[Neal Robbins]

In this posting I will discuss the 8th and 9th Ptolemies. Egypt went through some traumatic times with them.
Ptolemy VIII Lathrys actually had more than one reign. The first was 116-110 B.C. Ptolemy VIII was officiallly ruling, but his mother was calling the shots. In 110 B.C. his mother Cleopatra III forced him to accept his brother Ptolemy Alexander as his co-ruler. Therefore this reign was in terms of joint kingship. Ptolemy Alexander had been ruling as governor of Cyprus before becoming a co-ruler. Ptolemy VIII did not like this joint kingship. And for that matter, neither did his brother. In 107 B.C. Ptolemy Alexander (Ptolemy IX) drove him from the throne. Ptolemy VIII went into exile in Cyprus. He was angry about it, but was determined to once again rule Egypt. Ptolemy VIII was not a quitter, as many would find out.
Ptolemy VIII had complete control of Cyprus. He had an army of considerable size and had every intention of using it. A civil war broke out in Seleucid ruled Syria. Antiochus VIII Gryphus and Antiochus IX Cyzicenus were fighting each other for control of the kingdom.
Meanwhile Ptolemy Alexander decided to attack the Judean city of Ptolemais. A Seleucid leader named Zoilus came to try to break the siege, but was unsuccessful. The people of Ptolemais appealed to Ptolemy VIII for help. He came from Cyprus with an army and landed at Gycamia, which was near Ptolemais. The residents of Ptolemais had second thoughts about it and tried to call off his intervention, but it was too late. He was determined to get into the act.
Ptolemy Alexander quit the siege and appealed to his mother for help. He then proposed an alliance with his brother Ptolemy VIII and had the intention of betraying him. But Ptolemy VIII found out about his brother's treacherous plans. He crossed the Jordan River and defeated Ptolemy Alexander's army at Asophon. Then Ptolemy VIII overran Judea. He took the city of Ptolemais.
The queen sent reinforcements led by two Jewish generals named Chelkias and Ananias. Ptolemy VIII tried to take Egypt, but his army was pushed back. He returned to Cyprus, determined to fight another day.
Ptolemy Alexander launched an invasion of Syria. He took Gadra and Amathus. But a Seleucid general named Theodorus ambushed Ptolemy Alexander's army and killed 10,000 of his troops.
Ptolemy Alexander decided that Syria was too tough an egg to crack. He returned to Egypt. His reign continued and it was not always popular. For example, at the Festival of the Tabernacles, some celebrants pelted him with kitions. He had several hundred of them killed.
Ptolemy Alexander also got into a war with Nabataea. He lost a major battle with the Nabataean king Obedas at the village of Garuda Gaulanais.
Egypt had a ferocious civil war and Ptolemy Alexander's enemies appealed to Demetrius II Philapator, the Seleucid ruler, to come to their aid. Both armies had a mixed composition of Greek and Jewish soldiers. Demetrius defeated Ptolemy Alexander. So Ptolemy Alexander fled to the mountains. However, some who had been opposing him, decided that they would do better to side with him. With renewed strength, Ptolemy Alexander managed to win some battles and turn the tide. He was ruthless with the Jews in Judea who had opposed him. Ptolemy Alexander took 800 Jews with him to Jerusalem and had them crucified.
During the civil war, Ptolemy Alexander had to give back Nabataean territory that he had taken. This was to insure that the Nabataean king would not intervene in the civil war.
Ptolemy Alexander suffered from an illness and his drinking did not help things. He died while besieging Ragaba in the territory of Gerasenes. His queen Alexandra became ruler of Egypt. She pulled Egypt out of the fighting with the Seleucids and did things to bring peace on the domestic front. For example, she made peace with the Pharisees. The Armenian king Tigranes threatened to invade Egypt, but Alexandra forestalled an invasion. Then Tigranes heard that a Roman army led by Lucullus had invaded Armenia. He hurried back to Armenia with his troops.
Alexandra was a good ruler. She appointed her eldest son Hyrcanus as high priest. She also followed the policy of not getting Egypt bogged down in wars.
Her son Aristobolus took over several fortresses and recruited an army of mercenaries. He intended to become ruler of Egypt.
Alexandra detained Aristobolus's wife and children as hostages in the Baris fortress. But she died before she could completely neutralize the threat of Aristobolus.
Ptolemy VIII now saw his chance. He returned to Egypt with an army and took over the country. Most of his second reign was peaceful, though he had to put down a revolt in Thebes. This took two wars.
Ptolemy VIII died in 81 B.C. He left two heirs, one of which was an illegitimate son named Auletes. The other was a daughter named Bernice. I will discuss them in another posting.

Neal Robbins

P.S. Ptolemy VIII's first wife was his sister Cleopatra IV. However, their mother Cleopatra III decided to break up the marriage. She made Ptolemy VIII mary Cleopatra Selene. Bernice Philadelphius was the daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra Selene. There were two sons that Cleopatra Selene bore, but both died at early ages.
It is not known who the mother of Auletes was. She may have been an Egyptian mistress of Ptolemy VIII.

P.P.S. After Ptolemy VIII divorced Cleopatra IV, she went to Cyprus with the intention of marrying Ptolemy Alexander. This was while he was governor of Cyprus. However, he refused to marry her. She then went to Syria and married Antiochus IX Cyzicenus.