Ptolemy I portrayed as pharaoh of Egypt, late 300s BCE. After Alexander the Great died without having named a successor, his empire quickly fell apart as his generals fought a long and bloody civil war for dominance. One of these generals, Ptolemy, stole Alexander’s body and brought it to his base in Egypt, using it as a sign that Ptolemy was the rightful heir to Alexander. Ptolemy was unsuccessful in expanding his power very far beyond Egypt, but he did establish a Greek dynasty of pharaohs that would last until Cleopatra died in 30 BCE. As the artwork demonstrates, this Greek ruling dynasty went to great lengths to present themselves as traditional Egyptian leaders.