Search
Search Results

Definition
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes (l. c. 276-195 BCE) was a Greek astronomer, geographer, mathematician, and poet best known for being the first to calculate the circumference of the earth and its axial tilt. He is also recognized for his mathematical innovation...

Definition
Hellenistic Warfare
When Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE, he left behind an empire devoid of leadership. Without a named successor or heir, the old commanders simply divided the kingdom among themselves. For the next three decades, they fought a lengthy...

Image
Detail of Stela of Ptolemy IX & Cleopatra III
Greek texts were incised on this granite stela. It documents a royal visit to Elephantine. Ptolemy IX and Cleopatra III, his mother and co-regent, granted privileges to the priests of Khnum, a local ram god. There are hieroglyphic inscriptions...

Image
Silver Tetradrachm Coin of Ptolemy III Euergetes II
Both coins were minted in Alexandria, modern-day Egypt. The left coin was minted in 137-136 BCE while the right one in 133-132 BCE. In ancient Egypt, many transactions were made in metal, measured using certain weights. Once coinage was introduced...

Image
Claudius Ptolemy Portrait
A 15th-century portrait of the astronomer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100 - c. 170 CE) attributed to Justus van Gent or Pedro Berruguete. (Louvre Museum, Paris)

Image
Statue of Ptolemy XII
Limestone statue of Ptolemy XII (r. 80-51 BCE), c. 55 BCE.
Greco-Roman Museum, Alexandria.

Image
Ptolemy XV
This larger than life 1st Century BCE granite head was found in the submerged sections of ancient Alexandria, Egypt. It is believed to have been a part of a statue depicting Ptolemy XV, commonly known as "Caesarion" (Greek for "Little Caesar"...

Image
Ptolemy III & Berenice II, Euergetes Gate
Ptolemy III and Berenice II stand before Chonsu (their heads and feet vandalized by Christian iconoclasts) on a relief scene of the Euergetes Gate (Thebes, ca. 240-220 BCE). Photo courtesy of Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Cardiff University.

Image
Bust of Ptolemy I
This is a fragment of a basalt statue of Ptolemy I (general of Alexander the Great), who founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt. He wears the Egyptian royal headdress and the protective serpent. It is said that it was found in the lining...

Image
Ptolemy I
Ptolemy I (366-282 BCE), gold pentadrachm. (Numismatics Museum, Athens)