Greek drama

LLOYD LLEWELLYN-JONES is swept along by an engaging exploration of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt in the final centuries before Rome conquered this ancient land

- by Toby Wilkinson

The Ptolemaic dynasty, the last royal house to rule Egypt before its submersion into the Roman empire, is not well known outside scholarly circles. Even among academics the Ptolemies are viewed with trepidation. Classicists do not know what to do with them, while Egyptologists prefer to ignore them. Suddenly, though, three popular books on the Ptolemaic dynasty have appeared.

There’s my own book, which looks at all the Cleopatras other histories prefer to leave out. Second, the narrative of Romanist-cum-Egyptologist Guy de la Bédoyère’s The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome keeps Rome’s ultimate triumph in view. Lastly – and wonderfully – there is this book by Toby Wilkinson, one of our leading and most popular Egyptologists.