Ptolemy VI Philometor
Ptolemy VII's identity is unclear. According to one reconstruction, he was the son of Ptolemy VI Philometor and Cleopatra II of Egypt, he reigned briefly with his father in 145 BC, and for a short time after that, and was murdered by his uncle, Ptolemy VIII Physcon, who succeeded him. Alternatively, some scholars identify Ptolemy Neos Philopator with Ptolemy Memphites, a son of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II who was murdered by his father about 132/131 BC after his mother had tried to depose Physcon and proclaim their son king; yet others point to a number of minor co-regents – all of whom were named Ptolemy as was the tradition in the dynasty. By tradition, though, the numbering of the Ptolemies is kept intact.