(EGYPT, bore the surname of EUERGETES, whence
he is styled EUERGETES II., to distinguish him from Ptolemy III.,
but he is more commonly known by the name of PHYSCON (
A reign thus commenced in blood was continued in a similar spirit. Already during his former
brief rule at Alexandria, as well as in his separate kingdom of Cyrene, Euergetes had given
abundant proofs of his tyrannical and cruel disposition, which had alienated the minds of his
subjects, and led them to term him in derision Kakergetes. But when he found himself
established on the throne of Egypt, he gave free scope to his sanguinary disposition. Many of
the leading citizens of Alexandria, who had taken part against him on the death of his
brother, were put to death without mercy, while the populace were given up without restraint
to the cruelties of his mercenary troops, and the streets of the city were repeatedly deluged
with blood. Thousands of the inhabitants fled from the scene of such horrors, and the
population of Alexandria was so greatly thinned that the king found himself compelled to
invite foreign settlers from all quarters to re-people his deserted capital. At the same time
that he thus incurred the hatred of his subjects by his cruelties, he rendered himself an
object of their aversion and contempt by abandoning himself to the most degrading vices. In
consequence of these, he had become bloated and deformed in person, and so enormously
corpulent, that he could scarcely walk. (Justin. l.c. ; Diod. xxxiii.
Exc. Vales. p. 594;
His union with Cleopatra was not of long duration. At first, indeed, he appears to have
lived on good terms with her, and she bore him a son, to whom he gave the name of Memphitis.
But he afterwards became enamoured of his niece Cleopatra (the offspring of his wife by her
former marriage with Philometor), and he did not hesitate to divorce the mother, and receive
her daughter instead, as his wife and queen. By this proceeding he alienated still more the
minds of his Greek subjects ; but the abilities and vigour of his general Hierax enabled him
for a time to defy the popular discontent. Meanwhile he was careful still to court the
alliance of Rome, and received Scipio Africanus and his colleagues, when they visited Egypt,
with every demonstration of respect. (Epit.
lix.;
At length, however, his vices and cruelties became too much for his subjects to bear. His
palace was burnt in a popular tumult, and he deemed it expedient to give way to the fury of
the people, and make his escape secretly to Cyprus, Epit. lix.;
From this time he appears to have adopted a milder and more moderate system of government.
His first act of clemency was to pardon Marsyas, who had been the general of the revolted
Alexandrians (Diod. Exc. Vales. p. 603); and though we have little information concerning the
remaining events of his reign, we do not find that it was again disturbed by any civil
disorders. His attention was principally directed to the affairs of Syria, where Demetrius had
espoused the cause of Cleopatra, and advanced as far as Pelusium to her support, but was
compelled, by the disaffection of his own troops, to retire without effecting anything. In
order to revenge himself for this attempt, Ptolemy now set up against him a new pretender in
the person of a youth named Zabinas or Zebina, who assumed the title of Alexander II., and
with the forces furnished him by the Egyptian king, was able to establish himself for a time
on the throne of Syria. But inflated with this success, the usurper forgot his obligations to
Ptolemy, and behaved with such haughtiness to his benefactor, that the latter suddenly changed
his policy, became reconciled to his sister Cleopatra, whom he permitted to return to Egypt,
and gave his daughter Tryphaena in marriage to Antiochus Grypus, the son of Demetrius, whom he
also supported with a large auxiliary force. Antiochus was thus enabled to recover possession
of the throne of his forefathers, Euseb. Arm. p. 115; Clinton. F.
H. vol. iii. p. 386.)
The character of Ptolemy Physcon has sufficiently appeared from the foregoing narrative.
But stained as he was at once by the most infamous and degrading vices, and by the most
sanguinary and unsparing cruelty, he still retained in a great degree that love of letters
which appears to have been hereditary in the whole race of the Ptolemies. He had in his youth
been a pupil of Aristarchus, and not only courted the society of learned men, but was himself
the author of a work called
But even in his patronage of literature Ptolemy displayed his capricious and tyrannical
character: and during the first years of his sole reign his cruelties appear to have produced
a general consternation among the philosophers and men of letters at Alexandria, many of whom
fled from Egypt, and took refuge in other countries, where they opened schools, and thus
introduced the learning and science of Alexandria (Das Alex. Museum, p. 48.)
Euergetes II. left two sons; Ptolemy, afterwards known as Soter II., and Alexander, both of
whom subsequently ascended the throne of Egypt ; and three daughters: I. Cleopatra, already
married to her brother Ptolemy; 2. Tryphaena, the rife of Antiochus Grypus, king of Syria;
and 3. Helene, who was still unmarried at her father's PTOLEMAEUS
APION].