The Succession
Following Alexanders death, Perdiccas wanted to wait until the birth of Alexanders child before naming the successor, but Ptolemy had other plans. Ptolemy led a campaign along with several of the military leaders to divide the empire among themselves. Their wish was granted and the empire was divided. Ptolemy got his first choice in the division, Egypt, thus he became the "Satrap", or governor of the Egypt region. For the next 30 years, the stability between the other Satraps was tenuous, hovering between war and peace and this time would be called the "Successor Wars". It would be during this that Perdiccas would be assassinated by his own troops after numerous failed attempts to cross the Nile and attack Ptolemy. When Perdiccas died, the successor wars would go into full swing, from Antipater, General of the European region, to Cassander, his son, to Antigonus, one of the most accomplished of the Generals, would wage a grueling war to be the King of Alexanders great empire. The Successor war would ultimately come to an end with the defeat of Antigonus at the hands of Ptolemy and the generals that sided with him. The death of Antigonus would mark the end of Alexanders empire. The Satraps each rushed to define their kingdoms out of the ruins of the empire. Ptolemy ensured his rule over Egypt by claiming the title of King. He was also given the divine title of Soter, which means saviour, at this time due to his defence, and major victory at Rhodes against Antigonus' forces. With the aftermath of Alexanders death finally coming to a close, Ptolemy could turn his focus to ruling over his new kingdom.
Ruling Egypt
Due to the war that quite recently ended, Ptolemy decided he would take a diplomatic approach to ensuring the stability and growth of Egypt. He did this through numerous political alliances and deals, many of which involved him marrying of some of his children to various rulers of regions that Ptolemy needed to maintain good ties with. As for internal diplomacy, Ptolemy knew that the priest held great sway within the country. As such he moved the capital to the port city of Alexandria, which was founded during Alexanders conquest of Egypt. Alexandria flourished becoming a major trading, intellectual, and political hub. While he moved to lessen the sway of the priests, he still respected them, and as such rebuilt the temples destroyed by the Persians who previously occupied Egypt. To further connect with the people of Egypt, who he knew were people with deep religious roots, he deified Alexander, and made him a state god. Furthermore, Ptolemy founded a new religion with Serapis, the god of healing, as the main deity. This was in an attempt to merge Egyptian and Greek influences but achieved little success as the Egyptian people saw it as more of a Greek influence rather than Egyptian. All in all, Ptolemy focused on the development of his Kingdom and preferred a defensive policy as opposed to attacking and conquering. During this time, Ptolemy built up a sturdy administrative and political base that would ensure the future of Egypt. With Berenice as his Queen and his son Ptolemy II as his successor, Ptolemy set the stage for the beginnings of a dynasty that would last for over 200 years.
Ptolemaic Art
During Ptolemy's reign , art in Egypt slowly began to change and would continue to do so throughout the Ptolemaic dynasty. This change in art style was brought upon by the attempt to fuse the two cultures, Greek and Egyptian. This led to a mix of the two art styles to produce something unique. One of the changes seen was through the realism of the paintings / reliefs of the Egyptians. The portrayal of the body in the art would range from being ideal and stiff as it had in the past, to nearly grotesque, while the portrayal of the face and head would see more detail than in the past, such as smiles or hair coming out of the traditional headdress of the King/Pharaoh. Another change in art, was the reappearance of women which had been absent since the XXVI dynasty, although women were still not portrayed as realistically as men were. Architecture was also changing at the time as well. The introduction of Greek columns and other architectural designs merged with that of the Egyptians to create something new which can be seen in the temples reconstructed during Ptolemy I's reign, various other buildings of the times, and the temples that would be built in the future, such as the Temple of Edfu in 237 BCE. All in all, a new art form grew out of Egypt during the Ptolemaic dynasty, a fusion that produced an inspiring result.
Passing On
Ptolemy's 84 years of life were busy ones indeed, especially during his reign over Egypt where he worked tirelessly to ensure that his kingdom would prosper and grow not only then but into the future as well. Eventually it would be time for Ptolemy to step down and let his son, Ptolemy II lead Egypt just as he did and pave the way for future generations. In 285 BCE, he did just that, stepping down in favour of his son. Two years later, 283 BCE, Ptolemy died. Ptolemy I started a great dynasty, now it turned to his descendants to continue his great work. Learn more about his death, his legacy, and the Ptolemaic dynasty in the next page entitled "Death, Legacy, and Beyond".