Everyone knows of the ancient Library of Alexandria, which was located in Egypt and later destroyed – losing a wealth of knowledge from the ancient world. But who was the monarch responsible for its creation?
It is thought the idea of the library was first brought up to Ptolemy I Soter by Demetrius of Phalerum – an Athenian orator living in Alexandria who had been exiled – in around 295BC. However, construction on one of the greatest libraries in world history did not begin until the reign of Ptolemy’s son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
Ptolemy did not take the throne until 284BC and reigned until 246BC, meaning the library was built somewhere between those years. It was made to be part of the Temple of the Muses created by Ptolemy I. Once completed, the Library of Alexandria contained the works of some of the most well-known and respected scholars in the world.
But who was the leader who saw that the library was built?
Ptolemy II Philadelphus was the son of Ptolemy I and Berenice I, who was born around 309BC on the Greek island of Kos. He was not born as the heir; that role belonged to his older half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos. However, once Philadelphus grew older, a power struggle ensued, with Keraunos eventually leaving Egypt around 287BC.
Ptolemy Philadelphus was educated by some of the greatest intellectuals of the time, which helped prepare him for his future on the throne and helps to explain his desire for a library like the one he had built in Alexandria.
Ptolemy I declared Ptolemy II Philadelphus king on 28 March 284BC, which made the son co-regent. This arrangement continued until Ptolemy I’s death in 282BC. The struggle between Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy Keraunos continued after the death of their father, and Philadelphus ended up having two of his brothers executed.
He married the daughter of King Lysimachus of Thrace, Arsinoe I, but she was eventually banished. He then married his sister, Arsinoe II. He used their influence to help in foreign affairs.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus was very influential in domestic relations and helped organise Egypt into a sort of planned economy with slavery not seen as a necessity.
His reign saw the aggressive extension of his kingdom into what is now Asia Minor, Syria and the Aegean. He also had influence in Ethiopia and Arabia, and his kingdom had embassies as far away as India. Ptolemy II led his country in the First Syrian War, which gained his kingdom Cilicia (in modern Turkey) and Caria. A Second Syrian War came less than ten years later, and many of Ptolemy’s gains from the first war were lost.
Ptolemy helped expand colonisations along the Red Sea, including the area that is now near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The capital of Alexandria, a trading and export centre, also benefited from his patronage of the arts and sciences, which led to the creation of one of the most famous libraries in history.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus died on 28 January 246BC and was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy III.
