Ptolemy VI Philometor

Coin of Ptolemy VI Philometor

Ring of Ptolemy VI Philometor as Hellenistic king

Ring of Ptolemy VI Philometor as Egyptian pharaoh (Louvre)

Ptolemy VI Philometor (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaĩos Philomḗtōr, ca. 186–145 BC) was a king of Egypt from the Ptolemaic period. He reigned from 180 to 145 BC.^{[citation needed]}

Ptolemy succeeded in 180 BC at the age of about 6 and ruled jointly with his mother, Cleopatra I, until her death in 176 BC, which is what 'Philometor', his epithet, implies; "he who loves his mother", φίλος (beloved,friend) + μήτηρ (mother). The following year he married his sister, Cleopatra II, as it was customary for Pharaohs, for the Ptolemaic Greek kings had adopted many customs of the Pharaohs.^{[citation needed]}

In 170 BC, Antiochus IV began the sixth Syrian War and invaded Egypt twice^{[citation needed]}. He was crowned as its king in 168, but abandoned his claim on the orders of the Roman Senate^{[citation needed]}.

From 169–164, Egypt was ruled by a triumvirate consisting of Ptolemy, his sister-queen and his younger brother known as Ptolemy VIII Physcon.^{[citation needed]} In 164 he was driven out by his brother and went to Rome to seek support, which he received from Cato.^{[citation needed]} He was restored the following year by the intervention of the Alexandrians and ruled uneasily, cruelly suppressing frequent rebellions.^{[citation needed]}

In 152 BC, he briefly ruled jointly with one of his sons, known as Ptolemy Eupator, but it is thought that Ptolemy Eupator died that same year.^{[citation needed]}

In 145 BC he died of battle wounds received against Alexander Balas of Syria.^{[citation needed]}

---

---

External links

• Ptolemy Philometor at LacusCurtius — (Chapter IX of E. R. Bevan's House of Ptolemy, 1923)
• Ptolemy VI — (Egyptian Royal Genealogy)
• Ptolemy VI Philometor entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

Preceded by Ptolemy V Epiphanes Cleopatra I	Ptolemaic King of Egypt with Cleopatra I Cleopatra II Ptolemy VIII Physcon 181–164 BCE	Succeeded by Ptolemy VIII Physcon
Preceded by Ptolemy VIII Physcon	Ptolemaic King of Egypt with Cleopatra II Ptolemy VIII Physcon Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator 163–145 BCE	Succeeded by Cleopatra II Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator