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From my last post under Battle Maps, got me thinking about those poor Egyptians. Lets see. I guess Ill start in 360 BC. “Nectanebo I” the last great Dynasty of Egypt. Egypt was attacked by a combined force of Persia and Greek. The attackers successfully made it across the western side of the Nile delta, but were delayed before they could take Memphis due to mutual distrust. The Egyptian army was then able to counterattack and drive the attack out. www.civilization.ca/civil...gov6e.html www.specialtyinterests.net/diodorus.html

293 BC Artaxerxes III re-established control over Persia and after several decades he was able to dethrone Netanebo II. After Ataxerxes III took the throne, most of the Egyptians treasures, including temple items wher looted and taken back to Persia. During the rule of Artaxrexes III, sacred animals to the Egyptians where killed cities were destroyed and Egyptian people were either taken into slavery or were forced to pay incredibly high taxes. The reign of Artaxerxes III ended when he was poisoned after only 5 years of control over the Egyptian empire.

328 BC Darius III’s control over Egypt was tenuous and short lived. He ruled for 4 years and Persians did little to help him exert control over the Egyptian empire. When Alexsander the Great began to move against Egypt in 332 BC Darius III allowed him to take it without contest. By turning over control so easily, he saved his own life and was given a high office in Babylon by Alexander as a reward.

The Macedonians marked the end of political autonomy of Egypt. Alexander and the Ptolemies, tipped the balance of world power firmly towards the west. They pereserved the basic framework of Egyptian society, while they operated according to the rules of their own culture. Alexander and the Greeks had the same problem as the Persians, the empire was so extensive that they could not rule the whole entity according to the same set of laws. In order to insinuate the Greeks into Egypt's theocratic method of government, Alexander was obliged to seek the assistance of the very fixture that had supported the pharaohs: the priesthood. Slowly the Greco/Roman culture began to replace the Egyptian cultural milieu.

A general in Alexander the Great's army, Ptolemy I was King of Egypt from 323 to 283 B.C.E. and founded the Ptolemic Dynasty.

The story of Arsinoe II's life is much like a Greek tragic play. It is filled with death, greed, and intrigue. Arsinoe II (316-271 B.C.E.) was the daughter of King Ptolemy I and was married to King Lysimachus of Thrace at sixteen years of age. Now, at this time, her life was going exceptional well, she gave her husband three boys and in return she got whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. When her husband died, she was offered a deal by a potential second mate. If she married him, she was promised to rule Thrace. This marriage, however, was a scam. Her second husband only wanted to get close to her sons to kill them. When he had succeeded in killing two of her sons and the third fled for his life, she returned to her homeland with a plan to gain power in Egypt. When she got there however, she was welcomed by a technicality that could destroy her plan.
King Ptolemy I, Arsinoe's father had a son (Ptolemy II) the current king of Egypt. If that is not surprisingly enough, he was married to King Lysimachus' daughter Arsinoe I (282-247 B.C.E.). This little discovery put as kink in her plans, but Arsinoe II started to romance and win her brother's heart. By the year 278 B.C.E. Ptolemy II saw his wife, Arsinoe I as a threat, and he accused her of complicity in a plot to have him killed. Consequently, she was banished to Coptos in Upper Egypt. Arsinoe II took this opportunity and shortly afterward married her brother in accordance with Egyptian royal customs. Thus fulfilling the role of stepmother and sister-in-law to Arsinoe I.
As a result of her new-found husband, she quickly became the true ruler of the country and was a key figure in court politics. Like all devoured by power and greed, once you taste it you want more. She was given divine statues and coinage was issued in her name, but it did not stop there. She wanted to reach the status of a goddess and actively pushed Arsinoe worship to achieve this task. Throughout this whole time she never gave her husband any children due to her personal philosophy. She believed that they only grew up and plotted and executed the deaths of their parents.
In the end she died at the age of forty-five, thus, leaving us to ponder what she may have arose to if she had lived longer. Ptolemy II built a shrine and had many cities named for her after death. So as you can see, the life of Arsinoe II was that of a tragic tale.

Gnaeus Pompeius, Pompey, or Pompey the Great, was born in Rome on Sept 29, 106 B.C.E. He was a great Roman general who was victorious in many battles. Among other victories he helped end the slave revolt led by Spartacus in c.72 B.C.E. and furthered the Roman conquest of Spain.
Because of his leadership abilities Pompey was elected consul in 70 B.C.E. However, he ran into opposition in the senate, especially from Marcus Crassus, and returned to leading the army to more conquests.
After leaving consul he destroyed the Mediterranean pirates in c.67 B.C.E and defeated the kingdom of Pontus in c.65 B.C.E. Pompey also captured Jerusalem and Syria and allied with Armenia. Pompey's settlement of the East established the pattern of administration for over a century.
When Pompey returned to Rome in 61 B.C.E. the tensions between Crassus and himself had grown. To advert a war between the two, Julius Caesar negotiated an alliance making Pompey, Crassus and Caesar the three leaders of Rome. This triple leadership is known as a Triumvirate. Once the agreement was signed, the senate was forced to obey.
After the Triumvirate was formed, Pompey married Caesar's daughter, Julia. This marriage managed to keep an uneasy peace between Pompey and Caesar. Due to poor leadership, Crassus died in Syria in 55 B.C.E.; now only two of the Triumvirate rulers remained. When Julia died in 54 B.C.E. Caesar and Pompey became bitter enemies. Pompey went to the senate and became consul again.
In 49 B.C.E., once Pompey returned to the senate, Caesar went to Italy and formed an army. He returned to Rome on January 11, 49 B.C.E. and the civil war began. In 48 B.C.E., Caesar fought Pompey's army at Pharsala. Although Pompey's army outnumbered Caesar's, Caesar's army was more experienced. The senate pressured Pompey to attack first, Pompey reluctantly did so. Caesar was victorious in the battle, however, Pompey managed to escape to Egypt.
As soon as he fled to Egypt Pompey tried to ally with the Pharaoh Ptolemy. Ptolemy, however, knew Caesar was coming into Egypt for Pompey and Ptolemy had Pompey discreetly killed. Caesar was not happy about his son-in-law/rival being murdered by someone other than himself.

Cleopatra the VII, also known as Cleopatra the VI, was queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C.E. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XI. She was co-regent of Egypt from 51 to 49 B.C.E., but was dethroned by Ptolemy XII, from the year 49 to 48 B.C.E. She was reinstated to the throne following Julius Caesar's defeat of Ptolemy XII. She remained as co-regent with her brother Ptolemy XIII, from 47 to 44 B.C.E. Following this, she became mistress to Julius Caesar, living with him in Rome from 46 to 44 B.C.E. Eventually, she returned to Egypt and murdered Ptolemy XIII in 44 B.C.E. She then met Mark Anthony (a popular love story through out the ages), in 36 B.C.E. In 31 B.C.E. Octavian's army defeated Mark Anthony at the battle of Actium. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony fled, however, Cleopatra returned to Egypt and unsuccessfully attempted to seduce Octavian. According to legend she died of a bite by an asp to avoid being captured by Octavian. Cleopatra lived from 69 to 30 B.C.E.

Octavian was born on September 23, 63 B.C.E. His great-uncle was Julius Caesar and, therefore, he had many political connections in Rome. Caesar favored Octavian from an early age. In 48 B.C.E., Caesar had his fifteen-year-old great nephew elected to the priestly college of the pontifices, and he also enrolled him in the hereditary patrician aristocracy of Rome. Octavian joined Caesar in 46 B.C.E. on a campaign against Pompey in Spain. Later, Octavian was sent to Apollonia, on the coast of Greece, to attempt to finish his education. While in Apollonia, Octavian trained with Roman legions stationed there. Only months after arriving in Apollonia, Octavian learned that Caesar was murdered. He also learned that he was named as the beneficiary in Caesar's will and had been formally adopted as his son. The will thrust tremendous power on Octavian. He was now the leader of a great army ready to follow the commands of Caesar’s heir.
Octavian used this army to occupy Rome and force the Senate to make him consul. Marc Antony, who had been consul with Caesar, was now forced to create the alliance with Lepidus, a high priest, and Octavian. The three leaders divided the land that Rome had conquered. Antony controlled the East and Octavian the West. Lepidus controlled Africa. The leaders led a ruthless campaign to punish Caesar’s assassins but soon turned on each other. Octavian first attacked Lepidus and took control of Africa and all of Italy. Antony strained relations between Octavian and himself by divorcing Octavian's sister, in favor of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Finally, in 31 B.C.E., war broke out between Octavian and the combined forces of Cleopatra and Antony. Octavian defeated his foes at the naval battle of Actium and became sole ruler of Rome.
In 27 B.C.E., Octavian made a bold and clever political move by declaring the Republican Government restored. He immediately offered to resign from the position of consul, but the Senate, instead of accepting his offer, decided to give him the position of princeps. The Senate also gave him the name Augustus, meaning "revered one". The Senate decided to give Octavian control of the provinces of Gaul, Syria, Spain and Egypt. These areas had large numbers of troops stationed within their borders giving Octavian almost total military authority.
While the household managed the daily affairs of the empire, Octavian made it his duty to beautify the city. He once said that he had found the city in brick, and left it in marble. Octavian reformed the tax system by taking a census to determine how much each province should pay in taxes. He held strong beliefs in traditional Roman religion. He restored over 80 temples and passed strict moral laws that mirrored older Roman values. When Octavian died in C.E. 14, his achievements seemed remarkable, and they would only become more remarkable as time passed. Octavian had adopted his stepson Tiberius and made it clear he would be his successor.