Under the capable rule of the earlier Ptolemies, Egypt became prosperous and powerful, and in the reign of Philadelphus she was the wealthiest country in the world. Though they and their court were Greeks and spoke Greek, the language of the priesthood and people was Egyptian, and the native religion of the country remained practically unchanged. As time went on, however, Greek became more and more the official language, and Egyptian was only used officially for religious purposes. The Ptolemies worshipped the Egyptian gods, offered up sacrifices to them, and rebuilt and endowed many of their temples, _e.g._, at Denderah, Edfû, Esna, Philae, Dakkah, etc. They adopted Egyptian names and titles, married their sisters and nieces, and in every way they adopted the habits of Egyptian Pharaohs; many were crowned with all the ancient rites and ceremonies at Memphis. They did not, however, permit the priests to interfere in the government of the country, which was administered on Greek lines, and though at times their power was skilfully disguised, it was nevertheless ubiquitous and effective. The revenues which they drew from Egypt were very large, and no other monarchs in the world at that time possessed such vast wealth as the Ptolemies. This was due to the encouragement which they gave to commercial enterprises of every kind, and to the freedom to trade which was enjoyed by the Jews, who had settled in large numbers not only in Alexandria, but also in the rich provinces of the Fayyûm, and in the Thebaïd, and in Syene. =Ptolemy I, Soter I, B.C. 304=, founded the =Alexandrian Library= and =Museum=, settled a number of Jews in Alexandria, and introduced the worship of the god Hades, who was henceforth known in Egypt as =Serapis=, _i.e._, Ȧsȧr-Ḥāpi, or Osiris-Apis. (See Wall-cases 176-181, Fourth Egyptian Room.) For a relief and an inscription from his buildings at Terenouthis, see Bay 25, Nos. =951=, =952=. [Illustration: PLATE XLVIII. Relief with figures of Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, and Queen Arsinoë, about B.C. 260. [Southern Egyptian Gallery, Bay 25, No. 953.]] =Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, B.C. 287 or 286=, founded the cities of Berenice Troglodytica, on the Red Sea, and Arsinoë in the Fayyûm, and built the famous =Pharos=, or lighthouse, at Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the world. In his reign the priest =Manetho= wrote a History of Egypt, of which only the King List is extant, and the famous Greek version of the Old Testament, known as the =Septuagint=, was compiled. He added largely to the Alexandrian Library, which is said at that time to have contained 400,000 works. For stelae, sculptured with reliefs in which Ptolemy II and Queen =Arsinoë= are represented making offerings to the gods, see Bay 25, Nos. =953-955= (see =Plate XLVIII=); a portion of a royal edict is in Bay 28, No. =956=.