The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome

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 ...

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 fami