History of Egypt From 330 B.C. To the Present Time, Volume 10 (of 12)Rappoport, A. S. (Angelo Solomon)
History
History of Egypt From 330 B.C. To the Present Time, Volume 10 (of 12)
Rappoport, A. S. (Angelo Solomon)
Egypt -- History
The cities on the southern coast of Asia Minor yielded to Antigonus
obedience as slight as the ties which held them to one another. The
cities of Pamphylia and Cilicia, in their habits as in their situation,
were nearer the Syrians, and famous for their shipping. They all enjoyed
a full share of the trade and piracy of those seas, and were a tempting
prize to Ptolemy. The treaty of peace between the generals never
lessened their jealousy nor wholly stopped the warfare, and the
next year Ptolemy, finding that his troops could hardly keep their
possessions in Cilicia, carried over an army in person to attack the
forces of Antigonus in Lycia. He landed at Phaselis, the frontier town
of Pamphylia, and, having carried that by storm, he moved westward along
the coast of Lycia. He made himself master of Xanthus, the capital,
which was garrisoned by the troops of Antigonus; and then of Caunus, a
strong place on the coast of Caria, with two citadels, one of which he
gained by force and the other by surrender. He then sailed to the island
of Cos, which he gained by the treachery of Ptolemy, the nephew of
Antigonus, who held it for his uncle, but who went over to the Egyptian
king with all his forces. By this success he gained the whole southern
coast of Asia Minor.
The brother and two children of Alexander having been in their turns,
as we have seen, murdered by their guardians, Cleopatra, his sister, and
Thessalonica, his niece, were alone left alive of the royal family
of Macedonia. Almost every one of the generals had already courted a
marriage with Cleopatra, which had either been refused by herself or
hindered by his rivals; and lastly Ptolemy, now that by the death of her
nephews she brought kingdoms, or the love of the Macedonian mercenaries,
which was worth more than kingdoms, as her dower, sent to ask her hand
in marriage. This offer was accepted by Cleopatra; but, on her journey
from Sardis, the capital of Lydia, to Egypt, on her way to join her
future husband, she was put to death by Antigonus. The niece was put
to death a few years later. Thus every one who was of the family of
Alexander paid the forfeit of life for that honour, and these two deaths
ended the Macedonian dynasty with a double tragedy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account