The last dynasty Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra

Egypt goes from glory to disaster in this lively history of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Egyptologist Wilkinson (Ramesses the Great) begins with Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 332 BCE and continues through the reigns of his general Ptolemy, successive Ptolemies II through XV, and various queens culminating with Cleopatra VII, who almost restored the family's fortunes with her canny manipulation of Caesar and Mark Antony. The first four Ptolemies oversaw a golden age, in Wilkinson's telling, as Egypt grew rich on abundant Nile Valley grain and made territorial conquests. The wealthy Ptolemaic capital at Alexandria had the world's greatest library and academy, where Euclid developed geometry and Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference, but later wars eroded the overextended empire and necessitated high taxes that ruined farmers and sparked revolts. Wilkinson gives an entertaining account of the royal family's violent rivalries and melodramas--made crazier by the tradition of brothers marrying sisters--along with deeper takes on the religious roots of power (the Ptolemies routinely had themselves declared gods) and the lives of ordinary Egyptians resentful of the Greek-speaking upper class. (One outraged Greek settler, Wilkinson notes, wrote to Pharaoh complaining of an Egyptian woman who doused him with urine and spat in his face.) It's an insightful interpretation of one of the ancient world's great civilizations. (Apr.)

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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.