τὰ δὲ ἐς Ἄτταλον καὶ Πτολεμαῖον ἡλικίᾳ τε ἦν ἀρχαιότερα, ὡς μὴ μένειν ἔτι τὴν φήμην αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ συγγενόμενοι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἐπὶ συγγραφῇ τῶν ἔργων καὶ πρότερον ἔτι ἠμελήθησαν· τούτων ἕνεκά μοι καὶ τὰ τῶνδε ἐπῆλθε δηλῶσαι ἔργα τε ὁποῖα ἔπραξαν καὶ ὡς ἐς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν περιεχώρησεν Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἡ Μυσῶν καὶ τῶν προσοίκων ἀρχή.
Πτολεμαῖον Μακεδόνες Φιλίππου παῖδα εἶναι τοῦ Ἀμύντου, λόγῳ δὲ Λάγου νομίζουσι· τὴν γάρ οἱ μητέρα ἔχουσαν ἐν γαστρὶ δοθῆναι γυναῖκα ὑπὸ Φιλίππου Λάγῳ. Πτολεμαῖον δὲ λέγουσιν ἄλλα τε ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ λαμπρὰ ἀποδείξασθαι καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ κινδύνου ξυμβάντος ἐν Ὀξυδράκαις μάλιστά οἱ τῶν ἑταίρων ἀμῦναι. τελευτήσαντος δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῖς ἐς Ἀριδαῖον τὸν Φιλίππου τὴν πᾶσαν ἄγουσιν ἀρχὴν ἀντιστὰς αὐτὸς μάλιστα ἐγένετο ἐς τὰς βασιλείας αἴτιος τὰ ἔθνη νεμηθῆναι.
αὐτὸς δὲ ἐς Αἴγυπτον διαβὰς Κλεομένην τε ἀπέκτεινεν, ὃν σατραπεύειν Αἰγύπτου κατέστησεν Ἀλέξανδρος, Περδίκκᾳ νομίζων εὔνουν καὶ διʼ αὐτὸ οὐ πιστὸν αὑτῷ, καὶ Μακεδόνων τοὺς ταχθέντας τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου νεκρὸν ἐς Αἰγὰς κομίζειν ἀνέπεισεν αὑτῷ παραδοῦναι· καὶ τὸν μὲν νόμῳ τῷ Μακεδόνων ἔθαπτεν ἐν Μέμφει, οἷα δὲ ἐπιστάμενος πολεμήσοντα Περδίκκαν Αἴγυπτον εἶχεν ἐν φυλακῇ. Περδίκκας δὲ ἐς μὲν τὸ εὐπρεπὲς τῆς στρατείας ἐπήγετο Ἀριδαῖον τὸν Φιλίππου καὶ παῖδα Ἀλέξανδρον ἐκ Ῥωξάνης τῆς Ὀξυάρτου γεγονότα καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου, τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ Πτολεμαῖον ἐπεβούλευεν ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ βασιλείαν· ἐξωσθεὶς δὲ Αἰγύπτου καὶ τὰ ἐς πόλεμον ἔτι οὐχ ὁμοίως θαυμαζόμενος, διαβεβλημένος δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἐς τοὺς Μακεδόνας, ἀπέθανεν ὑπὸ τῶν σωματοφυλάκων.
Πτολεμαῖον δὲ αὐτίκα ἐς τὰ πράγματα ὁ Περδίκκου θάνατος ἐπέστησε· καὶ τοῦτο μὲν Σύρους καὶ Φοινίκην εἷλε, τοῦτο δὲ ἐκπεσόντα ὑπὸ Ἀντιγόνου καὶ φεύγοντα ὑπεδέξατο Σέλευκον τὸν Ἀντιόχου, καὶ αὐτὸς παρεσκευάζετο ὡς ἀμυνούμενος Ἀντίγονον. καὶ Κάσσανδρον τὸν Ἀντιπάτρου καὶ Λυσίμαχον βασιλεύοντα ἐν Θρᾴκῃ μετασχεῖν ἔπεισε τοῦ πολέμου, φυγὴν λέγων τὴν Σελεύκου καὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον φοβερόν σφισιν εἶναι πᾶσιν αὐξηθέντα.
Ἀντίγονος δὲ τέως μὲν ἦν ἐν παρασκευῇ πολέμου καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον οὐ παντάπασιν ἐθάρρει· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς Λιβύην ἐπύθετο στρατεύειν Πτολεμαῖον ἀφεστηκότων Κυρηναίων, αὐτίκα Σύρους καὶ Φοίνικας εἷλεν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς, παραδοὺς δὲ Δημητρίῳ τῷ παιδί, ἡλικίαν μὲν νέῳ φρονεῖν δὲ ἤδη δοκοῦντι, καταβαίνει ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον. πρὶν δὲ ἢ διαβῆναι πάλιν ἦγεν ὀπίσω τὴν στρατιάν, Δημήτριον ἀκούων ὑπὸ Πτολεμαίου μάχῃ κεκρατῆσθαι· Δημήτριος δὲ οὔτε παντάπασιν ἐξειστήκει Πτολεμαίῳ τῆς χώρας καί τινας τῶν Αἰγυπτίων λοχήσας διέφθειρεν οὐ πολλούς. τότε δὲ ἥκοντα Ἀντίγονον οὐχ ὑπομείνας Πτολεμαῖος ἀνεχώρησεν ἐς Αἴγυπτον.
διελθόντος δὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος Δημήτριος πλεύσας ἐς Κύπρον Μενέλαον σατράπην Πτολεμαίου ναυμαχίᾳ καὶ αὖθις αὐτὸν Πτολεμαῖον ἐπιδιαβάντα ἐνίκησε· φυγόντα δὲ αὐτὸν ἐς Αἴγυπτον Ἀντίγονός τε κατὰ γῆν καὶ ναυσὶν ἅμα ἐπολιόρκει Δημήτριος. Πτολεμαῖος δὲ ἐς πᾶν ἀφικόμενος κινδύνου διέσωσεν ὅμως τὴν ἀρχὴν στρατιᾷ τε ἀντικαθήμενος ἐπὶ Πηλουσίῳ καὶ τριήρεσιν ἀμυνόμενος ἅμα ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ. Ἀντίγονος δὲ Αἴγυπτον μὲν αἱρήσειν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων οὐδεμίαν ἔτι εἶχεν ἐλπίδα, Δημήτριον δὲ ἐπὶ Ῥοδίους στρατιᾷ πολλῇ καὶ ναυσὶν ἔστειλεν, ὡς εἴ οἱ προσγένοιτο ἡ νῆσος ὁρμητηρίῳ χρήσεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἐλπίζων· ἀλλὰ αὐτοί τε οἱ Ῥόδιοι τολμήματα καὶ ἐπιτεχνήσεις παρέσχοντο ἐς τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας καὶ Πτολεμαῖός σφισιν ἐς ὅσον δυνάμεως ἧκε συνήρατο ἐς τὸν πόλεμον.
Ἀντίγονος δὲ Ῥόδου τε ἁμαρτὼν καὶ Αἰγύπτου πρότερον, οὐ πολλῷ τούτων ὕστερον ἀντιτάξασθαι Λυσιμάχῳ τολμήσας καὶ Κασσάνδρῳ τε καὶ τῇ Σελεύκου στρατιᾷ, τῆς δυνάμεως ἀπώλεσε τὸ πολὺ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέθανε ταλαιπωρήσας μάλιστα τῷ μήκει τοῦ πρὸς Εὐμένη πολέμου. τῶν δὲ βασιλέων τῶν καθελόντων Ἀντίγονον ἀνοσιώτατον κρίνω γενέσθαι Κάσσανδρον, ὃς διʼ Ἀντιγόνου τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχὴν ἀνασωσάμενος πολεμήσων ἦλθεν ἐπʼ ἄνδρα εὐεργέτην.
ἀποθανόντος δὲ Ἀντιγόνου Πτολεμαῖος Σύρους τε αὖθις καὶ Κύπρον εἷλε, κατήγαγε δὲ καὶ Πύρρον ἐς τὴν Θεσπρωτίδα ἤπειρον· Κυρήνης δὲ ἀποστάσης Μάγας Βερενίκης υἱὸς Πτολεμαίῳ τότε συνοικούσης ἔτει πέμπτῳ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόστασιν εἷλε Κυρήνην. —εἰ δὲ ὁ Πτολεμαῖος οὗτος ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ Φιλίππου τοῦ Ἀμύντου παῖς ἦν, ἴστω τὸ ἐπιμανὲς ἐς τὰς γυναῖκας κατὰ τὸν πατέρα κεκτημένος, ὃς Εὐρυδίκῃ τῇ Ἀντιπάτρου συνοικῶν ὄντων οἱ παίδων Βερενίκης ἐς ἔρωτα ἦλθεν, ἣν Ἀντίπατρος Εὐρυδίκῃ συνέπεμψεν ἐς Αἴγυπτον. ταύτης τῆς γυναικὸς ἐρασθεὶς παῖδας ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐποιήσατο, καὶ ὡς ἦν οἱ πλησίον ἡ τελευτή, Πτολεμαῖον ἀπέλιπεν Αἰγύπτου βασιλεύειν, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἐστὶν ἡ φυλή, γεγονότα ἐκ Βερενίκης ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς Ἀντιπάτρου θυγατρός.
The age of Attalus and Ptolemy is so remote that the tradition of it has passed away, and the writings of the historians whom the kings engaged to record their deeds fell into neglect still sooner. For these reasons I propose to narrate their exploits, and the manner in which the sovereignty of Egypt, of Mysia, and of the border lands, devolved on their ancestors.
The Macedonians believe that Ptolemy, though nominally the son of Lagus, was really the son of Philip, son of Amyntas; for they say that his mother was with child when Philip gave her in marriage to Lagus. Amongst other brilliant exploits of Ptolemy in Asia, it is said that when Alexander was in danger amongst the Oxydracians it was Ptolemy more than any of his comrades who came to his rescue. On the death of Alexander he opposed those who would have transferred the whole power to Aridaeus, son of Philip, and the division of the nations into separate kingdoms was mainly due to him.
After passing into Egypt he put to death Cleomenes, the satrap of Egypt appointed by Alexander, because he believed him to be favourable to Perdiccas, and therefore not faithful to himself. He prevailed on the Macedonians who were charged with the conveyance of Alexander’s body to Aegae to deliver it to himself, and he buried it in Macedonian fashion at Memphis. But knowing that Perdiccas would go to war, he kept Egypt on the watch. To lend a colour to his expedition, Perdiccas brought with him Aridaeus, son of Philip, and the young Alexander, son of Alexander by Roxana, daughter of Oxyartes; but his real object was to deprive Ptolemy of the kingdom of Egypt. However, he was repulsed: his military reputation declined; and being unpopular with the Macedonians for other reasons, he fell by the hands of his body-guards.
The death of Perdiccas at once elevated Ptolemy to power: he conquered Syria and Phoenicia; and when Seleucus, son of Antiochus, was expelled by Antigonus and fled to him, he received him and prepared to retaliate on Antigonus. He induced Antipater’s son, Cassander, and Lysimachus, king of Thrace, to take part in the war, by representing to them the […] of Seleucus and the formidable growth of Antigonus’ power. For a time Antigonus was occupied with preparing for war, and did not care to face the hazard. But when he heard that Ptolemy had been called away to Libya by the revolt of Cyrene, he at once overran Syria and Phoenicia, and then, entrusting them to his son Demetrius, a youth with a reputation for wisdom above his years, marched towards the Hellespont. But before reaching the sea, he led his army back again on hearing that Demetrius had been defeated in battle by Ptolemy. Demetrius, however, had not been forced by Ptolemy to evacuate the country wholly, and he had even surprised and cut to pieces a handful of Egyptian troops. Ptolemy did not await the arrival of Antigonus, but retired to Egypt.
When the winter was over Demetrius sailed to Cyprus and defeated Menelaus, Ptolemy’s satrap, in a sea-fight, and afterwards, when Ptolemy himself attacked him, he treated him in the same way. Ptolemy fled to Egypt, where he was besieged by Antigonus and Demetrius by sea and land. His peril was extreme, but he saved his kingdom, his army encamping over against the enemy at Pelusium, and his galleys assailing them from the river. In these circumstances Antigonus had no longer any hope of conquering Egypt, but he despatched Demetrius with a powerful army and fleet against Rhodes, hoping, if he could attach the island to his cause, to use it as a base of operations against Egypt. But the Rhodians sustained the siege with valour and skill, and Ptolemy put forth all his power to assist them.
Baffled in Rhodes and Egypt, Antigonus not long afterwards ventured to take the field against Lysimachus, Cassander, and the forces of Seleucus. But he lost most of his army, and fell himself, worn out chiefly by the long war against Eumenes. Of the kings who overthrew Antigonus, the wickedest in my opinion was Cassander, who, though it was by Antigonus’ means that he had recovered the government of Macedonia, nevertheless marched to make war on his benefactor.
On the death of Antigonus, Ptolemy recovered Syria, conquered Cyprus, and restored Pyrrhus to Thesprotia in Epirus. Cyrene had revolted, but was taken in the fourth year after the revolt by Magas, son of Berenice, whom Ptolemy at that time had to wife. Ptolemy was really the son of Philip, son of Amyntas, it must have been from his father that he inherited his mania for women. When he was married to Eurydice, daughter of Antipater, and had children by her, he fell in love with Berenice, whom Antipater had sent to Egypt in Eurydice’s train. She took his fancy and he had children by her; and when his end was near, he left the kingdom of Egypt to Ptolemy, his son by her, and not by the daughter of Antipater. This Ptolemy, son of Berenice, is he who gave his name to the Athenian tribe.
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