Ptolemy VI Philometor

Ptolemy VI Philometor reigned over Egypt from 180 BC to 145 BC, with dates uncertain by about a year. He succeeded his father, Ptolemy V, as a child and initially ruled alongside his mother, Cleopatra I. After her death, he governed in a complex and frequently hostile joint monarchy with his sister-wife Cleopatra II and his younger brother, Ptolemy VIII Physcon. His reign was interrupted by foreign invasion during the Sixth Syrian War, which led to Roman political intervention in Egyptian affairs, as well as several periods of civil war against his brother.

Despite persistent dynastic turmoil, Ptolemy VI was an active builder in Upper Egypt. He undertook substantial construction at Kom Ombo, added to the great temple complex at Karnak, and erected the monumental hypostyle hall at the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae. He died in 145 BC of wounds sustained in battle in Syria. He was buried in the dynastic cemetery at Alexandria, which has not survived. Historians know him through Greek and Demotic papyri, classical accounts by Polybius, and numerous temple inscriptions.

Monuments

• Kom Ombo Temple
• Philae Temple of Isis hypostyle
• Karnak additions

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