Introduction

Last time, we ended with the Roman victory over Carthage in 202 BC. The Romans wasted no time leveraging their newfound big boy status and embroiling themselves in the cut-through world of Greek power politics. In 204 BC, as Scipio was launching his expedition against Carthage, Ptolemy IV of Egypt died leaving his six-year-old son as heir. Philip V of Macedon and Antiochus the Great of the Selusid Empire agreed to jointly exploit the leadership vacuum in Egypt. They attacked quickly on two fronts and conquer what territory they could.