Ptolemy IX Lathyrus  [ca. 142 - 80 BCE]

The oldest son of Ptolemy VIII & Cleopatra III was made his mother's co-ruler when his father died (116 BCE) but soon became a pawn in her power plays. First she made him divorce his independent-minded sister [Cleopatra IV] & marry his more compliant sibling [Cleopatra Selene], only to dissolve that marriage & depose him (107 BCE) in favor of his younger brother [Ptolemy X Alexander].

Lathyrus ["Chickpea"], as he was popularly known, began to fight back from exile, making Cyprus his base & attacking his Seleucid cousin [Antiochus VIII] to whom his mother had married his sister consort.  Cleopatra III countered by supporting the claim of Antiochus VIII's rival [Antiochus IX]. This protracted feud between rival factions in the houses of Ptolemy & Seleucus allowed the Hasmonean rulers of Judea [Johanan Hyrcanus & Aristobulus I] to assert Judean independence & seize control of most of Palestine.

Almost twenty years after he had been forced to vacate the throne of Egypt, Lathyrus returned to replace his unpopular younger brother (88 BCE). Although the Egypt he inherited was severely weakened by internal rebellions & years of dependence on Rome, he tried to develop an independent Egyptian foreign policy by refusing to support Roman campaigns in Asia Minor & Greece. But he died without restoring Egypt to a position of major political influence.

References: Josephus, Antiquities 13.285-287, 328-347, 353-359, 370.
                  _____, War 1.86.
                   Justin, Epitome 39.4-5.
                  Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.9.1-3.

Other resources on line:

Perspective on the World of Jesus

Copyright © 1999-2023 by Mahlon H. Smith
All rights reserved.

an American Theological Library Association Selected Religion Website
OCLC catalog no.: 62046512