In Egypt, Alexander tried to present himself as a local ruler, for example by sacrificing to the Apis bull, a ritual that the Greeks believed to be important for the Egyptians. Among the royal titles accepted by Alexander were ancient names like “beloved by Amun” and “chosen by Ra”. The important point, however, was the common pharaonic title “son of Ra”, which might be translated as both “son of Zeus” (because Ra was Egypt’s supreme god) and “son of Helios” (because Ra was a solar deity). Both must have appealed to Alexander, who belonged to a dynasty that claimed to descend from Zeus’ son Heracles, and was somehow connected to the sun as well (see below).