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I Soter (meaning Saviour). Cyprus was annexed in
294 BC and was ruled from Egypt until the final
and conclusive defeat of Queen Cleopatra’s lover,
Mark Anthony, in the sea battle of Actium in 31
BC. The island had been annexed by the Roman
Empire in 58 BC; that Cleopatra continued to
rule Cyprus for 27 years after this first annexation
is a testament to her political astuteness and her
female wiles. Cyprus was returned to her after the
annexation, as a gift, until Anthony’s final defeat
by Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus.
For the most part, the Ptolemies simply exploited
Cyprus, a foreign possession prized for its copper
and wood, from their capital at Alexandria, while
a Greek garrison supported the rule of governors
over the island. About 100 years into their rule,
however, Cyprus started to play an important role
in the intrigues and internal strife endemic to the
Ptolemy dynasty, and the four Ptolemies who
lived on the island for some time – Ptolemy VI
Philometer; his brother, PtolemyVIII Euergetes II;
Cleopatra II, Philometer and Euergetes’ sister, and
Cleopatra III, Euergetes’ second wife – became
the actors in a bizarre and complicated drama.
Ptolemy V Epiphanes, who ascended the
Egyptian throne as a young boy, was badly
served by his advisors, and his rule proved
disastrous for Egypt; the kingdom lost all of her
former Asian possessions, leaving only Cyprus
in its possession after the fifth Syrian war.
After Epiphanes’ death in 180 BC, his widow,
Cleopatra I, exercised the regency wisely on
behalf of their son, Ptolemy VI Philometer, but
died only four years later in 176 BC.
After the death of Cleopatra I, incompetent
courtiers made the inexplicable decision to force
Philometer to share the throne with his younger
brother, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (Ptolemy VII
died during childhood and never ruled). The
regents later created more confusion by making
their sister, Cleopatra II, the third ruler of Egypt.
Thus began a power struggle in which Cyprus
became a critical element.
After much maneuvering, Cleopatra II and her
elder brother and husband, Philometer, fled to
Cyprus, and by 164 BC Euergetes was ruling on
his own in Alexandria. Within one year, however,
the Alexandrians ousted Euergetes and reinstated
Philometer and Cleopatra II to the throne. This
provides a clue to the vengeance Euergetes
ultimately sought against his brother and sister.
Instead of exploiting the situation, Philometer
inexplicably sought to resolve his differences with
his brother and divided the empire, giving Cyrene
to Euergetes and keeping Egypt and Cyprus for
himself. This wasn’t satisfactory to Euergetes,
however, and he petitioned the Roman Senate in
person in 162 BC and again in 154 BC, but to
no avail. Then, after the death of Philometer in a
horseback riding accident, Euergetes was recalled
from Cyrene to accede to his brother’s vacant
throne inAlexandria.
Queen Cleopatra II hesitated. She had the support
of influential royals as well as that of the majority
of the troops and a general, Galaistes. Galaistes
erred, however, when he made it known that
Tomb 3 in the “Tombs of the Kings” precinct is probably
either that of a Cypriot or Macedonian aristocrat from the
Ptolemaic era. Photo: Johan Adler
Silver coins minted in Cyprus, respectively with the heads of
Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII (Department of Antiquities).
Photos: Department of Antiquities