PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHUS

(Greek: Brother-loving) born 308 BC, Cos died 246 king of Egypt (285246 BC), second king of the Ptolemaic dynasty, who extended his power by skillful diplomacy, developed agriculture and commerce, and made Alexandria a leading centre of the arts and sciences. Additional reading H. Volkmann, Ptolemaios II. Philadelphos, in PaulyWissowa Realencyclopdie, vol. 46, col. 16451666 (1959), provides an informative and up-to-date general account with extensive references to ancient sources and modern literature. Relevant information may also be found in E. Will, Histoire politique du monde hellnistique (32330 av. J.-C.), vol. 1 (1966), the most recent survey of politics in the Hellenistic world, with a detailed analysis of Ptolemaic foreign policy (see pp. 133186); G. Longega, Arsinoe II (1968; in Italian), which overstresses the influence of Arsinoe on her husband Ptolemy II; and H. Heinen, Untersuchungen zur hellenistischen Geschichte des 3. Jahrhunderts v. Chr. (1972), which includes an extensive account of the Chremonidean War.