Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/595

Rh PTOLEMAEUS. agency of his general Agis, while he deemed it necessary to repair in person to Cyprus, with a large force, with which he quickly reduced the re- volted cities, and placed the whole island under the command of Nicocreon of Salamis, on whose fidelity he had full reliance. After this he laid waste with his fleet the adjoining coasts of the main land, took the towns of Posideum in Syria, and Mallus in Cilieia, and withdrew again to Cyprus before De- metrius, who hastened to oppose him, could arrive on the spot. But the following spring (b. c. 312) he determined, at the instigation of Seleucus, to oppose Demetrius in the field, and invaded Palestine with a large army. lie was met by the young ge- neral at Gaza, and a pitched battle ensued, in which Ptolemy and Seleucus were completely victorious, and Demetrius was compelled to evacuate Syria, leaving the whole country open to the Egyptian kings, who recovered almost without opposition all the cities of Phoenicia. After this he sent Seleucus at his own request with a small force against Babylon, where that general succeeded in establishing a permanent footing. [Seleucus.] Meanwhile, Demetrius partly retrieved his disaster by defeating Ptolemy's general Cilles, and soon after Antigonus himself advanced into Syria, to support his son. Ptolemy gave way before them, and withdrew into Egypt, where he prepared for defence ; but Antigonus did not attempt to follow him, and spent his time in operations in Asia. The next year (b. c. 311) hostilities were sus- pended by a general peace. (Diod. xix. .'i/ — 62, 64, 6J), 79—86, 90, 93, 105 ; Pint. Demetr. 5, 6 ; Paus. i. 6. § 5; Justin, xv. 1; Appian, %r. 54.) Of the motives which led to this treaty we have no information, but the probability is that all parties regarded it as little more than a truce. Ptolemy appears to have been the first to recom- mence hostilities, and, under pretence that Anti- gonus had not, pursuant to the treaty, withdrawn his garrisons from the Greek cities in Asia, he sent a fleet to Cilieia under Leonidas, who reduced many towns on the coast, but was again compelled to witlidraw by the arrival of Demetrius. The next year (b. c. 309) Ptolemy in person sailed with a large fleet to Lycia, took the important city of Xanthus, as well as Caunus and other places in Caria, and laid siege to Halicarnassus, which was, however, relieved by the sudden arrival of Demetrius. Ptolemy now withdrew to Myndus where he wintered, and the next spring (308) repaired in person to the Pelopoiiut'sc, where he announced himself as the liber.uor of Greece, but efi"ected little, beyond the taking pos- session of the two strongholds of Corinth and Sicyon, which were yielded to him by Cratesi polls ; and having placed garrisons in these he returned to Egypt. (Diod. XX. 1 9, 27, 37 ; Plut. Demetr. 7.) This year was, however, marked by a more im- portant advantage in the recovery of Crene, which had for some years past shaken off the Egyptian yoke, but was now, after the death of Ophelias, re- duced once more under the subjection of Ptolemy by the arms of his brother Magas. [Magas.] The next season (b c. 307) Demetrius suc- ceeded in establishing his authority over great part of Greece, and drove Demetrius the Phalerean out of Athens, who took refuge at the court of Egypt. Ptolemy appears to have remained in- active during these events, but it is probable that his miliuiry and naval preparations at Cyprug gave PTOLEMAEUS. 583 umbrage to Antigonus, who in consequence recalled Demetrius from Greece, and determined to make a grand effort to wrest that important island from the hands of his rival. It was occupied by Ptolemy's brother Menelaus with a powerful fleet and army, but he was unable to resist the forces of Demetrius, was defeated, and besieged in the city of Salamis, the capital of the island. Ptolemy himself now hastened to his relief with a fleet of 140 ships, and a sen-fight ensued between him and Demetrius — one of the most memorable in ancient history — which terminated, after an obstinate contest, in the total defeat of the Egyptian fleet. Ptolemy was now compelled to withdraw to Egypt, while his brother Menelaus, with his fleet and army and the whole island of Cyprus, fell into the hands of the conqueror. Antigonus was so much elated by this victory as to assume the title of king, an example which Ptolemy, notwithstand- ing his defeat, immediately followed, B. c. 306. (Diod. XX. 45—53 ; Vlui. Demetr. 15— 18 ; Paus. i. 6, § 6 ; Justin, xv. 2 ; Appian, Syr. 54.) But the defeat at Salamis not only entailed upon the Egyptian king the loss of Cyprus, but left his rival for a time the undisputed master of the sea, an advantage of which Antigonus now determined to avail himself to strike a decisive blow against Egypt itself. For this purpose he himself ad- vanced by land through Syria with a powerful army, while Demetrius supported him with his fleet. Ptolemy did not attempt to meet him in the field or oppose him on the frontiers of Egypt, but contented himself with fortifying and guarding the passages of the Nile, as he had done against Perdiccas : a manoeuvre which proved equally successful on the present occasion. The fleet of Demetrius suffiered severely from storm, and his effbrts to eflfi eta landing in Lower Egypt were frustrated, while Antigonus himself was unable to force the passage of the river : his troops began to suff'er from hunger: many of them deserted to Ptolemy, whose emissaries were active with bribes and promises : and the old king at length found himself compelled to abandon the enterprise and retire into Syria. (Diod. xx. 73 — 76; Plut. Demetr. 19; Paus. i. 6. § 6.) Ptolemy was well contented to have escaped from so great a danger, and doubtless occupied in recruiting his forces, but we do not learn that he ventured to resume the oflfensive. The next year however (b. c. 305), Demetrius having turned his arms against the Rhodians, Ptolemy assisted the latter with repeated supplies both of troops and pro- visions. So important, indeed, were his succours on this occasion, that when Demetrius had been at length compelled to raise the siege (304), the Rhodians paid divine honours to the Egyptian monarch as their saviour and preserver (2wTi7p), a title which appears to have been now bestowed upon Ptolemy for the first time. (Diod. xx. 81 — 88, QC^, 98—100; Paus. i. 6, § 6, 8. § 6 ; Athen. XV. p. GdQ, f.) During the next two years the king of Egypt seems to have been a nearly passive spectator of the contest in Greece, though in the course of it Corintl> and Sicyon were wrested from his power by Demetrius : but at length in B. c. 302 the arrogant pretensions of Antigonus once more united Ptolemy and Seleucus with Cassander and Lysi- machus in a league against their common foe. Still, however, Ptolemy took comparatively little part in the contest, which led to the decisive p p 4