Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Θεός Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemaĩos; c. 62 BC – 13 January 47 BC) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 51 to 47 BC, and one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC). He was the son of Ptolemy XII and the brother of and co-ruler of Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra’s exit from Egypt caused a civil war between the pharaohs. Ptolemy later ruled jointly with his other sister, Arsinoe IV.
Biography of Ptolemy XIII
Co-ruler of Egypt, inner turmoil
The Son of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy XII (r. 80–58 BC and 55–51 BC), Ptolemy XIII succeeded his father as the pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom at 11 in the spring of 51 BC. His father had stipulated that Ptolemy XIII would be married to his older sister Cleopatra (r. 51–30 BC), with the couple ruling as co-rulers. In October 50 BC, Ptolemy XIII was promoted to senior ruler along with her, although the eunuch Pothinus acted as regent for him.
In the spring of 48 BC, Ptolemy XIII and Pothinus attempted to depose Cleopatra due to her increasing status as queen. For example, her face appeared on minted coins, while Ptolemy XIII’s name was omitted from official documents. Ptolemy intended to become the central ruler, with Pothinus as the power behind the throne.
Civil war
Ptolemy XIII and Pothinus managed to force Cleopatra to flee to Syria, but she soon organized her army, and a civil war began in Egypt. Soon, their other sister started to claim the throne as Arsinoe IV of Egypt (r. 48–47 BC), further complicating the situation.
At this point, defeated Roman general Pompey the Great came to Egypt seeking refuge from his pursuing rival, Julius Caesar. Initially, Ptolemy XIII pretended to have accepted his request. Still, on 29 September 48 BC, he murdered the general by Achillas and Lucius Septimius in hopes of winning favour with Caesar when the victorious general arrived.
When Caesar arrived, he was presented with the head of his deceased rival and former ally. Still, Caesar reacted with disgust instead of being pleased and ordered Pompey’s body to be located and given a proper Roman funeral. Cleopatra VII proved more successful in winning Caesar’s favour and became his lover. Caesar arranged the execution of Pothinus and the official return to the throne of Cleopatra VII, though she had never officially abdicated her marriage to Ptolemy XIII.
Still determined to depose Cleopatra VII, Ptolemy XIII allied himself with Arsinoe IV. Jointly, they organized the factions of the army loyal to them against those loyal to Cleopatra VII and the relatively small part of his army that had accompanied Caesar to Egypt. The battle between the warring factions occurred in mid-December 48 BC inside Alexandria itself (Siege of Alexandria (47 BC)), which suffered severe damage. Around this time, the Library of Alexandria was burned down.
Upon the arrival of Roman reinforcements, the Battle of the Nile (47 BC) ensued, resulting in a victory for Caesar and Cleopatra and forcing Ptolemy XIII to flee the city. He reportedly drowned on 13 January 47 BC while attempting to cross the Nile. Whether he was trying to escape or seeking negotiations remains uncertain from sources of the time. Cleopatra VII remained the unchallenged ruler of Egypt, although she named their younger brother Ptolemy XIV of Egypt (r. 47–44 BC) her new co-ruler.
Cultural depictions
Ptolemy appeared in George Frideric Handel’s 1724 opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (“Julius Caesar in Egypt”) and George Bernard Shaw’s play Caesar and Cleopatra and was played by Richard O’Sullivan in the 1963 motion picture Cleopatra. Ptolemy and his fight with Caesar and Cleopatra for control of Egypt feature in the HBO TV series Rome episode “Caesarion”. He is also depicted in the second season of the Netflix series Roman Empire. Daniel Beales played him as one of fifteen Ptolemies appearing in the BBC series The Cleopatras and will be in the Channel 5 series Eight Days That Made Rome.
He appears as a non-playable character in the 2017 video game Assassin’s Creed Origins, set in the final days of his rule.
