MACEDONIAN/PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

MACEDONIAN/PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

MACEDONIAN/PTOLEMAIC PERIOD: 332-30 BC

In 332 BC, the Macedonian empire expanded into Egypt with the arrival of Alexander the Great. The Egyptians welcomed Alexander after all the troubles of the Persian occupations. He ordered the restoration of temples sacked by the Persians in 343 BC. On the western side of the Delta, construction began on the city of Alexandria.

When Alexander died suddenly in Babylon in 323 BC, control of Egypt fell into the hands of his half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus and posthumous son Alexander IV. By 305 BC, the Macedonian general Ptolemy I  became the first in a long line of Ptolemaic rulers

During the 3rd century BC, Alexandria began to flourish as the jewel of the Ancient World. The city became famous for its Great Library and the lighthouse which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Ptolemaic rule was stable and a number of major temples were constructed in Upper Egypt.  The Ptolemaic line lasted until the reign of Cleopatra VII, the daughter of Ptolemy XII. Cleopatra later became the mistress of Julius Caesar from Rome and bore him a child. After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra sided with Mark Antony against

Caesar's heir, Octavian.  Following the sea battle of Actium in 31 BC where Cleopatra's ships fled home followed by Antony, Octavian went to Alexandria but was denied the capture of the two when both suicided in 30 BC