The Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt from 323 to 30 bc. Ptolemy I was an officer of Alexander the Great who, after the king’s death, was appointed satrap of Egypt. He proclaimed himself king in 304, and by the time of his death in 283–82 he had established control over Cyprus, Palestine, and many cities in the Aegean and Asia Minor. The reigns of the Ptolemies who succeeded him were characterized externally by struggles with the Seleucids for control of Syria, Asia Minor, and the Aegean; and internally by dissatisfaction and rebellion among the native Egyptians. Contact with the rising power of Rome came to a head during the reign of Cleopatra VII, whose liaison with Mark Antony led ultimately to defeat at Actium, suicide, and the annexation of Egypt by Octavian.