Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1655 Ptolemy

“You still don’t understand what we mean,” Hermanubis said. “Not all Greeks can be included; only those of Ptolemaic blood can be included.”

Hermanubis was not choosing a Greek, but rather the successor to the Ptolemaic dynasty. The Ptolemaic dynasty was the recognized Egyptian pharaoh, and not all Greeks could become pharaohs.

The Ptolemaic dynasty carried out extensive deification work in Egypt, primarily mythologizing their own lineage.

The process was actually not difficult: by linking Greek and Egyptian gods together, the Ptolemaic dynasty was able to establish its own divinity—they primarily claimed to be the successors of Dionysus, the god of wine, but their divinity was not merely that of a god of wine, but that of the son of the god-king, the savior of the world, and the reborn and immortal savior.

In Egypt, this image was considered to be Osiris, the god of the underworld—the god of grain, rebirth, and the ruler of Aru. Like the Maya, the Egyptians believed that the god symbolizing grain experienced a cycle of life and death, just like the grain itself. Death and rebirth, cycle and abundance, culminating in the post-harvest celebration. Both of these images were created by the Ptolemaic dynasty for its own purposes.

Specifically, all Ptolemaic pharaohs after their deaths would be considered incarnations of Osiris, possessing their own territories in Aru.

“So we’re not just sitting here waiting,” Hermanubis explained. “And Ptolemy’s throne is also very important to Rome.”

"Really?" Shangluo asked. "Does Ptolemy's throne still have any value today?"

“Yes.” Victoria shook her head. “It’s actually a historical event.”

Specifically, this was the 'Donation of Alexandria'. After Caesar's death, Antony married Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and made Caesar's son, Caesarion, Pharaoh, King of Kings. Cleopatra herself was also a co-pharaoh. To appease them and to consolidate his power, Antony donated almost all of the Roman Republic's eastern territories to the Pharaoh—including Egypt, Cyprus, Africa, and Syria to Cleopatra.

[In addition, he and Cleopatra had three children, who were considered part of the pharaonic system and were also granted territories. Their eldest son, Alexander Helios, was considered King of Persia, controlling Armenia, Media, and Parthia—the former eastern territories of the Diadochi dynasty and the former Seleucid Empire; their daughter, Cleopatra Selene, was considered Queen of the Eastern Mediterranean, the ruler of Libya and Crete; and their second son, Ptolemy, was considered Queen of Macedon, possessing all the former Macedonian territories.]

"Weren't they all given away?!"

Besides mainland Greece, Antony gave almost all of the eastern territories of the Roman Republic to the Pharaoh's crown.

Yes, they were all given away. It's generally believed that this was Antony's attempt to gain a transcendent position within the Roman Republic's system. At that time, Octavian's rise was unstoppable, and Antony wanted to use the Pharaoh's power to rival Octavian—of course, as we all know, Antony lacked imagination. Octavian directly became emperor within the Republic and brutally murdered Antony.

"That was indeed a massacre."

However, I don't know if you've noticed something. The territories that Antony ceded, including Greece, were actually the embryonic form of the Eastern Empire.

"Hmm?" Shangluo thought for a moment—indeed, these were the territories of the Eastern Roman Empire, and Constantinople was actually within this area. This was because Constantinople was originally Macedonian territory, not part of mainland Greece.

The three regions that Antony divided were actually the territories of the Diadochi dynasty that succeeded Alexander after his death—Macedonia in Asia Minor, Seleucus in Persia, and Ptolemy in Egypt.

[So Antony's idea didn't just come out of thin air. People at the time clearly realized that the eastern part of the empire needed an independent political entity to control it. It's just that Antony giving all of this to the Pharaoh was too far-fetched.] "And what happened to them in the end?"

All four siblings became Octavian's prisoners. Caesarion was killed because Octavian believed there were "too many Caesars in the world." The other three—Helios, Selene, and Ptolemy—were bound in heavy golden chains and paraded through Rome as spoils of war. However, all three were later recognized as Roman citizens and kept in Octavian's palace; historical records are scarce regarding their subsequent fates.

"Wait a minute... Helios? Is this really called Helios? Is this the same Helios we know?"

Yes, it's one person. By the way, I'm her twin sister, Selene.

"???" Shang Luo was stunned for a moment.

[Just kidding! Who could live that long? It's impossible. Besides, there are records of Selene living in Rome, so it definitely wasn't me; I wasn't even born yet.]

"You startled me. I thought you were Antony's daughter. But Antony's actions are a bit too extravagant, aren't they? Giving such a vast territory to Cleopatra and her children is really a bit much. Isn't that giving it all to the Ptolemaic dynasty?"

Therefore, Hermanubis meant that the descendants of the Ptolemaic dynasty could inherit these positions—because both Caesar and Antony were essentially Romans, and they could never claim the throne from their paternal lineage. This was the fundamental principle of Rome: whoever claims the throne, will be slaughtered. Therefore, their descendants effectively belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty; the thrones of Egypt, Persia, and Macedonia were all derived from the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Hermanubis said in a deep voice, "So that should make it clear. As pharaohs, we need a legitimate heir to secure control over Aru."

“Now that things have come to this, where are we supposed to find Ptolemy’s descendants for you?” Shangluo shook his head. “Isn’t this asking too much of you?”

“Hehehehehehe!” Victoria suddenly laughed.

Aunt Agatha asked me to remind you: no hehehe.

“Oh,” Viduria lowered her head.

"What are you laughing at?" Hermanubis asked, looking at her.

More than that, I'm curious how you could tell she was smiling.

"Of course I'm laughing at your incredibly limited understanding. You're looking for a bloodline successor to the Ptolemaic dynasty, aren't you?"

(End of this chapter)