THE LAST DYNASTY

Seven Cleopatras and 15 Ptolemies who ruled until the Romans took over.

Egyptologist Wilkinson, author of 13 books on his specialty, begins his latest with Alexander the Great’s 323 B.C.E. death, after which three of his generals made themselves kings of Macedonia, the Seleucid Empire (the Middle East and west Asia), and Egypt. There follows a compelling three-century history of the colorful Hellenistic period. Of the generals, Egypt’s Ptolemy I was probably the most competent. Sensibly, he adopted Egyptian religious and bureaucratic customs, cultivated the priesthood, and portrayed himself as a legitimate heir to the pharaohs. His son and grandson (Ptolemy II and III) extended the kingdom’s borders, secured its prosperity, and fostered scholars, establishing it as a great power with its capital, Alexandria, rivaling Athens as a center of learning. One problem is that Greeks followed them to Egypt in great numbers, forming a privileged minority that provoked increasing resentment. Another is that Rome had grown powerful by Ptolemy III’s 222 B.C.E. death, and his successors did not measure up. The arrival of the first Cleopatra in 194 B.C.E. did not improve matters. Although she exerted considerable power (Egypt, unlike Greece, had no objection to female rulers), the nation was wracked by murderous dynastic quarrels, rebellions, unsuccessful wars, and increasing pressure from Rome. The seventh and best-known Cleopatra ruled 51 to 30 B.C.E. and dealt successfully with powerful Romans (Pompey, Caesar, Marc Anthony) before choosing the wrong side in Rome’s civil war. Ancient histories emphasize rulers, wars, and gods because that’s the evidence that survives in inscriptions, monuments, and artifacts. With its tomb obsession and desert climate that preserves organic materials, ancient Egypt is a glorious exception, with mountains of surviving papyri from rubbish dumps and necropolises. Wilkinson takes advantage to deliver a detailed account of its bureaucracy, culture, and daily life.

Hellenistic Egypt in expert hands.