Ptolemy XI: Incest and betrayal, and even more steamy incest and betrayal

You've all heard the phrase "Keeping it in the family." When it came to that, the Ptolemies of Egypt were experts. But just because you keep it in the family doesn't mean things are going to go smoothly and drama free. Far from it, this is a cautionary tale of why it is best not to mix business and incest.


Ptolemy IX

The protagonist of this story, Ptolemy IX, started his reign by jointly ruling with his mother Cleopatra III. Whether this made his mother his "wife" I won't even bother asking...some things are better not asked.

At some point Prolemy IX married his sister, Cleopatra IV, but their mother appears to have gotten jealous of the brother-sister love (yuck )and kicked her out. And like any sensible Egyptian queen, she then married her son to his younger sister, Cleopatra Selene, whom no doubt being younger was easier to control. However, mom soon got tired of them and deposed them in favor of her youngest son, Ptolemy X. But I guess incest with Ptolemy X was not it was all cracked out to be, so mother did away with him and reinstated Ptolemy IX back as her co-ruler.


PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Cleopatra III & Ptolemy IX Soter II (Lathyros). 116-107 BC.AR Tetradrachm, 25mm, 13.7g, 12h; Alexandreia mint. Dated RY 8 (110/9 BC).
Obv.: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis.
Rev.: ΠΤΟΛEMAIOY- BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ; Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, with wings closed; LH (date) to left, ΠA to right.
Reference: Svoronos 1669; SNG Copenhagen 352.
From the Aethelred Collection.

Ptolemy X didn't like being unceremoniously dismissed, so he killed his mother and tried to kill his brother Ptolemy IX. But Ptolemy IX managed to kill him first.

If this is all sounding like a 19th Century family feud deep in the remote corners of the Appalachian mountains, well...think again. The Ptolemies could do drama like no other family.


Fragment of a stela of Ptolemy IX.

After Ptolemy IX's death, his daughter, Berenice III, became Pharaoh and married her her stepson, Ptolemy XI. But here again we learn that incestual love doesn't last forever. He killed her only a few days after the wedding and was himself in turn killed by an angry mob.

Distant Ptolemy relatives were brought to rule Egypt, and another 6 decades later they were still at it...heavily engaged in incest while simultaneously fighting each other. Finally, the Romans put an end to the Ptolemy dynasty and brought much needed stability to Egypt as a Roman province. As for the Prolemy clan, maybe a little fresh blood might have seen their dynasty last a little longer, because marrying their own sons and sisters sure didn't do anything to bring peace and stability to their family or to Egypt.

 

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Did anyone else keep hearing a banjo tune playing in their heads while reading about these people?

 

Great write up kind of nasty but interesting.

And no I did not . (I get the joke though)

Thanks,
Jacob

 

I feel that my title of "Most click-bait titles" in the Ancients forum is threatened... at least until you see the next coin that I post! Muwahahaaa!

Anyway, nice coin and a great write-up @Sallent.

 

Oh and beautiful coin!

 

Fascinating stuff @Sallent - there is all sorts of speculation about genetic problems inherent in marrying one's sister, and with the Ptolemies the effect was magnified over the generations. Cool coin, too!

 

The concept of marrying within the family was hardly a Ptolemaic thing. The Pharaohs had been doing it for millennia. Doing this very Egyptian thing would probably have seemed as normal to the man on the street as it seems wrong today. The whole concept was based on the problem with finding a suitable wife for the god-on-earth king. No American divorcee, no British commoner, no princess from another country could be as good as a sister or mother. We need to be careful not to force 21st century AD assumptions on 21st century BC Egyptians. 1st century Romans had no use for Egyptian mores either. Augustus made good use of this fact in his dealings with Antony.

 

Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives....



Egyptian soap opera

 

Terrific coin and a very interesting albeit disturbing historical soap-opera.

My favorite---a Tet of Ptolemy II with a bust of Ptolemy I:

 

Ye know how to start a Thread...

 

I hope the OP will not mind my question but his coin prompted a question about these Ptolemaic tetradrachmas. How in heavens name can one distinguish between one of Ptolemy II and Ptolemy XII and any of them between those two? Every time I see these coins attributed to any one of these I ask, how can one do that. Both the obverses and reverses look the same in the whole series after Ptolemy I . What does one look for to differentiate among these rulers? Thanks.

 

Not 100% sure of this



Ruler: Ptolemy X
State, City: Egypt, Alexandria
Coin: Silver Tetradrachm
- Diademed head right, in aegis
PTOLEMAIOU BASILEWS - Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; LZ in left field. ΠA to right
Mint: Alexandria (111/0 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 14.15g / 24mm / -
References: Svoronos 1668

Notes: Nov 14, 16 - Might be Ptolemy IX Kleopatra III & Ptolemy IX Soter II (Lathyros).

 

That's a looker @Sallent ! It's a coin I wanted too.

 

Although there are differences between busts, as in all ancient coins, the Seleucid kings are fairly easy to attribute by their portraits (well, some of them anyway). The regnal dates, controls, and minor devices also make a difference, when in doubt.

 

Thought I heard a pig squeel,
Interesting read @Sallent even better coin though.

 

Yeppers, good stuff.

What most people don't realize is that all the CGI, Hollywood scripts and fictional characters can't top real life history.

 

The best thing is that because of a buy option for coins that didn't sell at auction, I was able to make an offer and get a substantial discount over the start price of the auction, plus using some credits I had from some previous consignments meant this coin was only $85 out of pocket.

 

Interesting write up Sallent, and a lovely coin. I have this AE coin I think is Ptolemy X, but I'm not sure.




It's relatively thin, I'm not sure if all the AE coins are like this, but it seems like the ones I've seen from the end of the dynasty are not nearly as nice as the earlier coins. I guess they kept the silver coins lookin' good until the end!

 

Yes, as time went the bronze coins shrunk considerably. My Ptolemy IV is still substantial at AE 40 and 44g, but earlier ones could get even bigger. I think Ptolemy III has some real monster bronzes


Ptolemy IV Philopator AE40 Pentobol (40.45mm, 44.2g)
222-204 BC
Diademed head of Zeus Ammon right
Eagle with folded wings standing left on thunderbolt, head right; filleted cornucopia on shoulder; Λ between legs
Svoronos 1166; SNG Copenhagen 221

 

Nice coin @Sallent and interesting story.