Ptolemy

Ptolemy was the dynastic name of the Greek rulers of Egypt from the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.) until the Roman conquest (30 B.C.). The dynasty was founded by Ptolemy I Soter ("Savior"), one of Alexander's generals. His son Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 B.C.) is credited with sponsoring the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek in Alexandria, making the OT accessible to the Hellenistic world. The Ptolemaic dynasty controlled Palestine (the land of Israel) from 301 to 198 B.C., when the Seleucids defeated Ptolemy V at Panion.

Daniel 11 contains detailed prophecies of the wars between "the king of the south" (the Ptolemies) and "the king of the north" (the Seleucids), with Palestine as the contested territory between them. The Ptolemies appear in the Books of Maccabees (Apocrypha) as political actors during the Maccabean period. The dynasty ended with Cleopatra VII, who lost to Octavian (Augustus), making Egypt a Roman province.