The Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great was an

imperial cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may ...

in ancient Egypt in the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...

(323–31 BC), promoted by the

Ptolemaic dynasty The Ptolemaic dynasty (; grc, Πτολεμαῖοι, ''Ptolemaioi''), sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, ''Lagidae;'' after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic ...

. The core of the cult was the worship of the

deified Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The term has ...

conqueror-king

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

, which eventually formed the basis for the ruler cult of the Ptolemies themselves. The head priest of the cult was the chief priest in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, and years were dated after the incumbents (

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous priests).

Background

Following the

death of Alexander the Great The death of Alexander the Great and subsequent related events have been the subjects of debates. According to a Babylonian astronomical diaries, Babylonian astronomical diary, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon betwee ...

in 323 BC, his

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

fell apart in the

wars of the Diadochi The Wars of the Diadochi ( grc, Πόλεμοι τῶν Διαδόχων, '), or Wars of Alexander's Successors, were a series of conflicts that were fought between the generals of Alexander the Great, known as the Diadochi, over who would rule h ...

(his generals, the

Diadochi The Diadochi (; singular: Diadochus; from grc-gre, Διάδοχοι, Diádochoi, Successors, ) were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC. The War ...

or "Successors"). One of them, Ptolemy, son of Lagos, secured rule of Egypt and made it the base for his own imperial ambitions. To legitimize his rule as

Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy I Soter (; gr, Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, ''Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr'' "Ptolemy the Savior"; c. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general, historian and companion of Alexander the Great from the Kingdom of Macedon ...

( BC), he relied, like the other Diadochi, not only on the

right of conquest The right of conquest is a right of ownership to land after immediate possession via force of arms. It was recognized as a principle of international law that gradually deteriorated in significance until its proscription in the aftermath of Worl ...

, but also on the supposed legitimate succession of Alexander. Not only did Ptolemy I portray himself as Alexander's closest friend in his historical work, but in 321 BC, he seized his body while Alexander's funeral

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

was on its way to Macedon from

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

, and brought it to the Egyptian capital at

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. This claim was particularly useful in Egypt, where Alexander had been greeted as liberator from the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

(the so-called 27th and 31st dynasties) and had been enthroned as

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

and son of the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Ammon-Ra, receiving divine honours. During his stay in Egypt, Alexander had also laid the foundations for the city of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, which became the main Greek colony and capital of the country. In the new Ptolemaic Kingdom, the Hellenic element ( Macedonians and people from Greek

city-states A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

), to which the Ptolemaic dynasty itself belonged, formed the ruling class which succeeded the native Egyptian Pharaohs. While

sacred king In many historical societies, the position of kingship carries a sacral meaning; that is, it is identical with that of a high priest and judge. The concept of theocracy is related, although a sacred king need not necessarily rule through his ...

ship had long been practised in Egypt and other eastern nations, it was almost unheard-of in the Greek world. Driven by his unprecedented conquests, in the last year of his life Alexander had demanded even from his Greek subjects to be treated as a living god ('' apotheōsis''). This was accepted only reluctantly, and often rejected outright, by the Greek cities, but Alexander's prolific founding of cities alone secured for him a divine status there, since Greek cities traditionally rendered their founder ( gr, κτίστης, ktistēs) divine honours. When Ptolemy took over Egypt, he incorporated the heritage of Alexander into his own propaganda to support the claims of his own dynasty. As part of this effort, Alexander was elevated from a simple patron god of Alexandria to the status of a state god for the Greek populations of the entire Ptolemaic empire, even beyond the confines of Egypt.

Alexander as the chief god of the Ptolemies

During the early Ptolemaic dynasty (), Ptolemy I began the construction of the

Tomb of Alexander the Great The tomb of Alexander the Great is attested in several historical accounts, but its current exact location is an enduring mystery. Following Alexander's death in Babylon, his body was initially buried in Memphis by Ptolemy I Soter, before bein ...

in Alexandria (the , ''sēma''), and appointed a priest (, ''hiereus'') to conduct religious rites there. This office quickly advanced to become the highest priesthood in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, its prominence underscored by its eponymous character, i.e., each

regnal year A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

was named after the incumbent priest, and documents, whether in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

Demotic Egyptian Demotic (from grc, δημοτικός ''dēmotikós'', 'popular') is the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used in the Nile Delta, and the stage of the Egyptian language written in this script, following Late Egypt ...

, were dated after him. The first priest of Alexander was no less a figure than Ptolemy I's brother

Menelaos In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...

. The tenure lasted one year, but under Ptolemy I, the priests apparently held the post for longer tenures, while under his successors, with few exceptions, the tenures were reduced to a single year. Under Ptolemy II Philadelphus ( BC), Alexander's body was brought to the ''sēma'', and, in contrast to the usual Greek custom of

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a Cadaver, dead body through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India ...

, was entombed in a magnificent golden

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

, which was eventually replaced by a transparent glass coffin to display his preserved body. Not only did the presence of Alexander's body in the Ptolemaic capital enhance the dynasty's prestige, but it also became one of the main attractions and pilgrimage sites in the ancient Mediterranean. Even Roman emperors made the journey to Alexandria to visit the great conqueror's tomb. The Ptolemies assigned the deified Alexander a prominent place in the

Greek pantheon A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...

, associating him with the

Twelve Olympians upright=1.8, Fragment of a relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and s ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. Accordingly, in documents Alexander was referred to simply by his name, as the epithet ''theos'' ("god") was regarded as superfluous.

The Ptolemies as temple-sharing gods

While Ptolemy I Soter founded the imperial cult of Alexander, his son and successor Ptolemy II completed its connection to the ruler cult around the reigning dynasty itself. The cult of the Ptolemies began in 283/2 BC, when the deceased parents of Ptolemy II were deified as the "Saviour Gods" (θεοὶ σωτῆρες, ''theoi sōtēres''). Statues of the deified couple were installed in the Temple of Alexander, and the priest of the Alexander cult took over the rites for the deified Ptolemies as well. With this gesture, the Ptolemies underlined the superior position of Alexander, and their own subordination to him as "temple-sharing gods" (, ''synnanoi theoi''). Alexander remained the main recipient of rituals and sacrifices, with the Ptolemies only partaking in them. The elevation of Alexander over the Ptolemies, and their connection to him, was further deepened through the expansion of the cult. Thus in 269 BC, the female priestly office of "basket bearer" ('' kanēphóros'') for the "Sibling Goddess" (''thea adelphos'')

Arsinoe II Arsinoë II ( grc-koi, Ἀρσινόη, 316 BC – unknown date between July 270 and 260 BC) was a Ptolemaic queen and co-regent of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of ancient Egypt. She was given the Egyptian title "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", makin ...

was established, followed in 211 BC by the "prize-bearer" priestess (''athlophoros'') in honour of the "Benefactor Goddess" (''thea euergetis''), Berenice II, and in 199 BC by a priestess for the "Father-Loving Goddess" (''thea philopatōr''), Arsinoe III. All these priesthoods were subordinate to the priest of Alexander.

Cleopatra III Cleopatra III ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα; c.160–101 BC) was a queen of Egypt. She ruled at first with her mother Cleopatra II and husband Ptolemy VIII from 142 to 131 BC and again from 127 to 116 BC. She then ruled with her sons Ptolem ...

added three further female priesthoods for her own personal cult as "Benefactor and Mother-Loving Goddess" (''thea euergetis philometōr''): the "sacred foal" (''hieros pōlos''), the "crown bearer" (''stephanēphoros''), and the "light bearer" (''phōsphoros''). The concept of "temple-sharing gods" was underlined under

Ptolemy IV Philopator egy, Iwaennetjerwymenkhwy Setepptah Userkare Sekhemankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy III , successor = Ptolemy V , horus = ''ḥnw-ḳni sḫꜤi.n-sw-it.f'Khunuqeni sekhaensuitef'' The strong youth whose f ...

( BC), who translated the remains of the Ptolemies and their consorts—unlike Alexander, they had been cremated and kept in urns—to the ''sēma''.

List of priests of Alexander

The most recent list is W. Clarysse - G. Van der Veken, The Eponymous Priests of Ptolemaic Egypt, Papyrologica Lugduono-batava 24 (1983).

Ptolemy I Soter (305–282 BC)

Ptolemy II Philadelphos (285/282–246 BC)

Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–222 BC)

Ptolemy IV Philopator (222–205 BC)

Ptolemy V Epiphanes (205–180 BC)

Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–170 BC)

Ptolemy VI Philometor / Ptolemy VIII Physcon / Cleopatra II (170–145 BC)

Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II / Cleopatra II (145–141 BC)

Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II / Cleopatra II / Cleopatra III (141–116 BC)

Cleopatra III / Ptolemy IX Soter II (116–107 BC)

Cleopatra III / Ptolemy X Alexander I (107–101/88 BC)

Union of the priesthood to the royal title

Ptolemy, son of Castor, is the last priest of Alexander known by name, before the position was merged into the royal office. Since the priesthood of Alexander is first attested in the royal titulature in the second year of the joint reign of

Ptolemy IX Ptolemy IX Soter II Ptolemy IX also took the same title 'Soter' as Ptolemy I. In older references and in more recent references by the German historian Huss, Ptolemy IX may be numbered VIII. ( el, Πτολεμαῖος Σωτ� ...

and

(116/115 BC), it is unclear whether the merge of the offices took place in the last two years of Ptolemy VII's rule, or with the accession of his successors. It is possible that the merger was done at the initiative of Ptolemy IX, as part of an effort to emphasize his precedence over his co-ruling mother, Cleopatra III. As such, the office changed its role and character, from an eponymous priesthood to a propaganda tool: unlike the royal office, which was increasingly shared among siblings or other family members from the early 2nd century BC on, the priesthood of Alexander was indivisible. This must have appealed to Ptolemy IX, eager to set himself apart from his mother, who he hated and who had begun her own priestly cult around her own person. This new role of the priesthood of Alexander can be traced in later reigns as well. In the first months of 112/111 BC, an ordinary citizen, Artemidorus, occupied the office. He was probably a partisan of Cleopatra III, who had succeeded to temporarily evict her son from Alexandria. As women could not occupy a supreme priesthood in the Greek world, she had to content herself with placing one of her supporters in the post, as a public sign of her new dominance. After Artemidorus, however, the name of Ptolemy IX was subsequently added in the papyrus, which means that he managed to return to Alexandria in the same year. In 107 BC, Cleopatra III managed to expel Ptolemy IX for good from Alexandria, and raised her second son,

Ptolemy X Ptolemy X Alexander I ( gr, Πτολεμαῖος Ἀλέξανδρος, ''Ptolemaĩos Aléxandros'') was King of Egypt from 107 BC till his death in 88 BC, in co-regency with his mother Cleopatra III as Ptolemy Philometor Soter until 101 BC, and ...

, to the throne as her co-ruler and priest of Alexander. As the inter-dynastic rivalry continued, however, in 105 BC she finally decided to assume the priesthood herself, to underline her precedence. Cleopatra probably intended this arrangement to be permanent, but her blatant violation of Greek norms in assuming the priesthood must have damaged her image among the Greeks. The last years of her reign were taken up with her persistent conflict with Ptolemy IX, until she died in 101 BC, probably following an assassination attempt by Ptolemy IX, whereupon Ptolemy X became sole ruler. The priestly and royal offices remained united under Ptolemy X and his successors, although the priestly title was rarely mentioned in the papyri, as the loss of its eponymous character rendered it irrelevant for dating purposes.

Abbreviations

* BGU = ''Ägyptische Urkunden aus den Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Griechische Urkunden.'' (13 volumes published since 1895; New prints of Vols. I–IX, Milan 1972). * CPJud = Victor A. Tcherikover, Alexander Fuks: ''Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum.'' Vol. I, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 1957. * London, BM EA = inventory numbers of papyri and inscriptions of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, London. * OGIS =

Wilhelm Dittenberger Wilhelm (William) Dittenberger (August 31, 1840 in Heidelberg – December 29, 1906 in Halle (Saale)) was a German philologist in classical epigraphy. Life Wilhelm Dittenberger was the son of the Protestant theologian Wilhelm Theophor Dittenberge ...

: ''Orientis Graeci inscriptiones selectae.'' Col. I, Leipzig 1903. * P. Amh. = B. P. Grenfell, A. S. Hunt: ''The Amherst PapyrI'' 2 Vols. London 1900–1901. * P. Amsterdam inv. = Papyrus inventory of the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

. * P. BM Andrews = C. A. R. Andrews: ''Ptolemaic Legal Texts from the Theban Area.'' London 1990. * P. dem. Berl. = ''Demotische Papyri aus den Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin.'', 3 Vols, Berlin 1978–1993. * P. Bruxelles inv. = Papyrus inventory of the Royal Museums of Art and History,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. * P. Cair. Zen. = C. C. Edgar: ''Zenon Papyri'' Vols. I–V, Cairo 1925–1931. * P. Cornell = W. L. Westermann, C. J. Kraemer Jr.: ''Greek Papyri in the Library of Cornell University.'' New York 1926. * P. dem. Cair. = Wilhelm Spiegelberg: ''Die Demotischen Denkmäler.'' Col. I: ''Die demotischen Inschriften.'' Leipzig 1904; Vol. II: ''Die demotischen PapyrI'' Strasbourg 1908; Vol: III: ''Demotische Inschriften und Papyri'' Berlin 1932. * P. Eleph. = Otto Rubensohn: ''Aegyptische Urkunden aus den königlichen Museen in Berlin.'' In: ''Griechische Urkunden.'' Extra issue: ''Elephantine Papyri'' Berlin 1907. * P. Genf. I = J. Nicole: ''Les Papyrus de Genève.'' Vol. I, Geneva 1896–1906. * P. Hamb. inv. = P. Meyer: ''Griechische Papyrusurkunden der Hamburger Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek.'' Leipzig/Berlin 1911–1924. * P. Hib. I = Bernard P. Grenfell, Arthur S. Hunt: ''The Hibeh Papyri'' Part I, London 1906. * P. Hib. II = E. G. Turner: ''The Hibeh Papyri'' Part II, London 1955. * P. Hausw. = Wilhelm Spiegelberg, Josef Partsch: ''Die demotischen Hauswaldt Papyri: Verträge der ersten Hälfte der Ptolemäerzeit (Ptolemaios II.–IV.) aus Apollinopolos (Edfu).'' Leipzig 1913. * P. KölnÄgypt. = D. Kurth, H.-J. Thissen und M. Weber (Hrsg.): ''Kölner ägyptische Papyri'' Opladen 1980. * P. Köln II = B. Kramer und D. Hagedorn: ''Kölner Papyri'' Vol. 2, Opladen 1978. * P. Köln VIII = M. Gronewald, K. Maresch und C. Römer: ''Kölner Papyri'' Vol. 8, Opladen 1997. * P. Lond. III = F. G. Kenyon, H. I. Bell: ''Greek Papyri in the British Museum.'' Vol. III, London 1907. * P. Mich. inv. = Papyrus inventory of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. * P. Osl. = S. Eitrem, L. Amundsen: ''Papyri Osloenses.'' Vols. II–III, Oslo 1931–1936. * P. Petrie = J. P. Mahaffy, J. G. Smyly: ''The Flinders Petrie Papyri'' Vols. I–III, Dublin, 1891–1905. * P. BM. Reich = Nathaniel Reich J.: ''Papyri juristischen Inhalts in hieratischer und demotischer Schrift aus dem British Museum.'' Vienna 1914. * P. BM Siut = Herbert Thompson: ''A Family Archive from Siut from Papyri in the British Museum.'' Oxford 1934. * P. Strasb. = ''Papyrus grecs de la Bibliothèque Nationale et Universitaire de Strasbourg.'' Strasbourg 1912–1914. * P. Tebt. I = B. P. Grenfell, A. S. Hunt, J. G. Smyly: ''The Tebtunis Papyri'' Vol. I, London 1902. * P. Tebt. III = Bernard P. Grenfell, Arthur S. Hunt, J. Gilbart Smyly: ''The Tebtunis Papyri'' Vol. III, London 1933. * PP VI = Willy Peremans, Edmond Van‘t Dack, Leon Mooren, W. Swinnen: ''Prosopographia Ptolemaica VI: La cour, les relations internationales et les possessions extérieures, la vie culturelle (Nos 14479-17250).'' In: ''Studia Hellenistica.'' Bd. 21, Louvain 1968. * PP III/IX = Willy Clarysse: ''Prosopographia Ptolemaica IX: Addenda et Corrigenda au volume III'' In: ''Studia Hellensitica.'' Vol. 25, Louvain, 1981. * PSI = ''Papyri Greci e LatinI'' Vols. I–XIV, Florence 1912–1957. * SB = Hans A. Rupprecht, Joachim Hengstl: ''Sammelbuch griechischer Urkunden aus Ägypten.'' Vols. I–XXVI, 1903–2006. * Stele 5576 =

Urbain Bouriant Urbain Bouriant (11 April 1849 – 19 June 1903) was a French Egyptologist, who discovered the Gospel of Peter in a tomb at Akhmim. He is best known from his translation of Al-Maqrizi, published as ''Description topographique et historique de l'Eg ...

: ''La Stèle 5576 du Musée de Boulaq et l’Inscription de Rosette''. In: ''Recueil de travaux'', Vol. 6, Paris 1885, pp. 1–20.

Bibliography

* Walter Otto: ''priest und Tempel im hellenistischen Aegypten.'' Vol. I, Teubner, Leipzig 1905, . * Lily Ross Taylor: ''The cult of Alexander in Alexandria.'' In: ''Classic Philology.'' Vol. 22, 1927, pp. 162–169. * S. R. K. Glanville, T. C. Skeat: ''Eponymous Priesthoods of Alexandria from 211 B.C.'' In: ''The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.'' Vol. 40, 1954, pp. 45–58. * J. IJsewijn: ''De sacerdotibus sacerdotiisque Alexandri Magni et Lagidarum eponymis.'' Brussels 1961, . * L. Koenen: ''Cleopatra III als priestin des Alexanderkultes (P. Colon. inv. nr. 5063).'' In: ''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik.'' Vol. 5 (1970), pp. 61–84. * W. Clarysse, G. van der Veken: ''The Eponymous Priests of Ptolemaic Egypt.'' Brill, Leiden 1983, . {{Refend Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great Ptolemaic Kingdom Religion-related lists