Egypt's Ptolemaic rulers were of Macedonian Greek origin. Focal points of both the Egyptian and their own Hellenistic Greek civilizations, they could be shown as either Egyptian or Hellenistic kings and queens. The facial style of this bust, a totally Egyptian image of a Ptolemy, perhaps Ptolemy II (285/82–246 B.C.), had its origins in numerous idealizing images of the fourth century B.C. akin to some of the works in this gallery.
