The incredible Alexander the Great died in Babylon, aged only 32, while campaigning and building his mighty empire.
His ambitious generals, hungry for power, pitted themselves against each other, and Alexander’s vast empire was thrown into turmoil; resulting in the ‘Wars of the Successors’, which raged across the region for years to come, as the generals fought to take power, and control and to become Alexander’s successor.
His ally, friend and General – Ptolemy , ultimately achieved his long-standing ambition and gained control of Egypt: – thus founding the ‘House of Ptolemy’, and ruling as the Pharoah ‘Ptolemy 1’.
The Ptolemaic Dynasty went on to rule Egypt for following 300+ years, with Ptolemy l, Ptolemy ll and Ptolemy lll, achieving great things, intellectual pursuits and world-renown buildings.
Yet, within a few generations of coming to power, the seeds of their destruction were sewn by the successors of Ptolemy l. With debauchery, incest and in-fighting endemic within its court; and with the rise of a new super-power in the west, this once powerful Greek Dynasty was brought down – coming to the most ignominious of ends, with the death by suicide of the infamous and fabulous Cleopatra!
So, what happened to bring down this 300 year-long dynasty? How, and why was this once mighty 3000-year-long empire eclipsed? And by what power?
Unearthing Egyptology - Talks on Egyptology 