At the beginning of 1st Cent BC Egypt has been ruled by the Ptolemies for more than two centuries. Founded by Ptolemy I Soter (the son of one of Alexander's general's), the Ptolemies were Macedonian by blood, and had maintained a "pure-blooded" line by their custom of incestrous marriages (most of the kings took their sisters as wives).
By the 1st Cent, however, internal feuding was taking its toll on the dynasty. Externally the ruling house had kept itself largely friendly with the Romans. While the history of the early parts of this Egyptian history is interesting in and of itself, our focus in this presentation will be on the middle of the century when Ptolemy XIII (brother and husband of the infamous Cleopatra) foolishly got himself entangled in the messy politics of Rome by murdering Pompey Magnus. It did not take very long after that for the Ptolemies to exit from the stage of history and Egypt became a Roman province.
Viewed more broadly, Egypt played a very important role in the history of the Roman Empire. It was rich but also one of Rome's most important sources of wheat; without the grain from Egypt, Rome would starve. All the more reason for Rome to guard it with care.
©ALBERITH
191212lch