Ptolemy II “Philadelphos” (or brother-loving), was so named because of his shocking marriage to his sister Arsinoe II. This union was surprising for the Greeks but embraced by the Egyptians. Just as his father, Ptolemy I, had done, Ptolemy II embraced Egyptian culture instead of just trying to promote only a Greek way of life to the people of Egypt. 

The fight over Alexander the Great’s vast kingdom was continued under the reign of Ptolemy II. The lines of power were still not clarified so strengthening bonds and destroying others were central at the time. Ptolemy II was almost solely responsible for the introduction of elephants into the Ptolemaic cavalry.