in Ancient Geography, the port of Arsinoe, situated on the western bank of the Nile; which conveys to form the island called Nomos Heracleotes, to the south of the vertex of the Delta.

the largest and most considerable town of the Thebais, or Upper Egypt, and nothing short of Memphis. It was situated on the western side of the Nile, almost opposite to Coptos. This town was built by Ptolemy Philadelphus.

PTOLEMY Soter, or Lagus, king of Egypt, a renowned warrior and an excellent prince. He established an academy at Alexandria, and was himself a man of letters. He died at the age of ninety-two, 284 years before Christ.

PTOLEMY Philadelphus, his second son, succeeded him, to the exclusion of Ptolemy Ceramius. He was renowned as a conqueror, but more revered for his great virtues and political abilities. He established and augmented the famous library of Alexandria, which had been begun by his father. He also greatly increased the commerce of Egypt, and granted considerable privileges to the Jews, from whom he obtained a copy of the Old Testament, which he caused to be translated into Greek, and deposited in his library. This is supposed to have been the version denominated that of the Septuagint. He died at the age of sixty-four, 246 years before Christ.

PTOLEMY Ceramius, the elder brother of the preceding, fled to Seleucus king of Macedonia, who received him hospitably; in return for which Ceramius assassinated him, and usurped his crown. He then invited Arsinoë, the widow and the sister of the murdered king, to share with him the government; but as soon as he got her in his power, he put her and her children to death. He was at length defeated, killed, and torn limb from limb, by the Gauls, 279 years before Christ.