Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332, and after his death, Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemy kings. Ptolemy, founder of the dynasty, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great. After Alexander’s death, he declared himself King Ptolemy I. Egypt soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. In all, there were fifteen kings- all of whom were named Ptolemy- who reigned – over Egypt for more than three hundred years. It was Ptolemy I who began construction of the famous lighthouse at Alexandria, which was one of the wonders of the ancient world.
Ptolemy II promoted trade, added new territories to Egypt, and left a legacy of many administrative reforms. Under the Ptolemy kings, the city of Alexandria became the world centre for arts and science. There were many queens too, but the most famous of them was Cleopatra. The later Ptolemy kings, however, fought among them, and this gave the Romans an opportunity to exert control over them. The Ptolemy family ruled over Egypt until the Roman conquest in 30 BC.
