The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome

A History of the Ptolemies

by Guy de la Bedoyere

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Pub Date Sep 24 2024 | Archive Date Not set

Yale University Press

Biographies & Memoirs | History

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Description

A compelling history of the Ptolemies, the decline of Egypt, and the rising power of the Roman Empire

The Ptolemaic era, Egypt’s last and one of its longest dynasties, was in many ways a gilded age. Its early rulers restored and even expanded Egyptian power. Over a span of 300 years the period was witness to intellectual enlightenment, imaginative state-building, and some of the most memorable characters in ancient history, including Alexander the Great and Cleopatra VII.

But these Macedonian Greek pharaohs embarked on ruinous warfare, faced rebellion, and descended into murderous family feuds. Increasingly reliant on the dizzying rise of Roman power, Ptolemaic Egypt was finally annexed by Augustus in 30 BCE. How did such an ancient civilization come to this?

Exploring the lives of the Ptolemaic pharaohs, de la Bédoyère reveals the jealousy, greed, and murderous ambition in their Egypt and the legendary city of Alexandria, their capital. This is a lively, accessible account of Ancient Egypt’s last days—and of the new power rising in its place.

Advance Praise

“De la Bédoyère has shone a brilliant and engaging light on one of the most extraordinary ruling families of antiquity. This book gets under their skin as people as well as rulers and also gives us a thrilling sense of what Egypt was like under their command.”—Michael Scott, author of X Marks the Spot

“The story of Cleopatra's family in all its glorious, gaudy and blood-soaked detail. It is a long tale, full of deeds great and terrible and is superbly and insightfully told.”—Adrian Goldsworthy, author of The Eagle and the Lion

“This is a book of dazzling complexity, which provides a definitive account of the closing centuries of Ancient Egyptian civilization. A procession of bloodthirsty, ambitious, and sometimes visionary rulers cross a complex historical stage.”—Brian Fagan, author of The Rape of the Nile

“A vivid, detailed, and compelling account of Egypt’s Macedonian kings and queens, presenting them at their most heroic and at their most bestial.”—Aidan Dodson, author of Tutankhamun, King of Egypt