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To rescue the genealogical link between the current world and classical Antiquity, we will, through the instrument of this Project, emphasize that the heirs of the Kingdoms formed with the split of Alexander's Hellenistic Empire, not only were successful in spreading their descendants on the thrones of Ptolemaic Egypt , Seleucid Asia, Antigonian Macedonia, but in fact, despite the Roman conquests, they persist, ironically, to the present day, through interactions with their own adversary and usurper, providing the West, in addition to the valuable cultural legacy, the genetic resource, which makes many of us, interrelated to autocrats such as Ptolemy, Soter and Antigonus IV.
When it comes to the most firm of these lineages, the Ptolemaic (or Ptolemaic) Dynasty, also called Lágid, we know, ruled Egypt from 303 BC to 30 BC.
The dynasty was part of the Hellenistic period, a period that took place between the death of Alexander and the rise of the Roman Empire, during which the spread of Greek civilization throughout the Mediterranean Sea was seen, creating new artistic, religious and political forms. Although it had a foreign origin, the Ptolemaic dynasty respected Egyptian culture, reviving some of its past aspects and adopting its deities.
The pharaohs of this dynasty were responsible for several constructions, including the city of Alexandria (with its lighthouse and library), the temple of Horus in Edfu and the temple of Isis in Philae.
The Antigonids, however, succeeded the anti-patrid dynasty in a large part of Macedonia, and received this name thanks to Antigonus, monophythalm, who ruled over Asia Minor and northern Syria. His attempt to take over Alexander's entire former empire led to his defeat and death at the Battle of Ipso in 301 BC. His son, Demetrius I of Macedonia (Demetrius Polyórcetes) survived the battle and managed to retake Macedonia a few years later, but lost his throne, dying in prison. After a period of confusion, Demetrius' son Antigonus Gonatas reestablished the family's control over the old Kingdom of Macedonia as well as most of the Greek city-states in 276 BC.
Seleucus I, another general, established himself in Babylon in 312 BC - the year generally used to define the date of the founding of the Empire that bears the name of the Seleucid founder. He ruled not only Babylon, but the gigantic eastern part of Alexander's empire. After defeating Antigonus Monophthalmus at the Battle of Issus in 301 BC, alongside Lysimachus, Seleucus gained control over eastern Anatolia and the northern part of Syria. In the latter area, he founded a new capital in Antioquia, a city he named after his father. Another alternative capital was established at Seleucia do Tigris, north of Babylon. Seleucus's empire reached its maximum extent after the death of his longtime ally, Lysimachus, at the Battle of Corupedius in 281. Seleucus expanded his control, encompassing western Anatolia. He still had hopes of controlling Lysimachus's lands in Europe - Thrace, and even Macedonia itself -, but he ended up being murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunos soon after arriving on the European continent. His son and successor, Antiochus I Soter, proved unable to pick up where his father had left off, never conquering the European parts of Alexander's empire. Still, it had an incredibly vast kingdom - it consisted of basically all of the Asian portions of the empire. His enemies were Antigonus II Gonatas in Macedonia and Ptolemy II Philadelphus in Egypt.
The extension of the Seleucid Empire, which covered from the Aegean Sea to present-day Afghanistan, brought a multitude of peoples: Greeks, Persians, Medes, Syrians, Jews, Indians, among others. Its total population was estimated at 35 million inhabitants, or 15% of the world's population at the time when it was the largest and most powerful empire in the world. Its rulers maintained a political position whose interest was to safeguard the idea of racial unity introduced by Alexander. By 313 BC, Hellenic ideals (spread by philosophers, historians, reserve officers, and interracial marriage couples from the victorious Macedonian army) had begun their nearly 250-year expansion into the cultures of the Middle East and central Asia. The structural skeleton of the empire's form of government consisted of establishing hundreds of cities for exchange and occupation. Many cities began - or were induced - to adopt not only philosophical thoughts, but also religious feelings and policies of a Hellenic nature. The attempt to synthesize Hellenism with native cultures and different intellectual currents resulted in successes of different sizes or natures - resulting in simultaneous peace and rebellion in different parts of the empire.
All these royal families intertwined to establish political agreements and as a result, a vast genealogical web that resulted in conspiracies, wars and fascinating characters that continue to permeate the human imagination, and in a way still live a little through some of us.