Eulaios, Regent to Ptolemy VI
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Ptolemy V Epiphanes (c. 210 - May 180 BCE) died unexpectedly at the age of 30, leaving the kingdom in a precarious state. His reign had been marked by native Egyptian revolts, the loss of overseas territories, and a heavy reliance on the goodwill of Rome. His heir, Ptolemy VI Philometor, was a child of only six years upon his accession in 180 BC. The survival of the dynasty depended entirely on the stability of the regency.
Cleopatra I "Syra as regent
Initially, the regency was assumed by the queen mother, Cleopatra I "Syra." As the daughter of Antiochus III the Great and sister to the reigning Seleucid king, Seleucus IV, Cleopatra I possessed both the dynastic pedigree and the diplomatic leverage to maintain peace. Her administration was competent and stable; she essentially halted plans for renewed war with Syria, prioritizing the consolidation of domestic power. Coins from this period reflect her dominance, often naming her before her son.
Eulaios and Lenaios as regents
"After the death of Cleopatra, Eulaeus the eunuch, the guardian of Ptolemy, controlled Egypt together with Lenaeus. They attempted to regain Syria, which Antiochus had dishonestly seized, and war broke out between the young Ptolemy and his uncle."
-Porphyry (quoted by Jerome), Commentary on Daniel, 11:21The death of Cleopatra I in 176 BC (or possibly late 177 BC) left the young king, now roughly ten years old, without a royal guardian. Into this vacuum stepped two figures of non-royal origin who would define the next decade of Egyptian history: Eulaios and Lenaios. Eulaios was a eunuch, likely of eastern origin, who had served as the trophos (tutor) to Ptolemy VI. Lenaios was a Syrian slave who had risen through the ranks of the administration to become a key financial minister. Their elevation to the regency was a deviation from the tradition of appointing high-ranking Macedonian aristocrats or military commanders.
The regency of Eulaios and Lenaios (176–169 BC) sought to bolster their domestic standing by adopting a bellicose stance toward the Seleucid Empire. They revived a claim to Coele-Syria, which had been lost to Antiochus III in the Fifth Syrian War. At this time Antiochus IV Epiphanes in Syria (175 BC) ascended as Seleucid King and unline his predecessor was ambitious and militaristic.
Sixth Syrian War
The collision of these two opposing courts led inexorably to the Sixth Syrian War (170–168 BC). It is in this context of war preparation that the EYΛ coinage was conceived and minted. The regents needed to mobilize the vast resources of the kingdom, particularly those of Cyprus, to finance a large-scale mercenary army and fleet. The bronze coinage bearing Eulaios's initials paid for this mobilization.
Ptolemaic, Ptolemy VI (180-145 BC). Cyprus mint, First sole reign, before 168 BC. Æ Obol before 168 BC, AE (22mm, 10.4g).
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus Ammon to right, with ram's horn in his hair and over the diadem.
Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY Eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt; to left, lotus flower; between the eagle's legs, EYΛ.
The lotus flower at left identifies the Cypriot “Lotus Series” in the Ptolemaic bronze corpus (Lorber). The inscription EYΛ is interpreted as referring to Eulaios, the eunuch-regent who administered Egypt during the minority of Ptolemy VI Philometor (See Polybius XXVIII.21). For a minister and a eunuch to place his personal mark so prominently on a coin suggests a unique configuration of power.
Coinage bearing Eulaios’s name or initials belongs exclusively to this regency period and thus provides a precise chronological marker prior to the Antiochos IV crisis of 168 BCE.
The Strategic Importance of Cyprus
Cyprus was strategically important for several reasons:
Copper Resources: The Romans called the metal from Cyprus Aes Cyprium ("Metal of Cyprus" ). The island's mines provided the raw material for the bronze coinage (chalcus) and the island's name stuck with the metal (Cu - Cuprum - Copper).
Timber and Shipbuilding: Cyprus possessed vast cedar forests used to construct the Ptolemaic war fleet.
Strategic Position: Situated off the coast of Syria and Phoenicia, Cyprus was the forward operating base for any military action in the Levant.
Paphos, the capital of Ptolemaic Cyprus, was the center of the cult of Aphrodite Paphia. The lotus, as a floral attribute of the goddess, served as a mint mark or regional badge, identifying the coin as a product of the "Island of Aphrodite".
Antiochos IV Epiphanes Occupation
The Ptolemaic army was decisively defeated by Antiochus IV at Pelusium, the gateway to the Nile Delta. Fearing capture and execution, Eulaios convinced the young Ptolemy VI to pack the royal treasury and escape to the sacred island of Samothrace (a sanctuary where they would be untouchable). Polybius 28.21 has this to say about Eulaios and the attempted flight to Samothrace in 169 BC:
"Eulaeus the eunuch persuaded Ptolemy to take all his money with him, abandon his kingdom to the enemy, and retire to Samothrace. Who, reflecting on this, would not acknowledge that evil company does the greatest possible harm to men?"In 168, Antiochos IV Epiphanes occupied Cyprus and launched a renewed invasion of Egypt. Roman intervention followed swiftly: the envoy Gaius Popilius Laenas confronted Antiochos at Eleusis, a suburb of Alexandria, and demanded that he withdraw. Facing the authority of the Roman Senate, Antiochos ultimately complied and evacuated all Ptolemaic territories.
"Popilius... drew a circle round the king [Antiochus IV] with the stick he was carrying and said, 'Before you step out of that circle give me a reply to lay before the senate.'... [Antiochus] replied, 'I will do what the senate thinks right.'"
-Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, 45.12Eulaios was does not reappear after these events and was probably removed from office.
The subsequent period (170–164 BC) saw the establishment of a joint rule between Ptolemy VI, his sister Cleopatra II, and his brother Ptolemy VIII. The coinage reflects this new reality. The single eagle of the Eulaios series was replaced by two eagles standing side by side on the reverse, symbolizing the two kings.
References:
Lorber, Catharine C. "The Lotus of Aphrodite on Ptolemaic Bronzes." Swiss Numismatic Review 80 (2001): 39–52.
Lorber, Catharine C. Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire, Part I: Ptolemy I through Ptolemy IV. New York: American Numismatic Society, 2018.
Polybius. The Histories. Translated by W. R. Paton. 6 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1922–1927.
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum. Vol. 40, Egypt: The Ptolemies. Edited by Anna Kromann and Otto Mørkholm. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1977.
Svoronos, Ioannes N. Ta Nomismata tou Kratous ton Ptolemaion. Athens: Sakellarios, 1904.
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