Ptolemy VI Philometor

Ptolemy VI became king in 180 BC when his father died, ruling under regents until 169 BC — first his mother Cleopatra I, then two of her associates. From 170 BC he shared power with his sister-wife Cleopatra II and younger brother Ptolemy VIII, a arrangement that bred conflict for decades. The Sixth Syrian War brought utter defeat: Seleucid armies invaded Egypt twice between 170 and 168 BC. In 164 BC his brother expelled him from the country entirely. Alexandria's people turned against Ptolemy VIII the next year and invited Ptolemy VI back, and this second reign proved sharper. He banished his…