Ptolemy XII - Paris, France
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Metro2
N 48° 51.666 E 002° 20.138
31U E 451271 N 5412227
Ptolemy XII spent three years of his rule in exile due to a rebellion by the Egyptian people before coming back from Rome in 55 B.C.
Waymark Code: WME6ZE
Location: Île-de-France, France
Date Posted: 04/11/2012
Views: 17
This 14 inch bust of Ptolemy XII is located in the Greek Aniquities Room 11 of the Louvre Museum. It depicts Ptolomey as a young man with short-cropped hair and slightly tilting his head to the left. The marble work is from the 1st century B.C.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us that Ptolemy
"... ruled Egypt from 80 to 58 BC and from 55 BC until his death in 51 BC. Ptolemy XII was generally described as a weak, self-indulgent man, a drunkard, and a music lover...
Ptolemy XII's personal cult name (Neos Dionysos) earned him the ridiculing sobriquet Auletes (flute player)...
During his reign, Ptolemy XII attempted to secure his own fate and the fate of his dynasty by means of a pro-Roman policy. In 63 BC, it appeared that Pompey would emerge as the leader of a Roman struggle, thus Ptolemy sought to form a patron-client relationship with the Roman by sending him riches and extending an invitation to Alexandria. Pompey accepted the riches but refused the invitation. Nevertheless, a patron relationship with a leader in Rome did not guarantee his permanence on the throne, thus Ptolemy XII soon afterwards travelled to Rome to negotiate a bribe for an official recognition of his kingship. After paying a bribe of six thousand talents to Julius Caesar and Pompey, a formal alliance was formed (a foedus) and his name was inscribed into the list of friends and allies of the people of Rome (amici et socii populi Romani)...
In 58 BC, Ptolemy XII failed to comment on the Roman conquest of Cyprus, a territory ruled by his brother, thereby upsetting the Egyptian population to start a rebellion. Egyptians were already aggravated by heavy taxes (to pay for the Roman bribes) and a substantial increase in the cost of living. Ptolemy XII fled to Rome...
Ptolemy XII finally recovered his throne by paying Aulus Gabinius 10,000 talents to invade Egypt in 55 BC. After defeating the frontier forces of the Egyptian kingdom, Aulus Gabinius's army proceeded to attack the palace guards but the guards surrendered before a battle commenced.
The exact date of Ptolemy XII's restoration is unknown; the earliest possible date of restoration is January 4, 55 BC and the latest possible date was June 24 the same year. Nevertheless, upon entering the palace, Ptolemy had Berenice and her supporters executed. From then on, he reigned until he fell ill in 51 BC."