Ptolemy XIII

Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator reigned over Egypt from about 51 BC to 47 BC, with dates uncertain by about a year. Succeeding Ptolemy XII Auletes, the young king was crowned as co-ruler and nominal husband alongside his older sister Cleopatra VII under the terms of their father's will. Guided by influential court advisors such as the eunuch Pothinus, Ptolemy soon attempted to sideline Cleopatra, expelling her from Alexandria and claiming sole authority.

The resulting civil conflict coincided with the arrival of Julius Caesar, who pursued the defeated Roman general Pompey to Egypt. Ptolemy's advisors had Pompey assassinated in a failed attempt to curry Roman favor, an act that deeply alienated Caesar. When Caesar sought to enforce the joint reign of the royal siblings, Ptolemy's faction rebelled, besieging Caesar and Cleopatra in Alexandria during the intense winter of 48 to 47 BC. Roman reinforcements eventually broke the siege, and during the final rout of the Egyptian army in 47 BC, the teenage king drowned in the Nile while attempting to escape on an overcrowded boat.

Scholars reconstruct the events of Ptolemy XIII's brief life primarily through classical historical accounts, most notably Caesar's own commentaries on the Alexandrian War, as well as the writings of Plutarch and Cassius Dio. Because he spent his entire reign under regents in the midst of constant military and civil strife, Ptolemy left no lasting monumental architecture or confirmed personal tomb, and his corpse was lost to the river.

Monuments

• Alexandrian War sites

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.