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What role did the Egyptian fleet play in freeing Athens from Macedonian occupation?
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Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter, portrait on a silver tetradrachm; in the British Museum
During the final coalition war of 288â286 BCE, the Egyptian fleet played a decisive role in the liberation of Athens from Macedonian occupation. This conflict involved a coalition of leadersâincluding Ptolemy I Soter, Seleucus I Nicator, Lysimachus, and Pyrrhusâopposing Demetrius Poliorcetes.1
The success of this military effort helped solidify Egypt's maritime supremacy in the Mediterranean for the ensuing decades. Furthermore, as a result of this war, Ptolemy I secured a protectorate over the League of Islanders, an organization that included most of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.1