Quick query

[Hawkwood]

When did Egypt fall under the influence of Rome? This is a bugger to find an answer to online, other than the annexation of 30 BC. At some point in the Ptolemaic period Rome tipped the balance but when exactly and who as a primary source writes about this (specifically between the period of 300 BC to annexation)?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[rothbard]

See this section of the Wikipedia entry on Ptolemaic Egypt. In particular:

"In 88 BC Ptolemy IX again returned to the throne, and retained it until his death in 80 BC. He was succeeded by Ptolemy XI Alexander II, the son of Ptolemy X. He was lynched by the Alexandrian mob after murdering his stepmother, who was also his cousin, aunt and wife. These sordid dynastic quarrels left Egypt so weakened that the country became a de facto protectorate of Rome, which had by now absorbed most of the Greek world."

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

He was lynched by the Alexandrian mob after murdering his stepmother, who was also his cousin, aunt and wife.

It must be admitted he had more reason than most.

 

[Hawkwood]

Fantastic. From the same wiki page but a bit before your quote. You see this is half the problem when we consider Antiochus the Great (third of his name) bent his knee to Rome the Seleucid empire was crippled (I forget the name of the treaty now without checking, but it was just after the decisive battle of Magnesia, 188 BC) yet look at this below (again, from the same wiki page):

"To Seleucid control". This would suggest the tipping-point to be at least around 188-185 BC, surely.

 

[Hawkwood]

Anyway thanks for that, I see from thart wiki page Flavius Josephus writes on these events, I'll have a mooch.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Hellenistic Civilization, by WW Tarn, used to be the standard work for this sort of thing. As you might guess from the somewhat literal title, Sir William was a Scot not given to flights of fancy, and the second chapter, I believe, is an indigestible account of what happened after Alexander's death. Well, indigestible to most of us; I now realise that it's a sort of test, and if after reading it you're not in a coma, and indeed relatively perky, you may be suited to mucking about in the period. Good luck.

 

[Hawkwood]

Yeah I'll try it if it's available online. I've sort've have the period between Alexander's General Antoganus I "The One-eyed" up to the Third Macedonian Wars and the spitting of Macedonia into four parts, in my head, and Antiochus the Great's Seleucid Empire (before and after the Treaty of Apamea) is near enough understood. I just can't seem to get a feel for the Roman relationship with the Ptolemaic dynasty pre-annexation.

I've had my head in a text for the last 3 hours so I'm getting there slowly. Need a break now though. Thanks.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I don't think it's online, but there are copies on Amazon. From a review it looks like it's the first chapter that's the indigestible outline.

 

[Hawkwood]

Yeah, fifteen squid. Not too bad considering books with those type-titles normally come bearing a heavy price. I might grab it in the new year.