Ptolemy III Euergetes

Egyptian History Ptolemaic Period Home

ptolemy III
Rule246 - 222 BC.
PredecessorFather Ptolemy II Philadelphus
MotherArsinoe I
DynastyPtolemaic
ConsortsBerenice II of Cyrenaica
Capital cityAlexandria
AchievementsExpansion in northern Syria
Second Library of Alexandria
Built the Serapium
BurialAlexandria
SuccesorSon Ptolemy IV Philopater out of Berenice II

  • Known as Ptolemy III Euergetes
  • Extended the Egyptian empire into the northern kingdom of Syria, this was commenced upon the murder of his eldest sister Berenice, he occupied Antioch and reached Babylon
  • The temple of Serapis (Serapeum), was built by Ptolemy III. By all of the detailed descriptions, the Serapeum was the largest and most magnificent of all temples in the Greek quarter of Alexandria. Besides the image of the god, the temple precinct housed the second Library of Alexandria. This library was constructed in 235 BC, and Ptolemy III devoted much effort in expanding it.
  • Ptolemy III Euergetes had put up the first of the Rosetta Stone series, the Canopus Stone of 238 BC. The stone contains decrees about priestly orders, and is a memorial for his daughter Berenice. But two of its 26 lines of hieroglyphs decree the use of a leap day added to the Egyptian calendar of 365 days, and the associated changes in festivals. This shows that Ptolemy III instituted an adjustment of the calendar to add a day every four years, a reform implemented two centuries later under Julius Caesar and known as the Julian calendar.
  • continued to build at the temples begun by his father at the Island of Philae and began construction of the Edfu Temple in 237 BC. and Esna Temple
  • He married Berenice II, the daughter of his half-uncle Magus, king of Cyrenaica, she had three children, one son Ptolemy IV, and two daughters Arsinoe III, Berenice III

    Page last updated: 15 Feb 2008
    © 2001 - 2008 Aldokkan