Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator

Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator was a youthful monarch of the Ptolemaic Dynasty who briefly held royal status in 145 BC, with dates uncertain by about a year. He was the son of Ptolemy VI Philometor and Cleopatra II. Following his father's sudden death from battlefield injuries in Syria, the young prince was put forward by his mother to reign jointly with her in Alexandria, securing the direct line of succession.

His position was swiftly challenged when his uncle, Ptolemy VIII Physcon, returned to Egypt from Cyrene with an army to claim the throne. To avoid a protracted civil war, Cleopatra II agreed to marry Ptolemy VIII. Ancient accounts record that the young boy king was murdered during the ensuing succession struggle. He left no monuments, and his burial place in Alexandria is unknown. Scholars know of his brief existence almost entirely through classical historians, fragmentary papyrological references, and royal genealogies compiled during later Ptolemaic times.

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