Egypt's victories in the First Syrian War have solidified the kingdom's position as the undisputed naval power of the eastern Mediterranean; Ptolemy’s fleet (one hundred and twelve ships) bears the most powerful naval siege units of all time, guaranteeing the king access to the coastal cities of his empire.

The Ptolemaic sphere of power extends over the Cyclades to Samothrace, and the harbors and coast towns of Cilicia Trachea, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria.

Antiochus II Theos, king of the Seleukid realms, launches the Second Syrian War against Ptolemy to avenge his father's losses in Phoenicia and Anatolia.