branch of government, the [[Idios Logos]] (Special Account), was established to manage estates that had become royal property as a result of confiscation or abandonment.<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=182}}</ref>

Late in 164&nbsp;BC,<ref name=Tyndale/> probably not long after Ptolemy VI had returned from the south, Ptolemy VIII, who was now about twenty years old, somehow expelled Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II from power – the exact course of events is not known. Ptolemy VI fled to Rome for help, traveling with only a eunuch and three servants. In Rome, he seems to have received nothing, and for accommodation had a poor room in an attic, offered by and shared with a painter of personal acquaintance.<ref>Diodorus 31.18; [[Valerius Maximus]] 5.1.1.</ref> From there he moved on to [[Cyprus]], which remained under his control.<ref name="H183"/>

==Second reign (163–145 BC)==
In summer 163&nbsp;BC, the people of Alexandria rioted against Ptolemy VIII, expelling him in turn and recalling Ptolemy VI. The restored king decided to come to an agreement with his younger brother and granted him control of [[Cyrenaica]]. This may have been done at the instigation of a pair of Roman agents present in Alexandria at the time. Egypt fell under the joint rule of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II; they were mentioned together in all official documents. This system of co-rule, which would be the norm for most of the rest of the Ptolemaic dynasty, was inaugurated by an amnesty decree and a royal visit to Memphis to celebrate the Egyptian new year festival.<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=184}}</ref>

===Conflicts with Ptolemy VIII and the Seleucids===
[[File:Ptolemy VIII.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Ptolemy VIII]]]]
Ptolemy VIII was not satisfied with Cyrenaica and went to Rome in late 163 or early 162 BC to request help. The [[Roman Senate]] agreed that the division was unfair, declaring that Ptolemy VIII ought to receive Cyprus as well. [[Titus Manlius Torquatus (consul 165 BC)|Titus Manlius Torquatus]] and [[Gnaeus Cornelius Merula]] were sent as envoys to force Ptolemy VI to concede this, but he procrastinated and obfuscated. On their return to Rome at the end of 162 BC, they convinced the Senate to abandon their alliance with Ptolemy VI and to grant Ptolemy VIII permission to use force to take control of Cyprus.<ref>Polybius 31.10, 17-20</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=312 & 319–320}}</ref> The Senate offered him no actual support in this endeavour and Cyprus remained in Ptolemy VI's hands.<ref>Polybius 33.11.4-7</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=185–7}}</ref><ref name=G325/>

In 162&nbsp;BC, Ptolemy VI was also involved in a scheme to destabilise the Seleucid kingdom. His agents in Rome helped the king's cousin [[Demetrius I Soter|Demetrius I]] escape from captivity and return to Syria to seize control of the Seleucid empire from the under-age king [[Antiochus V]]. Once Demetrius I was in power, however, their interests began to diverge and the prospect of war between the two kingdoms returned.<ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|p=321 & 325}}</ref> In 158 or 154 BC, Ptolemy VI's governor of Cyprus, Archias, attempted to sell the island to Demetrius I for 500 [[Talent (measurement)|talents]], but he was caught and hanged himself before this plot came to fruition.<ref>Polybius 33.5</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=326–328}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bagnall |first1=Roger |title=The Administration of the Ptolemaic Possessions Outside Egypt |date=1976 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |page=257}}</ref>

In 154&nbsp;BC, after surviving an assassination attempt which he blamed on his brother, Ptolemy VIII again appealed for assistance against Ptolemy VI to the Roman Senate. The Senate agreed to send a second embassy led by Gnaeus Cornelius Merula and Lucius Minucius Thermus, equipped with troops, in order to enforce the transfer of Cyprus to his control.<ref>Polybius 33.11</ref> In response, Ptolemy VI besieged his younger brother at [[Lapethus]] and captured him, with the help of the [[Cretan League]].<ref>''[[OGIS]]'' 116</ref> He persuaded Ptolemy VIII to withdraw from Cyprus, in exchange for continued possession of Cyrenaica, an annual payment of grain, and a promise of marriage to one of his infant daughters (probably [[Cleopatra Thea]]) once she came of age.<ref>Polybius 39.7; Diodorus 31.33</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=187–8}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=327–328}}</ref>

As a result of the conflict with his brother, Ptolemy VI made particular efforts to advance his eldest son [[Ptolemy Eupator]] as heir. The young prince was made priest of Alexander and the royal cult in 158 BC, when he was only eight years old. At age fourteen, in spring 152&nbsp;BC, Ptolemy Eupator was promoted to full co-regent alongside his parents, but he died in autumn of the same year. This left the succession very uncertain, since Ptolemy VI's remaining son was very young. He began advancing his daughter [[Cleopatra III]], formally deifying her in 146 BC.

===Intervention in Syria (152–145 BC)===
[[File:Alexander I Syria-Antiochia face.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Alexander Balas]]]]
A new claimant to the Seleucid throne, [[Alexander Balas]], appeared in 153&nbsp;BC. John Grainger proposes that Ptolemy VI provided Alexander with financial backing, naval transport, and secured [[Acre, Israel|Ptolemais Akko]] as a landing base for him. He argues that Alexander's chancellor Ammonius should be seen as a Ptolemaic agent.<ref>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|pp=330–332}}</ref> There is however no explicit evidence for this, and Boris Chrubasik presents Alexander's initial successes as accomplished without any Ptolemaic involvement, and challenges the identification of Ammonius as an Egyptian in particular. At any rate, an agreement between Ptolemy VI and Alexander was sealed in 150 BC, when Ptolemy VI married his teenage daughter Cleopatra Thea to Alexander in a ceremony at [[Acre, Israel|Ptolemais Akko]].<ref>[[I Maccabees]] 10.48-58; Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 13.80-82.</ref><ref name=h1923/><ref>{{harvnb|Chrubasik|2016|pp=131–2}}</ref>

[[File:Coin of Demetrius II Nicator (cropped), Ptolemais in Phoenicia mint.jpg|thumb|left|Coin of [[Demetrius II Nicator|Demetrius II]]]]
By May 146&nbsp;BC, however, Ptolemy VI was gathering troops. In 145&nbsp;BC he invaded Syria while Alexander was putting down a rebellion in [[Cilicia]]. Alexander's vassal [[Jonathan Maccabee]] allowed Ptolemy VI to pass through [[Hasmonean kingdom|Judaea]] without interference. Ostensibly, Ptolemy VI acted in support of Alexander against the latest claimant of the Seleucid throne, [[Demetrius II Nicator|Demetrius II]]. In practice, Ptolemy VI's intervention came at a heavy cost; he took control of all the Seleucid cities along the coast, including [[Seleucia Pieria]].<ref>[[I Maccabees]] 11.3-8</ref> He may also have started minting his own coinage in the Syrian cities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lorber |first1=Catharine C. |title=The Ptolemaic Era Coinage Revisited |journal=Numismatic Chronicle |date=2007 |volume=167 |pages=105–17}}</ref><ref name=h1923/><ref name=C1334/>

While he was at Ptolemais Akko, however, Ptolemy VI switched sides. According to [[Josephus]], he discovered a plot against his life by Alexander's chancellor Ammonius. When Ptolemy VI demanded that Ammonius be punished, Alexander refused.<ref>Josephus ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 13.106-107; [[I Maccabees]] does not mention the episode and presents Ptolemy VI as planning to support Demetrius II from the start. Josephus presents Ptolemy as genuinely supporting Alexander until this moment.</ref> Ptolemy VI remarried his daughter to Demetrius II and continued his march northward. The commanders of [[Antioch]], [[Diodotus Tryphon|Diodotus]] and Hierax, surrendered the city to Ptolemy and crowned him king of Asia. For a short period, documents referred to him as King of Egypt and Asia, and he initiated a double regnal count, with his Egyptian Year 36 = his Syrian Year 1. However, fearing that a unification of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms would lead to Roman intervention, Ptolemy VI decided to abandon the title. Instead, he limited himself to annexing Coele Syria and pledged to serve as a "tutor in goodness and guide" to Demetrius II.<ref>[[I Maccabees]] 11; Josephus ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 13.106-107, 115</ref><ref name=h1923>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=192–3}}</ref><ref name=C1334>{{harvnb|Chrubasik|2016|pp=133–134}}</ref>

Alexander returned from Cilicia with his army, but Ptolemy VI and Demetrius II defeated his forces at the [[Afrin River|Oenoparas river]].<ref>Strabo 16.2.8.</ref> Alexander then fled to Arabia, where he was killed. His severed head was brought to Ptolemy VI. For the first time since the death of [[Alexander the Great]], Egypt and Syria were united. However, Ptolemy VI had been wounded in the battle and he died three days later.<ref>[[I Maccabees]] 11.1-11.19</ref> By late 145, Demetrius II had expelled all Ptolemaic troops from Syria and reasserted Seleucid control by leading his own forces all the way down to the Egyptian border.<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquites of the Jews'' 13.120; ''[[Astronomical Diaries]]'' III.144 obv. 35</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Chrubasik|2016|pp=134–5}}</ref> Ptolemy VI seems to have intended for his seven-year-old son, also named Ptolemy, to succeed him, but instead the Alexandrians invited Ptolemy VIII to assume the throne. Young Ptolemy was eventually eliminated by his uncle, apparently only after 143&nbsp;BC, when he served as eponymous priest, and perhaps as late as 132/1&nbsp;BC.<ref>Chauveau 2000: 259; Bielman 2017: 95-98.</ref>

==Regime==
===Pharaonic ideology and Egyptian religion===
[[File:Head of a statue of Ptolemy VI Philometor. Found at Aigina. Granit. 180-145 BC (4334587826).jpg|thumb|Depiction of Ptolemy VI as pharaoh, found in the sea near [[Aegina]]]]
Like his predecessors, Ptolemy VI fully embraced his role as pharaoh and maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with the traditional Egyptian priesthood. In particular, he maintained close ties with the worship of [[Ptah]] and [[Apis (Greek mythology)|Apis]] at [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]]. Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II seem to have visited Memphis and stayed in the [[Serapeum]] there for the Egyptian New Year festival every year. During these visits, Ptolemy VI personally made the ritual temple offerings expected of the pharaoh.<ref name=H183>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=183}}</ref>

In summer 161&nbsp;BC, Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II gathered a synod of all the priests of Egypt in order to pass a decree granting tax relief and other benefactions to the priests in exchange for cultic honours in Egyptian temples – part of a series of [[Ptolemaic decrees|decrees]] that had been issued under each of his predecessors, going back to Ptolemy III. The decree survives only on one fragmentary stele known as ''CG 22184''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lanciers |first1=C. |title=Die Stele CG 22184: Ein Priesterdekret aus der Regierungszeit des ptolemaios VI. Philometor |journal=Gottinger Miszellen: Beiträge zur agyptologischen Diskussion |date=1987 |volume=95 |pages=53–61}}</ref><ref name=H183/> Other inscriptions record specific benefactions made at various points during the reign. In September 157 BC, Ptolemy VI affirmed the grant of all the tax revenue from the [[Dodecaschoenus]] region to the Temple of Isis at [[Philae]], first made by his predecessor. The grant is recorded in the [[Dodecaschoenus decree]]. Around 145&nbsp;BC, he granted the tribute from a Nubian leader to the priests of [[Mandulis]] at Philae.<ref name=H189>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|p=189}}</ref>

===Relations with the Jews===
The Jewish historian [[Josephus]] emphasises Ptolemy VI's personal interest in the Jews and their well-being.<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 13.74-79</ref> There had been a Jewish community in Egypt since at least the fifth century BC and it had grown significantly since the establishment of Ptolemaic control over [[Jerusalem]] in 311&nbsp;BC. By Ptolemy VI's reign, Jews had long been incorporated into the Ptolemaic army, and they enjoyed various privileges comparable to those possessed by Greeks and Macedonians in Egypt. A large group of new Jewish immigrants arrived in Egypt in the 160s BC, fleeing civil conflict with the [[Maccabees]]. This group was led by [[Onias IV]], son of a former [[Kohen Gadol|high priest]] who had been deposed by the Seleucids. Ptolemy VI permitted them to settle at [[Leontopolis]], which became known as the [[Land of Onias]], and to establish a temple with Onias as High Priest.<ref>[[Josephus]] ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 12.387 & 13.65-71</ref> The place is still known as Tell al-Jahudija (Hill of the Jews) today. Onias was also granted an important military position and his family became prominent members of the royal court. In Alexandria the Jews had their own quarter of the city with its own ''politeuma'' – a kind of self-governing community within the city, led by their own [[ethnarch]]. It is likely that this ''politeuma'' was established under Ptolemy VI.<ref>{{harvnb|Hölbl|2001|pp=189–191}}</ref>

===Relations with Nubia===
[[File:Agilkia_Isis-Tempel_24.JPG|thumb|Stele of Ptolemy VI at Philae, recording the grant of tax revenues to the Temple of Isis]]
Until the reign of [[Ptolemy IV]], the Ptolemies had controlled the region south of [[Aswan]] to the [[second cataract]], which was known as the [[Triacontaschoenus]] or [[Lower Nubia]] and included rich gold mines. Throughout the 160s and 150s BC, Ptolemy VI reasserted Ptolemaic control over the northern part of [[Nubia]]. This achievement is heavily advertised at the Temple of [[Isis]] at [[Philae]], which was granted the tax revenues of the [[Dodecaschoenus]] region in 157&nbsp;BC. Decorations on the first pylon of the Temple of Isis at Philae emphasise the Ptolemaic claim to rule the whole of Nubia. The aforementioned inscription regarding the priests of Mandulis shows that some Nubian leaders at least were paying tribute to the Ptolemaic treasury in this period. In order to secure the region, the ''strategos'' of Upper Egypt, [[Boethus (strategos)|Boethus]], founded two new cities, named Philometris and Cleopatra in honour of the royal couple.<ref>{{cite book |last=Török |first=László |title=Between Two Worlds: The Frontier Region Between Ancient Nubia and Egypt, 3700 BC-AD 500 |publisher=Brill |year=2009 |location=Leiden, New York, Köln | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=irbP2hHqDAwC |isbn=978-90-04-17197-8 |pages=400–404}}</ref><ref name=H189/><ref name=G325>{{harvnb|Grainger|2010|p=325}}</ref>

==Marriage and issue==
Ptolemy VI and his sister-wife, Cleopatra II, had the following issue:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name!!Image!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|[[Ptolemy Eupator]]|| ||15 October 166 BC||August 152 BC||Briefly co-regent with his father in 152 BC.
|-
|[[Cleopatra Thea]]||[[File:AlexanderIBalasAndCleopatraThea.jpg|90px]]||c. 164 BC||121/0 BC||Married in succession to the [[Seleucid]] kings [[Alexander I Balas|Alexander I]], [[Demetrius II Nicator|Demetrius II]], and [[Antiochus VII]]. Eventually [[queen regnant]] of Seleucid Syria. 
|-
|[[Cleopatra III]]||[[File:Cleopatra-III-at-Kom-Ombo.jpg|90px]]||160–155 BC?||September 101 BC||Married her uncle Ptolemy VIII, ruled as senior co-regent with her sons [[Ptolemy IX]] and [[Ptolemy X]] from 116/5–101 BC.
|-
|Ptolemy|| ||c. 152 BC||143/141 or 132/1 BC?||Survived his father but was eventually eliminated by his uncle, Ptolemy VIII. Traditionally, he was identified with his cousin and half-brother, [[Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator|Ptolemy Neos Philopator]], who died in 132/131 BC and was deified under that name in 118 BC.
|-
|Berenice|| ||160s BC?||Before 133 BC||Briefly engaged to [[Attalus III]] of [[Pergamum]], her parentage and even her membership of the Ptolemaic dynasty is entirely hypothetical.
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
*Bielman, A., "Stéréotypes et réalités du pouvoir politique féminin: la guerre civile en Égypte entre 132 et 124 av. J.-C.," ''EuGeStA'' 7 (2017) 84-114.
*Chauveau, M., "Encore Ptolémée «VII» et le dieu Neos Philopatôr!," ''Revue d’Égyptologie'' 51 (2000) 257-261.
*{{cite book |last1=Chrubasik |first1=Boris |title=Kings and Usurpers in the Seleukid Empire: The Men who would be King |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780198786924|pages=131–5}}
*{{cite book |last1=Grainger |first1=John D. |title=The Syrian Wars |date=2010 |isbn=9789004180505 |pages=281–328|publisher=Brill }}
*{{cite book |last1=Hölbl |first1=Günther |title=A History of the Ptolemaic Empire |date=2001 |publisher=Routledge |location=London & New York |isbn=0415201454 |pages=143–152 & 181–194}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Morkholm |first1=Otto |title=Eulaios and Lenaios|journal=Classica et Medievalia|date=1961|volume=22|pages=32–43}}

==External links==
* [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Africa/Egypt/_Texts/BEVHOP/9*.html Ptolemy Philometor at LacusCurtius] &mdash; (Chapter&nbsp;IX of E.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;Bevan's ''House of Ptolemy'', 1923)
* [http://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_vi.htm Ptolemy VI] &mdash; (Egyptian Royal Genealogy)
* [http://virtualreligion.net/iho/ptolemy_6.html Ptolemy VI Philometor] entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Ptolemaic dynasty]]||c. 185 BC||145 BC}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Ptolemy V Epiphanes]]<br />[[Cleopatra I of Egypt|Cleopatra I]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic King of Egypt]]
| years = <small>with [[Cleopatra I]]<br />[[Cleopatra II]]<br />[[Ptolemy VIII]]</small><br /> 181&ndash;164 BC
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Ptolemy VIII]]
}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Ptolemy VIII]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic King of Egypt]]
| years = <small>with [[Cleopatra II]]<br />[[Ptolemy VIII]]<br />[[Ptolemy Eupator]]</small><br />163&ndash;145 BC
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Cleopatra II]]<br />[[Ptolemy VIII]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Hellenistic rulers}}
{{Pharaohs}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2nd-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Ptolemaic dynasty]]
[[Category:Monarchs killed in action]]
[[Category:Ancient child monarchs]]
[[Category:180s BC births]]
[[Category:145 BC deaths]]