Ancient Egypt – pyramids, mummies, scarab beetles and hieroglyphics. Ancient Egypt has captured the imagination of children all over the world. I was one such child. Our local museum has a tiny room dedicated to treasures from ancient Egypt. It was, and still is, a favourite space to explore. One may wonder what life was like all those years ago – how were the pyramids built? What did the ancient Egyptians eat? What was Cleopatra like? And, crucially, how did ancient Egyptian life end? This final pondering is the topic of Guy de la Bédoyère’s latest book, The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies. A huge thank you to Yale University Press and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

The period classified as ancient Egypt spanned over 3000 years and comprised more than 30 dynasties. As the title suggests, this book focuses on the fall of Egypt, and as such, it hones in on the last and longest dynasty of ancient Egypt: the Ptolemaic dynasty. De la Bédoyère sets the scene perfectly as we enter the world of Ptolemaic Egypt. With the unexpected death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Alexander's empire was divided. Egypt was given to Ptolemy I. Ptolemy I was crowned, and as described by de la Bédoyère, an absolute monarchy was established, drawing on the older Egyptian royals' traditions and the models of Hellenistic ruling. This blending of Hellenistic and Egyptian culture was unique to the dynasty.

Throughout this book, we meet a cast of historical figures. From Alexander the Great and Ptolemy I to the charming Sosibius, formerly enslaved Eulaeus and Lenaeus, and Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, each more fascinating than the last. De la Bédoyère describes life in Ptolemaic Egypt and the power and bloodshed in perfect detail. This final dynasty of ancient Egypt was witness to murders, executions, assassinations, plots, uprisings, and suspicious deaths. It will always amaze me how much extant primary source material there is from antiquity. De la Bédoyère carefully drew on these source materials to construct what these people may have been like.

The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies by Guy de la Bédoyère is a wonderfully detailed account of the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. Reading this book will give one a greater understanding of this historical period and be captivated by its sheer brutality and complexity. De la Bédoyère has created a pivotal text that helps us comprehend the intertwined histories of ancient Rome and ancient Egypt. As such, I highly recommend Guy de la Bédoyère’s latest book, The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies.

A dull trot through subject matter extremely rich in storytelling potential. My full review can be found on Open Letters Review.

I really enjoyed the history of the Ptolemies, I really didn't know anything about them and this worked well. It had that historical feel that I was looking for and it was researched really well. Guy de la Bedoyere was able to create a strong nonfiction book and can't wait for more.

As a Ancient History fanatic I really enjoyed this book! This book gives a really interesting background on the Ptolemaic dynasty and how the Roman and Greek world interacted with Egypt. most of the time people just hear that there was some interaction between Cleopatra and Marc Anthony but the mixing of the two cultures goes way further than that. I will say though that the start of the book kind of flung you in and did not set a scene. Felt like a text book (which I don't mind) but may be off putting to other people. Overall, I really liked it!

This is by far my favorite period of ancient history and this piece was both riveting and concise. I'll be reaching for this title more than a few times.

I love Egypt and to read a book about something that I love with all my heart hits different. Loved everything about this book. I rated it 4 stars.

As usual the author uses droll humor to discuss the modern myths about the Ptolemaic rulers (notably Cleopatra VII) while acknowledging that much of Egyptology is conjecture because of incomplete--come on, it happened a long time ago!--evidence. He emphasizes that, "in antiquity, especially Egypt, the symbolic always obscured the truth. What really happened was of secondary importance, or even irrelevant." It does make the reader consider the nature of, and societal/political uses for, "history." Recommended for all libraries.

An interesting look and Ptolemaic Egypt and the effect it had on Rome’s rise and the effect Rome’s rise had on Ptolemaic Egypt.