Bronze Bust of Ptolemy Apion
1st century BC, from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum

This bronze bust depicts Ptolemy Apion, a lesser-known ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty and the last king of Cyrenaica. Born the son of Ptolemy VIII and a concubine, Apion inherited the throne of Cyrenaica after his father’s death.

Unlike many of his royal predecessors, he neither married nor produced an heir. Upon his death in 96 BC, he bequeathed his kingdom to the Roman Republic, a decision that marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Cyrenaica and the region’s transition into Roman hands.