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Pausanias · Description of Greece §1.7.1-1.7.3

Reign of Ptolemy II and the Revolt of Magas

Passage 7 of 465 · Greek

Summary

On the marriage of Ptolemy II to his sister, his killing of his brothers, the rebellion of Magas of Cyrene and its containment, the destruction of the Galatian mercenaries, and his defense against Antiochus.

§1.7.1οὗτος ὁ Πτολεμαῖος Ἀρσινόης ἀδελφῆς ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἐρασθεὶς ἔγημεν αὐτήν, Μακεδόσιν οὐδαμῶς ποιῶν νομιζόμενα, Αἰγυπτίοις μέντοι ὧν ἦρχε.
This Ptolemy, having fallen in love with his full sister Arsinoe, married her, doing what was by no means customary for Macedonians, but indeed for the Egyptians whom he ruled.
δεύτερα δὲ ἀδελφὸν ἀπέκτεινεν Ἀργαῖον ἐπιβουλεύοντα, ὡς λέγεται, καὶ τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου νεκρὸν οὗτος ὁ καταγαγὼν ἦν ἐκ Μέμφιδος· ἀπέκτεινε δὲ καὶ ἄλλον ἀδελφὸν γεγονότα ἐξ Εὐρυδίκης, Κυπρίους ἀφιστάντα αἰσθόμενος.
Secondly, he killed his brother Argaeus, who was plotting against him, as it is said, and this was the one who brought down Alexander's body from Memphis; and he also killed another brother born of Eurydice, having perceived that he was causing the Cyprians to revolt.
Μάγας δὲ ἀδελφὸς ὁμομήτριος Πτολεμαίου παρὰ Βερενίκης τῆς μητρὸς ἀξιωθεὶς ἐπιτροπεύειν Κυρήνην— ἐγεγόνει δὲ ἐκ Φιλίππου τῇ Βερενίκῃ Μακεδόνος μέν, ἄλλως δὲ ἀγνώστου καὶ ἑνὸς τοῦ δήμου—, τότε δὴ οὗτος ὁ Μάγας ἀποστήσας Πτολεμαίου Κυρηναίους ἤλαυνεν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
And Magas, the half-brother of Ptolemy on his mother's side, having been deemed worthy by his mother Berenice to govern Cyrene—he had been born to Berenice of Philip, a Macedonian indeed, but otherwise unknown and one of the common people—then indeed this Magas, having made the Cyrenaeans revolt from Ptolemy, marched against Egypt.
§1.7.2καὶ Πτολεμαῖος μὲν τὴν ἐσβολὴν φραξάμενος ὑπέμενεν ἐπιόντας Κυρηναίους, Μάγᾳ δὲ ἀπαγγέλλεται καθʼ ὁδὸν ἀφεστηκέναι Μαρμαρίδας· εἰσὶ δὲ Λιβύων οἱ Μαρμαρίδαι τῶν νομάδων.
And Ptolemy, having blocked the pass, awaited the advancing Cyrenaeans; but it was reported to Magas on the way that the Marmaridae had revolted—and the Marmaridae are among the nomadic Libyans.
καὶ τότε μὲν ἐς Κυρήνην ἀπηλλάσσετο· Πτολεμαῖον δὲ ὡρμημένον διώκειν αἰτία τοιάδε ἐπέσχεν.
And so for that time he departed for Cyrene; but as for Ptolemy, who was eager to pursue him, the following cause held him back.
ἡνίκα παρεσκευάζετο ἐπιόντα ἀμύνεσθαι Μάγαν, ξένους ἐπηγάγετο καὶ ἄλλους καὶ Γαλάτας ἐς τετρακισχιλίους· τούτους λαβὼν ἐπιβουλεύοντας κατασχεῖν Αἴγυπτον, ἀνήγαγε σφᾶς ἐς νῆσον ἔρημον διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ.
When he was preparing to defend himself against the advancing Magas, he had brought in other mercenaries and also Galatians to the number of about four thousand; having found these men plotting to seize Egypt, he took them up the river to a desert island.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐνταῦθα ἀπώλοντο ὑπό τε ἀλλήλων καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ· §1.7.3Μάγας δὲ ἤδη γυναῖκα ἔχων Ἀπάμην Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Σελεύκου θυγατέρα, ἔπεισεν Ἀντίοχον παραβάντα ἃς ὁ πατήρ οἱ Σέλευκος ἐποιήσατο συνθήκας πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον, ἐλαύνειν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
And there they perished at one another's hands and by famine; And Magas, already having as wife Apame, the daughter of Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, persuaded Antiochus to violate the treaty which his father Seleucus had made with Ptolemy, and to march against Egypt.
ὡρμημένου δὲ Ἀντιόχου στρατεύειν, Πτολεμαῖος διέπεμψεν ἐς ἅπαντας ὧν ἦρχεν Ἀντίοχος, τοῖς μὲν ἀσθενεστέροις λῃστὰς κατατρέχειν τὴν γῆν, οἳ δὲ ἦσαν δυνατώτεροι στρατιᾷ κατεῖργεν, ὥστε Ἀντιόχῳ μήποτε ἐγγενέσθαι στρατεύειν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
And when Antiochus was set on making a campaign, Ptolemy sent messengers to all the peoples ruled by Antiochus, to the weaker ones to have plunderers overrun their land, and those who were stronger he held in check with an army, so that it was never possible for Antiochus to campaign against Egypt.
οὗτος ὁ Πτολεμαῖος καὶ πρότερον εἴρηταί μοι ὡς ναυτικὸν ἔστειλεν ἐς τὴν Ἀθηναίων συμμαχίαν ἐπʼ Ἀντίγονον καὶ Μακεδόνας· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν μέγα ἐγένετο ἐς σωτηρίαν Ἀθηναίοις.
This Ptolemy, as has also been said by me before, sent a fleet to the alliance of the Athenians against Antigonus and the Macedonians; but indeed nothing great came of it for the safety of the Athenians.
οἱ δέ οἱ παῖδες ἐγένοντο ἐξ Ἀρσινόης, οὐ τῆς ἀδελφῆς, Λυσιμάχου δὲ θυγατρός· τὴν δέ οἱ συνοικήσασαν ἀδελφὴν κατέλαβεν ἔτι πρότερον ἀποθανεῖν ἄπαιδα, καὶ νομός ἐστιν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς Ἀρσινοΐτης Αἰγυπτίοις.
His children were born of Arsinoe, not his sister, but the daughter of Lysimachus; for it befell his sister who had lived with him as wife to die even earlier without children, and there is a district named Arsinoite after her among the Egyptians.

Notes

  1. 1.7.1Μακεδόσιν οὐδαμῶς ποιῶν νομιζόμενα, Αἰγυπτίοις μέντοι ὧν ἦρχε. — The participle 'νομιζόμενα' (customary things) governs two contrasting datives: 'Μακεδόσιν' (for Macedonians) and 'Αἰγυπτίοις' (for Egyptians). The participle 'ποιῶν' functions as the main verb's modifier. The relative clause 'ὧν ἦρχε' modifies 'Αἰγυπτίοις', with the relative pronoun 'ὧν' attracted to the genitive case of its omitted antecedent.
  2. 1.7.1οὗτος ὁ καταγαγὼν ἦν — The demonstrative pronoun 'οὗτος' refers back to the main subject of this section, Ptolemy II, rather than the immediately preceding 'Argaeus'. Historically and contextually, it was Ptolemy II who transferred Alexander's body from Memphis to Alexandria.
  3. 1.7.3τοῖς μὲν ἀσθενεστέροις λῃστὰς κατατρέχειν τὴν γῆν, οἳ δὲ ἦσαν δυνατώτεροι στρατιᾷ κατεῖργεν — An Asymmetrical contrast. The first part 'τοῖς μὲν ἀσθενεστέροις' (to the weaker ones) uses the dative and relies on an implied verb of sending (derived from 'διέπεμψεν') to introduce the infinitive 'κατατρέχειν' (to overrun). The second part 'οἳ δὲ ἦσαν δυνατώτεροι' (and those who were stronger) uses a nominative relative clause acting as a demonstrative, functioning as the object of 'κατεῖργεν' (he held in check).

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §1.7.1-1.7.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.7.1-1.7.3

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