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Berenice II of Egypt

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Berenice II
Octodrachma of Berenice II
Queen regnant of Cyrenaica
Reign258–247/246 BCE[1][2]
PredecessorMagas
SuccessorAnnexed by Ptolemaic Kingdom
Co-rulersMagas(until 250 BCE)
Demetrius(250–249 BCE)
Republican government (249–246 BCE)
Queen ofEgypt
Reign246–221 B.C.E.[3]
Co-rulersPtolemy III(246–222 BCE)
Ptolemy IV(222–221 BCE)
Bornc. 267/266 BCE
Died221 BCE (aged 45 or 46)
SpouseDemetrius the Fair
Ptolemy III Euergetes
IssuePtolemy IV
Arsinoe III
Alexander
Magas of Egypt
Berenice
Names
Royal titulary
Horus name
Satheqa Iretenheqa
The King's Daughter, Created by the King
G5
qHqAtG38tD4
t
n		qHqAt
H8
Prenomen (Praenomen)
Bereniket Meritnetjerou
Berenice Euergetes, the Goddess, Beloved of the Gods
M23L2
birw
n		iiW11At
H8
DynastyPtolemaic
FatherMagas of Cyrene
MotherApama II

Berenice II Euergetis(267 or 266 – 221 BCE;Greek:Βερενίκη Ευεργέτις,BerenikēEuergetis,"Berenice the Benefactress"[4]) wasqueen regnantofCyrenaicafrom 258 to 246 BCE andco-regentqueen ofPtolemaic Egyptfrom 246 to 222 BCE as the wife ofPtolemy III.

She married Demetrius, thus giving him the throne of Cyrenaica, on the death of her fatherMagasin 250/249 BCE. After a short power struggle with her mother, Berenice married her half-cousin Ptolemy III, the third ruler of thePtolemaic kingdom.This marriage led to the re-incorporation of Cyrenaica into the Ptolemaic empire. As queen of Egypt, Berenice participated actively in government, was incorporated into the Ptolemaic state cult alongside her husband and worshipped as a goddess in her own right. She is best known for sacrificing her hair as a votive offering, which led to the constellationComa Berenicesbeing named after her. Berenice was murdered by the regentSosibiusshortly after the accession of her sonPtolemy IV Philopatorin 221 BCE.

Life[edit]

Cyrenaica had been incorporated into the Ptolemaic realm in 323 BCE, byPtolemy I Sotershortly after the death ofAlexander the Great.The region proved difficult to control and around 300 BCE, Ptolemy I entrusted the region toMagas,son of his wifeBerenice Iby an earlier marriage. After Ptolemy I's death, Magas asserted his independence and engaged in warfare with his successorPtolemy II Philadelphus.Around 275 BCE, Magas marriedApama,who came from theSeleucid dynasty,which had become enemies of the Ptolemies.[5]Berenice II was their only child. When Ptolemy II renewed his efforts to reach a settlement with Magas of Cyrene in the late 250s BCE, it was agreed that Berenice would be married to her half-cousin, the futurePtolemy III,who was Ptolemy II's heir.[6][7]

The astronomerGaius Julius Hyginusclaims that when Berenice's father and his troops were routed in battle, Berenice mounted a horse, rallied the remaining forces, killed many of the enemy, and drove the rest to retreat.[8]The veracity of this story is unclear and the battle in question is not otherwise attested, but "it is not on the face of it impossible."[9]

Queen of Cyrene[edit]

Berenice was hailedbasilissa(queen) on coins even in her father's lifetime.[10]There are Cyrenean coins with the portrait of queen, the legend ΒΕΡΕΝΙΚΗΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ (Berenice Basilissa), and themonogramof Magas. It is evidently more plausible that the queen's identity is Magas's daughter Berenice II rather than Magas's mother Berenice I, because the portrait is youthful and unveiled, meaning unmarried.[11]According to coins of Berenice, the accession of Berenice as queen of Cyrene was in 258 BCE.[12]

King Magas died in circa 250 BCE. At this point, Berenice's mother Apame refused to honour the marriage agreement with the Ptolemies and invited anAntigonidprince,Demetrius the Fairto Cyrene to marry Berenice instead. With Apame's help, Demetrius seized control of the city. Allegedly, Demetrius and Apame became lovers. Berenice is said to have discovered them in bed together and had him assassinated. Apame was spared.[13]Control of Cyrene was then entrusted to a republican government, led by two Cyrenaeans named Ecdelus and Demophanes, until Berenice's actual wedding to Ptolemy III in 246 BCE after his accession to the throne.[7][14]It seems most probable that Berenice conceded a certain degree of autonomy to Cyrene.[15]

Queen of Egypt[edit]

Coin of Berenice II
AmosaicfromThmuis(Mendes), Egypt, created by theHellenistic artistSophilos (signature) in about 200 BCE, now in the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, Egypt; the woman depicted is probably Berenice II. Her crown showing a ship'sprowand heranchor-shapedbroochsymbolised the Ptolemaic Empire's naval prowess.[16]
A seated woman in a fresco from the RomanVilla Boscoreale,dated mid-1st century BCE, that likely represents Berenice II ofPtolemaic Egyptwearing astephane(i.e. royaldiadem) on her head[17]

Berenice married Ptolemy III in 246 BCE after his accession to the throne.[14]This brought Cyrenaica back into the Ptolemaic realm, where it would remain until her great-great-grandsonPtolemy Apionleft it to theRoman Republicin his will in 96 BCE.

Ruler cult[edit]

In 244 or 243 BCE, Berenice and her husband were incorporated into the Ptolemaic state cults and worshipped as theTheoi Euergetai(Benefactor Gods), alongsideAlexander the Greatand the earlier Ptolemies.[14][18]Berenice was also worshipped as a goddess on her own,Thea Euergetis(Benefactor Goddess). She was often equated withAphroditeandIsisand came to be particularly associated with protection against shipwrecks. Most of the evidence for this cult derives from the reign of Ptolemy IV or later, but a cult in her honour is attested in theFayyumin Ptolemy III's reign.[19]This cult closely parallels that offered to her mother-in-law,Arsinoe II,who was also equated with Aphrodite and Isis, and associated with protection from shipwrecks. The parallelism is also presented on the gold coinage minted posthumously in honour of the two queens. The coinage of Arsinoe II bears a pair ofcornucopiaeon the reverse side, while that of Berenice bears a single cornucopia.

Berenice's Lock[edit]

Main article:Coma Berenices
Coma Berenicesconstellation noted

Berenice's divinity is closely connected with the story of "Berenice's Lock". According to this story, Berenice vowed to sacrifice her long hair as avotive offeringif Ptolemy III returned safely from battle during theThird Syrian War.She dedicated her tresses to and placed them in thetemple at Cape ZephyriuminAlexandria,whereArsinoe IIwas worshipped as Aphrodite, but the next morning the tresses had disappeared.Conon of Samos,the court astronomer identified a constellation as the missing hair, claiming that Aphrodite had placed it in the sky as an acknowledgement of Berenice's sacrifice. The constellation is known to this day asComa Berenices(Latinfor 'Berenice's Lock').[20]It is unclear whether this event took place before or after Ptolemy's return; Branko van Oppen de Ruiter suggests that it happened after Ptolemy's return (around March–June or May 245 BCE).[21]This episode served to link Berenice with the goddess Isis in her role as goddess of rebirth, since she was meant to have dedicated a lock of her own hair atKoptosin mourning for her husbandOsiris.[22][19]

The story was widely propagated by the Ptolemaic court.Sealswere produced depicting Berenice with a shaved head and the attributes of Isis/Demeter.[23][19]The poetCallimachus,who was based in the Ptolemaic court, celebrated the event in a poem,The Lock of Berenice,of which only a few lines remain.[24]The first century BCE Roman poetCatullusproduced a loose translation or adaptation of the poem inLatin,[25]and a prose summary appears inHyginus'De Astronomica.[8][20]The story was popular in the early modern period when it was illustrated by manyneoclassicalpainters.

Panhellenic Games[edit]

Berenice entered a chariot team in theNemean Gamesof 243 or 241 BCE and was victorious. The success is celebrated in another poem by Callimachus'Victory of Berenice.This poem connects Berenice withIo,a lover of Zeus in Greek mythology, who was also connected with Isis by contemporary Greeks.[26][19]When she won in the four-horse chariot race at the Olympics in the early third century BCE, she commissioned an epigram by the poetPosidippusin which she explicitly claimed to have "stolen" the fame (κῦδος) ofCynisca.[27]Her epigram was included in the so-calledGreek Anthology,which also indicates its continuing relevance long after the victory itself.[28]

Death[edit]

Ptolemy III died in late 222 BCE and was succeeded by his son by Berenice,Ptolemy IV Philopator.Berenice died soon after, in early 221 BCE.Polybiusstates that she was poisoned, as part of a general purge of the royal family by the new king's regentSosibius.[29][14]She continued to be venerated in the state ruler cult. By 211 BCE, she had her own priestess, theathlophorus('prize-bearer'), who marched in processions inAlexandriabehind the priest of Alexander the Great and the Ptolemies, and thecanephorusof the deifiedArsinoe II.[9]

Legacy[edit]

The city ofEuesperides(now the Libyan city ofBenghazi) was renamed Berenice in her honour, a name it retained until the Middle Ages.

The asteroid653 Berenike,discovered in 1907, also is named after Queen Berenice.[30]

Issue[edit]

With Ptolemy III she had the following children:[31]

Name Image Birth Death Notes
Arsinoe III 246/5 BCE 204 BCE Married her brother Ptolemy IV in 220 BCE.
Ptolemy IV Philopator May/June 244 BCE July/August 204 BCE King of Egypt from 222 - 204 BCE.
A son July/August 243 BCE Perhaps 221 BCE Name unknown, possibly 'Lysimachus'. He was probably killed in or before the political purge of 221 BCE.[32]
Alexander September/October 242 BCE Perhaps 221 BCE He was probably killed in or before the political purge of 221 BCE.[33]
Magas November/December 241 BCE 221 BCE Scalded to death in his bath by Theogos or Theodotus, at the orders of Ptolemy IV.[34]
Berenice January/February 239 BCE February/March 238 BCE Posthumously deified on 7 March 238 BCE by theCanopus Decree,as Berenice Anasse Parthenon (Berenice, mistress of virgins).[35]

References[edit]

  1. ^Reginald Stuart Poole;British Museum Dept. of Coins and Medals(1883).Catalogue of Greek Coins: The Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt.The Trustees. p. 59.i. Queen Regnant of Cyrenaïca, ʙ.ᴄ. 258–247.
  2. ^"Libya Heads".guide2womenleaders.Retrieved2022-12-25.
  3. ^Stanwick, Paul Edmund (22 July 2010).Portraits of the Ptolemies: Greek Kings as Egyptian Pharaohs.University of Texas Press. p. xviii.ISBN9780292787476.
  4. ^"Berenice II Euergetis".World History Encyclopedia.
  5. ^Hölbl 2001,pp. 38–39
  6. ^Justin 26.3.2
  7. ^abHölbl 2001,pp. 44–46
  8. ^abGaius Julius HyginusDe Astronomica2.24
  9. ^abClayman 2014,p. 157
  10. ^Branko van Oppen de Ruiter (2016-02-03).Berenice II Euergetis: Essays in Early Hellenistic Queenship.Springer. p. 39.ISBN978-1-137-49462-7.Remarkably, Berenice was hailedbasilissaon coins even in her father's lifetime,
  11. ^Branko van Oppen de Ruiter (2016-02-03).Berenice II Euergetis: Essays in Early Hellenistic Queenship.Springer. p. 29.ISBN978-1-137-49462-7.
  12. ^Reginald Stuart Poole;British Museum Dept. of Coins and Medals(1883).Catalogue of Greek Coins: The Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt.The Trustees. p. xxxii.This review brings us to the accession of Berenice as queen of Cyrene, B.C. 258. Her coinage will be considered later (p. xlv.).
  13. ^Justin 26.3.3-6;Catullus66.25-28
  14. ^abcdBerenice IIArchivedFebruary 25, 2015, at theWayback Machineby Chris Bennett
  15. ^Reginald Stuart Poole;British Museum Dept. of Coins and Medals(1883).Catalogue of Greek Coins: The Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt.The Trustees. p. xlviii.But it seems most probable that Berenice conceded a certain degree of autonomy to Cyrene, which included the right of coining;
  16. ^Daszewski, W.A. (1986)."La personnification de la Tyché d'Alexandrie. Réinterprétation de certains monuments".In Kahil, L.; Auge, C.; Linant de Bellefonds, P. (eds.).Iconographie classique et identités régionales'.Paris: De Boccard. pp. 299–309.
  17. ^Pfrommer, Michael; Towne-Markus, Elana (2001).Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt.Los Angeles: Getty Publications (J. Paul Getty Trust).ISBN0-89236-633-8,pp. 22–23.
  18. ^Hölbl 2001,p. 49
  19. ^abcdHölbl 2001,p. 105
  20. ^abBarentine, John C. (2016).Uncharted Constellations: Asterisms, Single-Source and Rebrands.Springer. p. 17.ISBN978-3-319-27619-9.
  21. ^van Oppen de Ruiter 2016,p. 110
  22. ^Plutarch,De Iside et Osiride14.
  23. ^Pantos, P. A. (1987). "Bérénice II Démèter".Bulletin des correspondence hellenique(in French).111:343–352.doi:10.3406/bch.1987.1777.
  24. ^Callimachusfragment 110Pfeiffer.
  25. ^Catullus 66
  26. ^Parsons, P. J. (1977). "Callimachus: Victoria Berenices".Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik.25:1–50.
  27. ^Posidippus."AB 87"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 2021-04-20.Retrieved20 April2021.
  28. ^"Greek Anthology 13.16".New York G.P. Putnam's sons.
  29. ^Polybius15.25.2;Zenobius5.94
  30. ^Use of tree Oils. "Varnish and Berenice."Retrieved on September 02, 2010
  31. ^Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004.ISBN0-500-05128-3
  32. ^Lysimachusby Chris Bennett
  33. ^Alexanderby Chris Bennett
  34. ^Magasby Chris Bennett
  35. ^Bereniceby Chris Bennett

Bibliography[edit]

  • Clayman, Dee L. (2014).Berenice II and the golden age of Ptolemaic Egypt.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780195370881.
  • Hölbl, Günther (2001).A History of the Ptolemaic Empire.London & New York: Routledge. pp. 143–152 & 181–194.ISBN0415201454.
  • van Oppen de Ruiter, Branko (2016).Berenice II Euergetis: Essays in Early Hellenistic Queenship.Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America, Inc.ISBN9781137494627.

External links[edit]

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