Unpopular younger son
of Ptolemy
VIII & Cleopatra III.
His father's will gave him control of Cyprus (116
BCE) but a decade later
(107 BCE)
his mother chose him to replace his older brother (Ptolemy
IX Lathyrus) as co-ruler of Egypt. After Cleopatra III died (101
BCE)
the brothers were reconciled & the bond sealed by Alexander's marriage
to Lathyrus' daughter, Berenice
III. His reign was marked by repeated popular rebellions. He was
expelled from Alexandria in 88
BCE & retaliated by plundering the tomb
of Alexander the Great
to pay mercenary troops who restored him to the throne. This so infuriated
the people of Alexandria that he was driven into exile again. He was
killed in an attack on Asia Minor.
References: Justin,
Epitome
39.4-5.
Pausanias,
Description
of Greece
1.9.1-3.
Eusebius,
Chronicle: the Egyptians
Other resources on line:
* [Note: Bevan's numbering of the
Ptolemies differs since he drops Ptolemy VII from classical lists
because there is no historical evidence of his reign].