Ptolemy Apion

Ptolemy Apion
Ptolemy Apion
	Portrait of Ptolemy Apion from Herculaneum, presently located at the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.
King of Cyrene
Born	150-145 BC; Cyrene (?)
Died	96 BC
Greek	Πτολεμαῖος Ἀπίων
House	Ptolemaic dynasty
Father	Ptolemy VIII Physcon
Mother	Eirene of Cyrene

Ptolemy Apion or simply known as Apion (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Ἀπίων; between 150 BC and 145 BC – 96 BC) was the last Greek King of Cyrenaica who separated it from the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, and in his last will bequeathed his country to Rome.^[1] He was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Biography

Apion was the son of Ptolemy VIII Physcon, king of Egypt (170-165, 145-132, and 127-116) and king of Cyrene and Cyprus (163-116 BC), by a concubine. Apion's mother is often identified with Eirene, who was his mistress around 147 BC,^[2] but there is no evidence for this.^[3]

Ptolemy Apion was apparently given Cyrene as a separate kingdom ca. 105-101 BC.^[3] Nothing is recorded of Ptolemy's reign of Cyrenaica. Some scholars have doubted that he ever actually reigned.^[4] Ptolemy died in 96 BC without heirs. In Ptolemy's will, he left Cyrenaica and his ancestral royal estates to the rule of the Roman Republic.^[3]

References

^ "Ptolemy Apion | Ruler of Cyrenaica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
^ "Ptolemy VIII Physcon - Livius". Livius.org. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bennett, Christopher. "Ptolemy Apion". Egyptian Royal Genealogy. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
^ *Rosamilia, Emilio (2023). La città del silfio. Istituzioni, culti ed economia di Cirene classica ed ellenistica attraverso le fonti epigrafiche (in Italian). Pisa: Scuola Normale Superiore. p. 30. ISBN 9788876427367.