Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II was a king of the Ptolemaic dynasty who reigned from approximately 182 to 116 BCE. His rule was defined by violent dynastic strife. After the death of his brother Ptolemy VI in 145 BCE, he returned to Egypt, married his sister Cleopatra II, and murdered his nephew to seize the throne.

His subsequent marriage to Cleopatra II’s daughter, Cleopatra III, while still wed to Cleopatra II, triggered a brutal civil war from 132 to 124 BCE. This conflict was marked by extreme acts, including the murder and dismemberment of his own son. A reconciliation eventually led to a joint rule until his death in 116 BCE. His reign was characterized by political purges and a strategic shift in favor of the Egyptian priesthood.

Ptolemy VIII authored a historical memoir, the Hypomnemata, which detailed his reign and conflicts. The work is now lost and survives only in fragments preserved by later historians.

His tumultuous reign exemplifies the internecine conflict that weakened the Hellenistic kingdoms. The civil war damaged the monarchy's relationship with the Greek elite of Alexandria, while his policy of appealing to the Egyptian hinterland represented a significant shift in Ptolemaic rule. His lost memoir served as an important primary source for later historians of the period.