Hi there, you're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast. Episode 110, Ptolemaic Egypt, two's company, three's a crowd.

As the Salucid army departed from Alexandria on the orders of the Roman Republic in July of 168,

the royal trio of Ptolemy the 6th Philomitor, Cleopatra II, and Ptole-Eight, must have breathed a collective sigh of relief. What started out as a poorly thought-out mission to reclaim

Coyle Syria nearly resulted in the conquest of Egypt by Antiochus IV. Though a decree of the Senate

demanded that the Salukid King abandoned his mission

and returned to Syria, there were many problems left behind in the aftermath. Epiphanes' crushing

victories over the Ptolemaic army showed a weakness of the kingdom, while many of the Egyptian

temples had been plundered and their treasures carried off to Antioch.

The humiliation of being holed up in Alexandria, while the countryside was being raided,

did little to validate Ptolemaic authority, and the royal family itself was afflicted by fractious

infighting, as the two brothers briefly engaged in a civil war during the midst of the larger

conflict with Antiochus. Now they were left to pick up the pieces. as the two brothers briefly engaged in a civil war during the midst of the larger conflict

with Antiochus.

Now they were left to pick up the pieces, but the question lingered.

Was Egypt big enough for two kings, or would bitter competition triumph over dynastic harmony?

The structure of the ruling triad was certainly a challenge to overcome.

While the practice of co-rulers was something implemented with considerable success in the Salucan Empire,

it was traditionally shared between father and son, not among siblings.

Ptolemy the 6th was the eldest brother and married to Cleopatra II,

but Ptolemy 8 Eighth did not have a personality

that allowed his prestige to be diminished in any capacity.

Coins minted in Alexandria during this time reflect the unusual arrangement.

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