person
Ptolemy of Cyprus
also: Ptolemy, king of Cyprus, the king of Cyprus
King of Cyprus, brother of Ptolemy XII of Egypt, whose kingdom Clodius's law annexed and whose treasure M. Cato was sent to collect; he took poison rather than submit. Cicero cites the affair to expose Clodius's hypocrisy over extraordinary commands.
Reading notes
- On His House §20 Ptolemy, king of Cyprus
By the lex Clodia de Cypro (58 BC) Clodius annexed Cyprus and sent M. Cato to seize its king's treasure; the king took poison. Cicero throws the precedent back at Clodius, who had himself created extraordinary commands while denouncing them.