Ptolemy IV

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Ptolemy IV (Ptolemy Philopator) (tŏl´əmē fĬlŏp´ətər), king of ancient Egypt (221–205 BC), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy III and Berenice of Cyrene. He had his mother, his brother, his uncle, and possibly his wife (who was his sister Arsinoë) killed. Antiochus III invaded the Egyptian lands in Palestine, and Ptolemy managed to defeat him at Raphia in 217 (an event mentioned in 2 Maccabees), but administration disintegrated in Egypt. Ptolemy's main interest was building remarkable ships, each equipped with 4,000 oars.

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