<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Ptolemaic Kingdom (/ ˌtɒlɪˈmeɪɪk /; Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαϊκὴ βασιλεία, Ptolemaïkḕ basileía) was a Hellenistic kingdom based in Egypt . It was ruled by the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which started with Ptolemy I Soter's accession after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and which ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC . </P> <P> The Ptolemaic Kingdom was founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter, who declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt and created a powerful Hellenistic dynasty that ruled an area stretching from southern Syria to Cyrene and south to Nubia . Scholars also argue that the kingdom was founded in 304 BC because of different use of calendars: Ptolemy crowned himself in 304 BC on the ancient Egyptian calendar, but in 305 BC on the ancient Macedonian Calendar; to resolve the issue, the year 305 / 4 was counted as the first year of Ptolemaic Kingdom in the demotic papyri . Alexandria became the capital city and a major center of Greek culture and trade . To gain recognition by the native Egyptian populace, they named themselves the successors to the Pharaohs . The later Ptolemies took on Egyptian traditions by marrying their siblings, had themselves portrayed on public monuments in Egyptian style and dress, and participated in Egyptian religious life . The Ptolemies were involved in foreign and civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its final annexation by Rome . Hellenistic culture continued to thrive in Egypt throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods until the Muslim conquest . </P>

The ptolemaic period ended with the death of