( grc, Εὐεργέτης, ), meaning "the Benefactor" (from , "good", + , "doer, worker"), was an

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

, an honoring title, given to various benefactors. Euergetism (literally "doing good deeds") was the practice of high-status and wealthy individuals distributing part of their wealth to the community. For example,

Archelaus I of Macedon Archelaus I (; grc-gre, Ἀρχέλαος ) was a king of the kingdom of Macedonia from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the sweeping changes he made in state administration, the military, and commerce. By the t ...

supplied wood to Athens, taking the titles of ''

proxenos Proxeny or ( grc-gre, προξενία) in ancient Greece was an arrangement whereby a citizen (chosen by the city) hosted foreign ambassadors at his own expense, in return for honorary titles from the state. The citizen was called (; plural: o ...

'' and ''euergetes'' in 407/6 BC. The title was given to several

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

monarchs: * Antiochus VII Euergetes, Seleucid king, reigned 138–129 BC * Attalus III Philometor Euergetes, king of Pergamon, reigned 138–133 BC * Mithridates V Euergetes, king of Pontus, reigned 150–120 BC *

Nicomedes III Euergetes Nicomedes III Euergetes ("the Benefactor", grc-gre, Νικομήδης Εὐεργέτης) was the king of Bithynia, from c. 127 BC to c. 94 BC. He was the son and successor of Nicomedes II of Bithynia. Life Memnon of Heraclea wrote that Nic ...

, king of Bithynia, reigned 127–94 BC *

Ptolemy III Euergetes , predecessor = Ptolemy II , successor = Ptolemy IV , nebty = ''ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj'Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery''The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land , nebty_hiero ...

, king of Egypt, reigned 246–222 BC * Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II, king of Egypt, reigned 169–164, 144–132, 126–116 BC * Telephos Euergetes, Indo-Greek ruler, reigned 75–70 BC * Tiraios I Euergetes, king of Characene, reigned 95/94-90/89 BC The feminine form ({{lang, grc, Εὐεργέτις) was also used: * Cleopatra Euergetis, queen of Egypt, reigned 142–131, 127–101 BC

See also