Ptolemy (disambiguation) facts for kids

Ptolemy is a very old and important name! It's been used for many famous people, especially in ancient times. The most well-known Ptolemy was a brilliant scholar named Claudius Ptolemy (who lived around AD 100–170). He was a mathematician, astronomer, and geographer from Alexandria, a famous city in ancient Egypt.

But the name Ptolemy, or Ptolemaeus or Tolomeo, also refers to many other people and things. This page will tell you about some of them!

People Named Ptolemy

Ancient Egyptian Kings

The most famous group of people named Ptolemy were the kings of ancient Egypt. These kings belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty. This was a family of Greco-Egyptian rulers who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC.

Here are some of the most important kings from this dynasty:

• Ptolemy I Soter
• Ptolemy II Philadelphus
• Ptolemy III Euergetes
• Ptolemy IV Philopator
• Ptolemy V Epiphanes
• Ptolemy VI Philometor
• Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator
• Ptolemy VIII Physcon
• Ptolemy IX Lathyros
• Ptolemy X Alexander I
• Ptolemy XI Alexander II
• Ptolemy XII Auletes
• Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
• Ptolemy XIV Philopator
• Ptolemy XV Caesarion

Some members of this family also ruled other places, not just Egypt:

• Ptolemy Apion was a king of Cyrene (a city in ancient Libya).
• Ptolemy of Mauretania was a king of Mauretania (an ancient kingdom in North Africa).

Other Important Historical Figures

The name Ptolemy was also used by other important people from ancient Greece and beyond.

Early Greek Leaders

• Ptolemy (King of Thebes) was a mythical ruler of the ancient Greek city of Thebes.
• Ptolemy of Aloros was a regent (a temporary ruler) of Macedon in the 4th century BC.
• Ptolemy (somatophylax) was a bodyguard and general for Alexander the Great.
• Ptolemy (son of Philip) was another officer who served Alexander the Great.
• Ptolemy (son of Pyrrhus) was the son of Pyrrhus of Epirus, a famous Greek king.

Other Notable People

• Ptolemaeus Chennus was a grammarian (someone who studies language) from Alexandria in the 2nd century AD.
• Ibn al-Haytham (who lived around 965–1040 AD) was a brilliant Arab scholar. He was sometimes called "Ptolemaeus Secundus," meaning 'Second Ptolemy,' because he was as smart as the original Ptolemy!
• Ptolemy Dean (born in 1968) is a British architect and TV presenter.
• Ptolemy Slocum (born in 1975) is an American actor.

People Named Tolomeo or Tolomei

The name Ptolemy also appears as Tolomeo or Tolomei, especially in Italy.

• Tolomeo da Lucca (around 1236–1327) was a medieval Italian historian.
• Tolomeo Gallio (1527–1607) was an Italian cardinal (a high-ranking church official).
• Tolomeo Mwansa (1941–2014) was a Zambian football (soccer) goalkeeper.

Places Named Ptolemy

The name Ptolemy has also been given to different places around the world and even in space!

On Earth

• Mount Ptolemy (Antarctica) is a mountain in Antarctica.
• Mount Ptolemy (Canada) is a mountain in Canada.

In Space

• Ptolemaeus (lunar crater) is a large crater on the Moon.
• Ptolemaeus (Martian crater) is a crater on the planet Mars.
• 4001 Ptolemaeus is a small asteroid in our solar system.

Music and Literature

The name Ptolemy has inspired many works of art, including music and books.

Music

• Tolomeo is an opera (a play with music) written by the famous composer George Frideric Handel in 1728. It's about the life of Ptolemy IX of Egypt.
• "Ptolemy" is a song by the artist Aphex Twin from his 1992 album Selected Ambient Works 85–92.
• The Ptolemy is a large musical instrument built in 1934 by the American composer Harry Partch. He named it to honor Claudius Ptolemy.

Literature

• Ptolemy's Gate is a fantasy book from 2005. It's the last book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy by English author Jonathan Stroud.
• Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise is a character in the children's book The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter.
• The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is a novel by Walter Mosley.

Television

• Ptolemaios and Ptolemaios 2 are names of spacecraft in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
• The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is a TV miniseries based on the novel by Walter Mosley.

See also

• Ptolemaeus (disambiguation)
• Tolomeo (disambiguation)