Ptolemy

Ptolemy [Na].
The name used by all the kings who ruled Egypt in the period 304 BC to 30 BC. The founder of the dynasty was Ptolemy Lagus who was a general of Alexander the Great and who established himself in Egypt following the death of Alexander and the break-up of the Macedonian empire in 323 BC. Although Egypt was essentially a HELLENISTIC state during the Ptolemy period, many traditional forms of art and architecture were maintained and hieroglyphics were still used.