The son of
Ptolemy
IX
became the ward of his grandmother [
Cleopatra
III
] when his father was exiled to Cyprus (107
BCE
). Like his younger
cousin,
Ptolemy XI
,
Auletes ["the Piper"] was sent to the isle of Cos where he was taken hostage by
Mithradates VI of Pontus (88
BCE
). In the wake of the deaths of
Berenice
III
& Ptolemy XI (80
BCE
), however, he was recalled to
Alexandria & installed as king
(76
BCE
).
Since Auletes was never popular in
Alexandria, he had to spend most of his time & fortune gaining the
support of Romans. When his legitimacy was challenged by Roman senators
who sought to annex Egypt, he actively courted the favor of Roman consuls
by sending troops to
Judea
to support
Pompey
&
bribing
Julius Caesar
to
pass a resolution in the Senate recognizing his kingship. The price of
Roman support, however, was relinquishing Ptolemaic claim to Cyprus. To
avoid opposition in Alexandria, Auletes went to Rome (58
BCE
), leaving his
wife [
Cleopatra V
] &
oldest daughter [
Berenice
IV
] to rule Egypt. In his absence, Alexandrians declared his daughter
sole ruler. Auletes countered by bribing
Gabinius
,
the governor of Syria, to use the Roman army to restore him to the throne
of Egypt. Once reinstalled (55
BCE
), he had his daughter murdered,
leaving her younger sister [
Cleopatra
VII
] & brother [
Ptolemy
XIII
] as his primary heirs.
References:
Josephus
,
Antiquities
14.98.
______, War
1.75.
Cassius Dio,
Roman History
39.12-14, 55-58.
Other resources on line:
* [Note: Bevan's numbering of the
Ptolemies differs since he drops Ptolemy VII from classical lists
because there is no historical evidence of his reign].