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Volume 13 issue 3 December 2012

ANCIENT EGYPT explores the WORLD WIDE WEB ...

PTOLEMY XII AULETES AND CLEOPATRA VII
This month’s NETFISHING continues its look at the history of Egypt by seeing what the World Wide Web has to say about the rule of Ptolemy XII Auletes, and his daughter, the famous Cleopatra VII.

PTOLEMY XII had fled Egypt in fear of his life, due to the public’s dissatisfaction with the huge taxes he had levied upon them. His wife, Cleopatra V, and daughter, Berenice IV (58-55 BC), ruled Egypt in his absence, but Cleopatra V died, leaving Berenice IV as sole ruler. She took as her husband her long time friend, Archelaus, and the pair ruled Egypt successfully, although aware that Ptolemy XII was plotting, in Rome, to return and reclaim his kingdom. Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenice_IV_of_Egypt

http://virtualreligion.net/iho/beren_4.html

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn33/13-aberenice.html

Fearing the return of the hated Ptolemy XII the Alexandrians decided to send a one-hundred-strong delegation to Rome requesting that Berenice IV be recognised as their true Queen and that Ptolemy XII should NOT be reinstated as King. Unfortunately Ptolemy XII heard of this petition, and when the delegation’s boat stopped in Naples, en route for Rome, he arranged for all one hundred delegates to be murdered! Not one of the delegates ever reached Rome with their petition. Ptolemy XII now saw his chance and he bribed the Consul of Syria, one Aulus Gabinius, promising him 10,000 talents of silver if he allowed the use of three Roman legions to reinstate him as king. This was a totally illegal act under Roman Law, for legions could not leave their appointed province without Senatorial permission, but money talks and, with the encouragement of the Consul Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (POMPEY), Ptolemy XII duly marched on Alexandria at the head of a Roman army.

Archelaus was killed and Berenice IV, Ptolemy’s own daughter, was captured and put to death. Ptolemy XII (55-51 BC) had secured the throne, but only with the assistance of Roman military might. Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_XII_Auletes

http://www.livius.org/ps-pz/ptolemies/ptolemy_xii_auletes.html

http://www.touregypt.net/32dyn13.htm

http://virtualreligion.net/iho/ptolemy_12.html

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Africa/Egypt/_Texts/BEVHOP/13*.html

http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_xii.htm

A Roman ‘army of occupation’ remained in Alexandria to protect Ptolemy XII and ensure that the taxes (to pay for the bribes) were collected in. Ptolemy skilfully used the existence of these Roman soldiers to shift the blame for Egypt’s financial burden from himself on to Rome instead. In 52 BC he appointed his daughter CLEOPATRA VII as his co-regent. Ptolemy XII died in 51 BC, leaving the throne to Cleopatra VII on condition she married her own brother, PTOLEMY XIII.

Cleopatra VII duly married her younger brother Ptolemy XIII to preserve the fiction of a dual monarchy on the throne (an Isis and Horus). They ruled jointly from 51 to 48 BC, but it was an uneasy alliance and courtiers sought to be the power behind the throne, persuading Ptolemy XIII to depose his sister and rule alone. Cleopatra VII was forced to flee for her life, to Syria where she raised an army and returned to Egypt. Yet both sides were wary of one another, and open hostilities did not break out as each side searched for a weakness in the other’s forces.

The Roman General POMPEY had been a good friend to Ptolemy XII but a division had developed between himself and JULIUS CAESAR, finally breaking out into open hostilities for control of Rome. The battle of Pharsalus, in 48 BC, was a major defeat for Pompey at the hands of Julius Caesar’s forces but Pompey sought to recruit another army to continue the fight.

Believing in his longstanding friendship with Egypt (and its undoubted wealth) Pompey travelled south, but his trust was misplaced, and on arrival at Alexandria instead of being welcomed he was betrayed, murdered and beheaded by the scheming courtiers Pothinus and Achillas. Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompey

These courtiers believed that Caesar would be grateful to them for killing his enemy, but they totally failed to understand the Roman mindset. Upon arrival in Egypt the courtiers presented Caesar with the head of Pompey – expecting gratitude. Instead both Pothinus and Achillas were put to death by an enraged Caesar. It was acceptable for one Roman General to kill another in battle, but for mere foreigners (the dirt under your shoe) to even contemplate killing a man of such importance, a Roman Consul no less, was completely unacceptable and simply could not be tolerated, or ever ‘encouraged’ (for where might it end?)

Julius Caesar met with the two opposing sides for the throne of Egypt, the young Ptolemy XIII and the teenage Queen Cleopatra VII. History records which one he favoured, but the young Ptolemy XIII was not without courage, and was willing to gamble all to win the throne – as will be seen in the next issue.

Victor Blunden

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