kingdom · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan
Ptolemaic Kingdom of Cyrene
Origins
In 163 BCE Rome settled a quarrel between the brothers Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII by giving the younger Cyrenaica as a separate kingdom, detached from the Ptolemaic Empire. Ptolemy VIII, nicknamed Physcon, ruled from Cyrene but constantly sought more, including Cyprus.
Rule and society
After an assassination attempt in 155 BCE, Ptolemy VIII published a will, preserved on a stone at Cyrene, leaving his kingdom to Rome if he died without heirs. In 145 BCE he became king of Egypt and Cyrene was reunited with it. Around 116 BCE the kingdom was separated again for his son Ptolemy Apion. The Greek cities of the Pentapolis kept their councils, and the region exported grain, horses and the last of its silphium.
Decline and legacy
Ptolemy Apion died in 96 BCE and bequeathed Cyrenaica to Rome. The Senate left the cities free at first, then organised the province of Roman Cyrenaica in 74 BCE, ending three centuries of Ptolemaic involvement in the region.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →More states of Egypt, North Africa and Sudan →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ptolemaic Kingdom of Cyrene. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ptolemaic-kingdom-of-cyrene
- MLA
- “Ptolemaic Kingdom of Cyrene.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ptolemaic-kingdom-of-cyrene. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ptolemaic Kingdom of Cyrene.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ptolemaic-kingdom-of-cyrene.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ptolemaic Kingdom of Cyrene’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ptolemaic-kingdom-of-cyrene (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻