Ptolemy XII Auletes

Ptolemy XII Auletes
Neos Dionysos Theos Philopator Philadelphos
Bust of Ptolemy XII housed at the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities at the Louvre in Paris
Pharaoh
King of the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Reign	c. 80–58 BC with Cleopatra V (79–69 BC) c. 55–51 BC
Predecessor	Ptolemy XI (80 BC) Berenice III (79 BC)
Successor	Cleopatra V and Berenice IV (58 BC) Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII (51 BC)
Royal titulary Horus name ḥwnw-nfr bnr-mrwt ṯni-sw-nbt-rḫyt-ḥnꜤ-kꜢ.f dwꜢ.n.f-ḫnmw-šps-r-šzp-n.f-ḫꜤ(t)-m-nsw snsn.n-sḥnw-m-ḥꜤꜤw-mi-Nḏ-it.f ṯḥn-msw(t)-ḥr-nst-it.f-mi-ḥr-kꜢ-nḫt ity-psḏ-m-tꜢmri-mi-ḥpw-Ꜥnḫ rdi-n.f-ḥꜢbw-sd-ꜤšꜢw-wrw-mi-Ptḥ-tꜢṯnn-it-nṯrw Hununefer Benermerut Tjenisunebtrekhyethenakaf Duaenefkhnmushepesershesepenefkha'emnesu Sensenensehnuemhaawminedjetitef Tjehenmesuthernesetitefmihorkanakht Itypesedjemtamerimihapuankh Redienefhebusedashauwerumiptahtatjenenitnetjeru The perfect youth, pleasant in his popularity, whom the Two Ladies and the common folk have elevated along with his ka, who the wonderful Khnum praises so that he receives the crown of kingship, who unites himself with the works (of his father) in joy like that which his father protects, who is shining at birth on the throne of his father like Horus, the strong bull, the lord who lights up Egypt like the living Apis, to whom many great Sed festivals will be given through Ptah-Tatenen, the father of the Gods Nebty name First Nebty name: wr-pḥti ḫntš-nḥḥ smn-hpw-mi-ḏḥwti-ꜤꜢ-ꜤꜢ Werpehty Khenteshneheh Semenhepumidjehutia'a The one great of strength and foremost one of the sea forever, who has established laws like the twice-great Thoth Second Nebty name:wr-pḥti ḫntš-nḥḥ nfr-ib wṯz-nfrw-mi-ḏḥwti-ꜤꜢ-ꜤꜢ Werpehty Khenteshneheh Neferib Wetjesneferumidjehutia'a The one great of strength and foremost one of the sea forever, perfect of mind, who has raised perfection like the twice-great Thoth Golden Horus First Golden Horus name:ꜤꜢ-ib ity nb-ḳnw-nḫt-mi-zꜢ-Ꜣst A'a-ib Ity Nebqenunakhtmiza'aset The one great of mind, the sovereign, the possessor of bravery and strength like the son of Isis Second Golden Horus name: ꜤꜢ-ib mri-nṯrw-BꜢḳt ity-mi-rꜤ ḥḳꜢ-wꜢḏti A'a-ib Merynetjerubaqet Itimire Heqawadjety The one great of mind who is beloved of the gods of Baqet, a sovereign like Ra and ruler of the two crowns Prenomen  (Praenomen) First Praenomens, variants of: iwꜤ-n-pꜢ-nṯr-nḥm stp-n-ptḥ... — Iwa'enpanetjernehem Setepenptah... — The heir of the saviour god, who is the chosen of Ptah... ...iri-mꜢꜤt-n-rꜤ sḫm-Ꜥnḫ-imn ...Irimaatenre Sekhemankhimen ...who brings forth the order of Ra, the living image of Amun ...iri-mꜢꜤt-imn-rꜤ ...Irimaatimenre ...who has brings forth the order of Amun-Ra Second Praenomen: pꜢ nṯr-mri it snt wsiri ḥwnw Pa Netjermery It Senet Usiri Hunu The god who is beloved of his father and brother, the youthful Osiris Nomen ptwlmys Ꜥnḫ-ḏt mri-ptḥ-Ꜣst Petulemis Ankdjet Meriptahaset Ptolemaios, living forever, beloved of Ptah and Isis
Consort	Cleopatra V
Children	Berenice IV Cleopatra VII Arsinoe IV Ptolemy XIII Ptolemy XIV
Father	Ptolemy IX
Mother	Unknown
Born	c. 117 BC Cyprus?
Died	before 22 March 51 BC Alexandria
Dynasty	Ptolemaic dynasty

Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysus (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Νέος Διόνυσος, romanized: Ptolemaios Neos Dionysos, lit. 'Ptolemy the new Dionysus' c. 117 – 51 BC)^{[nb 1]} was a king of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt who ruled from 80 to 58 BC and then again from 55 BC until his death in 51 BC. He was commonly known as Auletes (Αὐλητής, "the Flautist"), referring to his love of playing the flute in Dionysian festivals. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, he was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.^{[note 1]}

Ptolemy XII was an illegitimate son of Ptolemy IX by an uncertain mother. In 116 BC, Ptolemy IX became co-regent with his mother, Cleopatra III. However, he was forced into a civil war against his mother and his brother, Ptolemy X, leading to his exile in 107 BC. Cleopatra III sent her grandsons to Kos in 103 BC. They were captured by Mithridates VI of Pontus probably in 88 BC, around the time Ptolemy IX returned to the Egyptian throne. After their father died in 81 BC, Ptolemy XII's half-sister Berenice III took the throne. She was soon murdered by her husband and co-regent, Ptolemy XI, who was then killed. At this point, Ptolemy XII was recalled from Pontus and proclaimed pharaoh, while his brother, also named Ptolemy, was installed as king of Cyprus.

Ptolemy XII married his relative Cleopatra V, who was likely one of his sisters or cousins; they had at least one child together, Berenice IV, and Cleopatra V was likely also the mother of his second daughter, Cleopatra VII. The king's three youngest children – Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII, and Ptolemy XIV – were born to an unknown mother. Ptolemy XII's uncle Ptolemy X had left Egypt to Rome in the event there were no surviving heirs, making Roman annexation of Egypt a possibility. In an effort to prevent this, Ptolemy XII established an alliance with Rome late into his first reign. Rome annexed Cyprus in 58 BC, causing Ptolemy of Cyprus to commit suicide.

Shortly afterwards, Ptolemy XII was deposed by the Egyptian people and fled to Rome, and his eldest daughter, Berenice IV, took the throne. With Roman funding and military assistance, Ptolemy XII recaptured Egypt and had Berenice IV killed in 55 BC. He named his daughter Cleopatra VII as his co-regent in 52 BC. He died the next year and was succeeded by Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII as joint rulers.

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