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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 4548827, member: 110226&quot;]Ptolemy XII, whose full name was Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos Philopator Philadelphos, and commonly known to as&nbsp; Auletes (Greek for &quot;The Flautist&quot;, was king of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt from circa 80 to 51 BC.&nbsp; He actually reigned twice during this period, from 80 to 58 BC, followed by a period of exile in Rome, with his daughter Cleopatra (later Cleopatra VII), from 58-55 BC, followed then by a restoration to power from 55-51 BC.&nbsp; He was succeed by Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII. History would show Cleopatra VII to be the far abler ruler of the two.</p><p><br /></p><p>Historians generally portray Ptolemy XII as a weak ruler, basically under the sway of Rome and Pompey, an ally of his.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>&quot;Throughout his long-lasting reign the principal aim of Ptolemy was to secure his hold on the Egyptian throne so as to eventually pass it to his heirs. To achieve this goal he was prepared to sacrifice much: the loss of rich Ptolemaic lands, most of his wealth and even, according to Cicero, the very dignity on which the mystique of kingship rested when he appeared before the Roman people as a mere supplicant.&quot;</i></p><p><br /></p><p>— Mary Siani-Davies, &quot;Ptolemy XII Auletes and the Romans&quot;, Historia (1997)</p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s what the Roman historian Strabo had to say about his character, earning him the historical and trivializing title Auletes:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>&quot;Now all of the kings after the third Ptolemy, being corrupted by luxurious living, administered the affairs of government badly, but worst of all were the fourth, seventh, and the last, Auletes, who, apart from his general licentiousness, practiced the accompaniment of choruses with the flute, and upon this he prided himself so much that he would not hesitate to celebrate contests in the royal palace, and at these contests would come forward to vie with the opposing contestants.&quot;</i></p><p><br /></p><p>— Strabo, XVII, 1, 11</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a tetradrachm from his first period of rule.</p><p><br /></p><p>Egypt, 73/72 BC, Year 8</p><p>Tetradrachm</p><p>Ptolemy XII</p><p>Obv. Portrait facing right</p><p>Rev. Eagle standing left, on thunderbolt</p><p>13.8 grams</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1126045[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Please feel free to post all things Ptolemaic, Roman, and anything else you wish.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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