Ptolemy VI Philometor

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Ptolemy VI Philometor (Greek: Πτολεμαίος Φιλομήτωρ, c. 191-145 BC) was a king of Egypt from the Ptolemaic period. He reigned from 180 to 145 BC.

Ptolemy succeeded in 180 at the age of about 12 and ruled jointly with his mother, Cleopatra I, until her death in 176 BC. The following year he married his sister, Cleopatra II.

In 170 BC, Antiochus IV began the sixth Syrian War and invaded Egypt twice. He was crowned as its king in 168, but abandoned his claim on the orders of the Roman Senate. From 169-164 Egypt was ruled by a triumvirate consisting of Ptolemy, his sister-queen and his younger brother known as Ptolemy VIII Physcon, but in 164 he was driven out by his brother and went to Rome to seek support, which he received from Cato. He was restored the following year by the intervention of the Alexandrians and ruled uneasily, cruelly suppressing frequent rebellions. In 152 BC he briefly ruled jointly with one of his sons, known as Ptolemy Eupator, but it is thought that Ptolemy Eupator died that same year.

He is reputed to have taken as eromenos a boy named Galestes, whom he loved not only for his good looks but also for his wisdom. (Aelian, Varia Historia, I.30) Ptolemy VI Philometer was killed in Syria, fighting against Alexander Balas.

Ptolemy Philometor reigned for a short time with his son, Ptolemy Eupator. Eupator is only attested on monumental inscriptions, and when he was first discovered, there was a theory that he was an elder brother of Philometor, and reigned before him. As a result, some nineteenth century texts count Ptolemy Philometor as Ptolemy VII, and increase the numbers of all the later Ptolemies until "Ptolemy XVI Caesarion". The epithets, which have come down from antiquity, are unchanged.

[edit] External links

Ptolemy Philometor at LacusCurtius — (Chapter IX of E. R. Bevan's House of Ptolemy, 1923)
Ptolemy VI — (Egyptian Royal Genealogy)

Preceded by: Ptolemy V and Cleopatra I	Ptolemaic King of Egypt First Reign with Cleopatra I, Cleopatra II, and Ptolemy VIII	Succeeded by: Ptolemy VIII
Preceded by: Ptolemy VIII	Ptolemaic King of Egypt Second Reign with Cleopatra I, Cleopatra II, Ptolemy VIII, and Ptolemy VII	Succeeded by: Cleopatra II and Ptolemy VII