Ptolemy I Soter

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Ptolemy I Soter I was a Macedonian Greek general under Alexander the Great who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty. In 305/4 BC he took the title of pharaoh. He was the son of Arsinoe of Macedon, and, while his father is unknown, he was described in ancient times as either the son of Lagus, a Macedonian nobleman, or that he was an illegitimate son of Philip II of Macedon. Ptolemy was one of Alexander the Great's most trusted generals, and among the seven somatophylakes, or bodyguards, attached to his person. He was a few years older than Alexander, and his intimate friend since childhood. He may even have been in the group of noble teenagers tutored by Aristotle.