Ptolemy: The General Who Invented a God

Following the death of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter inherited a fiercely traditional, deeply fractured Egypt. To bridge the massive cultural divide between his ruling Greek elite and millions of native Egyptian subjects, he manufactured a god. By commissioning the legendary Greek sculptor Bryaxis to merge the the styles of Zeus and Hades with the traditions of Osiris and Anubis, Ptolemy birthed Serapis. Explores how a Macedonian general weaponised art, how Serapis swept across the Mediterranean, and why Roman Emperors like Septimius Severus and Hadrian eventually adopted the face of Ptolemy’s fake god as their own. If you enjoyed this video, you'll also enjoy my other essays covering Alexander and the Diadochi: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIkWevj4zbOM AI disclosure- As you probably know by now, AI commentary is taking over youtube and so channels like mine feel the need to specify our usage. I use AI exclusively for fact checking and source investigation as well as finding relevant Images (non ai) to show. Images used from public domain sites such as Wikimedia commons. Subscribe for more stories behind history’s most powerful artworks. #alexanderthegreat #historydocumentary