Ptolemy ( el, ), king of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

(237 BC – 234 ВС) was the second son of Alexander II, king of Epirus, and

Olympias Olympias ( grc-gre, Ὀλυμπιάς; c. 375–316 BC) was a Greek princess of the Molossians, and the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip II, the king of Macedonia a ...

, grandson of the great Pyrrhus and brother of

Phthia of Macedon Phthia ( grc, Φθία; lived 3rd century BC) was a daughter of Alexander II (272–260 BC), king of Epirus, and his half-sister Olympias II. Phthia became the wife of Demetrius II (239–229 BC), king of Macedonia. The match was arra ...

. He was named in honour of his late uncle Ptolemy. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his elder brother,

Pyrrhus II of Epirus Pyrrhus II (Greek: Πύρρος) was the son of Olympias II and Alexander II of Epirus. He was a brother of Ptolemy and Phthia of Macedon. He ruled as king of Epirus from 255 BC to 237 BC. He had two daughters: Deidamia II who was the last rul ...

, but reigned only a very short time, having set out on a military expedition, during the course of which he fell sick and died or, according to

Polyaenus Polyaenus or Polyenus ( ; see ae (æ) vs. e; grc-gre, Πoλύαινoς, Polyainos, "much-praised") was a 2nd-century CE Greek author, known best for his ''Stratagems in War'' ( grc-gre, Στρατηγήματα, Strategemata), which has been pr ...

, he was treasonably assassinated. The date of his reign cannot be fixed with certainty, but as he was a contemporary of Demetrius II, king of

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

ia, it may be placed between 239 and 229 BC. He was succeeded by Deidamia II or Pyrrhus III.

References

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

''
"Ptolemaeus"

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, (1867)

Notes

---- Rulers of Ancient Epirus 3rd-century BC Greek people Year of birth unknown 230s BC deaths {{AncientGreece-bio-stub