Research Notes:

Founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty

The son of Lagus, a Greek nobleman of Eordaea, he was one of Alexander the Great's most trusted generals, and among the seven "body-guards" attached to his person. He was a few years older than Alexander, and was rumored to be an illegitimate son of Alexander's father King Philip II. He was a friend of Alexander from childhood, and may have been in the group of noble teenagers tutored by Aristotle. He was with Alexander from his first campaigns, and played a principal part in the later campaigns in Afghanistan and India. At the Susa marriage festival in 324, Alexander had him marry the Persian princess Artacama, but we find no further mention of her. Later, after Alexander's death, Ptolemy married Thais, the famous Athenian hetaera and one of Alexander's companions in his conquest of the ancient world. Thais became his queen in Egypt and even after he divorced her, she reportedly stayed his friend and retained the title of a queen in Memphis.

When Alexander died in 323, Ptolemy is said to have instigated the resettlement of the empire made at Babylon. He was now appointed satrap of Egypt under the nominal kings Philip Arrhidaeus and the infant Alexander IV replacing the Greek Cleomenes who none the less stayed on as his deputy. He quickly moved, without authorization to subjugate Cyrenaica.