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Introduction to Arsinoe II

Arsinoe II (lc 318/311 - c. 270/268 BCE), daughter of Ptolemy I, became one of the most enduring figures of the Ragidon or Ptolemaic dynasty and is shown in historical evidence left an undeniable mark. She was married three times; first to Alexander the Great's general Lysimachus, then to her half-brother Ptolemy, nicknamed Theelaunus, and finally to his half-brother Ptolemy II . She became the model for the succession of Ptolemaic queens until Cleopatra VII.

Family

Arsinoe, the eldest daughter of Ptolemy and Berenice, was probably born in the Egyptian capital of Memphis between 318 and 311 BC. She was named after a Macedonian princess (from a lateral branch of Alexander I, 498-454 BC), whom her grandfather Lagus married. Her father, Ptolemy, was a childhood friend of Alexander the Great and was appointed satrap (governor) of Egypt after the latter's death (323 BC). Ptolemy gradually established his power as a dynasty and, like his other successors (successors), eventually claimed the throne for himself (c. 305/4 BC). He thus became the founder of the Rajid dynasty that ruled from Egypt until the death of Cleopatra VII (30 BC).

Arsinoe's mother, Berenice, was Ptolemy's fourth wife, herself previously married to a Macedonian noble named Philip. From a previous marriage, she was the mother of Magas and therefore the grandmother of Berenice II Euergetis. Nothing is known about Arsinoe's childhood. However, after her birth, Ptolemy I moved to Alexandria's recently built palace (c. 311/10 BC), with whom Arsinore and her siblings Philotra and Ptolemy II must have lived The children of the father's other Thai wife grew up together. , Atacama and Eurydice . Like Philip II, Alexander the Great, and other successors, Ptolemy was a polygamist.

Queen of Thrace and Macedon

The Ionian city of Ephesus was relocated and renamed ARSINOEA in honor of ARSINOE II.

Arsinoe was just a teenager when she married the Thracian king Lysimachus (c. 300/299 BC), but soon gave birth to three sons, Thor Secret (299/8 BC), Lysimachus (297/6 BC) and Philip (294/3 BC). Lysimachus was in his 50s at the time of their marriage. He was a childhood friend of her father and Alexander the Great, and was appointed governor of Thrace (roughly the area east of Macedonia and south of the Danube). From there he extended his rule into Asia Minor, claiming kingship (c. 305/4 BC) and eventually capturing Macedonia (287 BC). He also married an unknown Persian nobleman at mass weddings in Susa (324 BC), Nicaea (c. 320/19 BC) and Amastris (302 BC) marry.

Lysimachus dotted his kingdom with city foundations named after members of his family. Such settlements served economic and military functions, as well as symbolic and ideological purposes. For example, after his death, Lysimachus was buried in the Lysimachaeum in his capital of Thrace, Lysimachaea, a temple that still existed some 500 years later. He received a posthumous cult with temples, altars, cult images and priests in the city he settled and named after himself.

A city in Bythinia was (re)named in honor of Nicaea (c. 300 BC), which became known as the Council of Nicaea. Amastris settled a city in her own name on the coast of Paphlagonia (c. 295-290 BC).

Likewise, the Ionian city of Ephesus - home to the Ephesian Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - was relocated and renamed Arsinoea in honor of Arsinoe (c. 294-289 BC). Royal coins issued featured the hood of the city goddess, whose facial features were comparable to later Arsinoe coinage portraits. The reverse of an early emission (c. 294-281 BC) shows the bow and quiver of Artemis or the stag symbol. If we could see Arsinoe herself in the portrait, this coinage would represent one of the earliest depictions of a deified woman. However, it was Lysimachus and not Arsinoe who received cult worship during his lifetime as the city's founding hero - a cult that was revived during the reign of Trajan (104 AD).

On the island of Delos, a decree (dated uncertainly, probably 290-285 BC) praised "King Lysimachus and his Queen Arsinoe" for their good fortune (agathē tychē) guaranteed goodwill (eunoia). It is important to note that Arsinoe was publicly honored—not only mentioned by name, but addressed as basilissa (royal woman); none of Lysimachus' other wives are recorded in surviving inscriptions. Additionally, the decree may prove that she acted on behalf of the islanders to mediate between her father, who controlled Delos, and her husband. To further illustrate her public popularity, Arsinore's eldest son Ptolemy dedicated a statue to his mother at Thebes on behalf of his father in Boeotia (c. 284-281 BC).

Changing Destiny and Fortune

Arsinoe was involved in one of the most dramatic events of the Diadochi Wars, which not only resulted in the death of Lysimachus' eldest son Agathocles, but also ultimately caused Lysimachus' own downfall. Arsinoe is said to have manipulated Lysimachus into executing his sons with Nicaea because she feared that her own sons' lives would be in danger if Agathocles became king after their father's death. However, the source also claims that she fell in love with Agathocles, but she was rejected. Agathocles was tried, convicted of conspiring against his father, and executed (c. 285 BC). By the time Lysimachus realized Arsinoe's plot, it was too late. His friends either deserted him or sought refuge with Seleucus I of Babylon—or were murdered in court purges.

After the death of Lysimachus, and after the Battle of Corupedium near Sardis (281 BC), Arsinoe was founded in the Ionian city named after her. This may indicate that she represented her husband's kingship in Asia Minor. She also took control of Heraclea after the death of Amasteris (c. 284 BC) and was apparently involved in the affairs of the Aeolian (western Asia Minor) city of Pergamon. With Seleucid's army nearby, the inhabitants of her city opened the gates. Arsinoe can only escape through subterfuge. She had one of her attendants put on her royal robes, so that while the queen was carried away by a powerful guard on a royal stretcher and slipped out of town in rags, her servant was killed by one of the Seleucid generals. dead.

Arsinore then settled in Cassandrean on the Halcid Peninsula with her children and mercenaries.

Meanwhile, her half-brother Ptolemy, nicknamed Theelaunus ("Thunderbolt"), murdered Seleucus and declared himself king of Thrace and Macedonia - leaving the east to Seleucus. Antiochus, successor of Leucus. To legitimize his rule—and avoid a violent conflict with Arsinoe—he then offered to marry her and recognize her children as his. (He apparently had no children with other women; of course, marriages between half-siblings had previously been unheard of.) The wedding did take place in the Macedonian capital, Pella, in the presence of the military. A grand, almost holy celebration followed in Kassandra.

Selaunus then killed Arsinore's two younger sons. Only her eldest daughter Ptolemy was able to escape and take refuge in Illyria. Arsinoe himself was forced to leave the city and found refuge on Samothrace, the island sacred to the great god Carberi, where the famous Wings of Victory (Nike) statue was later erected. She lived in exile there, hoping to see her son succeed his father on the throne. In gratitude for her protection, she later built a rotunda within the temple walls, the largest circular structure of its time. Seraunus soon died at the hands of the Gauls who crossed the Balkans into Greece (279 BC), and in the uncertain years that followed, Arsinore's son Ptolemy was (279-277 BC ) one of the main contenders for the Macedonian throne.

The Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt

Arsinoe eventually returned to Egypt (c. 277-275 BC) - perhaps with her son Ptolemy. Her brother Ptolemy II was appointed co-ruler by their father to ensure a smooth succession (284 BC) - thus overtaking his eldest son Ptolemy Ceraunus ) and his third wife Eurydice. Before the death of Ptolemy I, Ptolemy II married the daughter of Lysimachus, also known as Arsinore. Some evidence suggests that this Arsinoe I was involved in a conspiracy against the king. She was expelled from the court and sent to live in comfort in Coptus (modern Qift, Upper Egypt). Whether this plot precedes the return of Arsinoe II or involves the latter is unclear. Ptolemy II is credited with founding the temple and cult of Ptolemy I and Berenice I, the "Savior God" (Theoi Sotēres).

Ptolemy II married his entire family Sisters Arsinore II; their wedding has been likened to the "holy marriage" of Zeus and Hera

The most dramatic and shocking event occurred between Ptolemy II and his. The full sister Arsinore II married (c. 275/4 BC). Their wedding was likened to the "holy marriage (hieros gamos)" of Zeus and Hera and Isis and Osiris, instituted in Alexandria. An annual festival was held in honor of Adonis, in which Arsinoe was assimilated to Aphrodite and the king to her beloved Adonis, the only person in Greek mythology who died and was removed from Hades Return of the Kingdom to Mortals. In addition, an official cult was created for the "Brother God" (Theoi Adelphoi)" (c. 272 ??BC). The Ptolemaic admiral, who served as the first priest in the royal cult of Theoi Adelphoi at Alexandria, founded the cult of Arsinoe at Cape Zephyrium near Canopus, where she was assimilated to Aphrodite as patron of seafarers. Arsinoe received a lifelong cult that lasted for several generations under the epithet "Philadelphos (Brother-Loving)" (c. 270 BC). Before her death, Arsinoe became nominally the exclusive temple goddess (synnaos thea) of every temple in Egypt.

Within Ptolemy's sphere of influence, statues were erected in public places, temples and clergy were established to celebrate festivals.

After the marriage of the siblings, an Egyptian royal title was established for her (in 274 BC), which was unparalleled in the pharaonic period - not repeated until Cleopatra VII. While she was still alive, Arsinoe II was therefore dubbed "the magnanimous mistress", "the lovely lady, the sweetness of love", "the beautiful face that fills the palace", "who has it" and other titles. Cobra who received two crowns", "beloved of the ram, who serves the ram" [Mendez], "royal sister", "great wife of the king [Ptolemy II], his beloved", " Queen of the Two "Lands", "Royal daughter of the King of the Two Lands, Ptolemy [I], the goddess who loves her brothers."

An inscription survives that attests to Arsinoe's role at the court of Alexandria at Continued prominence in internal and external affairs. She accompanied Ptolemy II on an inspection of the country's borders along the Sinai Peninsula, visiting important temples on her journey across the delta - notably at Mendes, where the queen was appointed high priestess of the local sacred ram. In Athens, the Democratic Assembly commended Ptolemy and his sister (without naming them, as this was considered scandalous) for their support of "the common liberties of the Greeks" against the Macedonian king Antigonus II Gonata. Sri Lanka's growing dominance. Around the same time, the inhabitants of the newly settled colony (city-state) of Methana in the Peloponnese placed two statues of "King Ptolemy and Arsinore Philadelphus" on the nearby island of Kalauria. The statue was dedicated to Poseidon. The significance of such a pair of statues is that it illustrates that similar sculptures must have been erected within Ptolemy's sphere of influence.

Representation in Greek Art

Arsinoe II became one of the most revered queens of the Rajid dynasty, with artwork ranging from monumental sculptures and temple relief scenes to miniature coins and carvings There are all kinds of gems. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that Arsinoe must have been everywhere in the centuries after her death. This prominence alone attests to her exemplary role in shaping the identity of the Greek queen.

What is certain is that the rules of fraternal union treated Arsinore II and Ptolemy II as equals. Although they never had children (and probably never intended to - as Ptolemy II maintained several mistresses), they jointly ruled the Ptolemaic kingdom and its sphere of influence as divine monarchs - —From the coasts of Egypt and Libya to parts of the Levant and Asia Minor into the Aegean and Black Seas.

A limestone relief scene in the Church of Ptolemy II in the Nile Delta depicts the royal couple facing each other, perfectly illustrating their equality. The king stands on the mortal side of the image in the Egyptian canon, wearing the Egyptian double crown (pschent), holding the waz scepter in his right hand, and wielding the thunderbolt with his raised left hand. This latter attribute does not belong to the iconography of the pharaoh, but derives from the images of Zeus and Alexander the Great, and depicts him as hardly an ordinary mortal. The symbol of Ptolemy II is his hieroglyphic whorl and the throne name "w?r-k?-n-Ra mr?-?mn" (Jonka of Ra, beloved of Amun).

For her part, Arsinoe II stands on the divine side, identified by her hieroglyphic swirl as " ?nm.t-?b-n?w mr?.t-n?r.w " (placing her heart Union with the King, Love of the Gods). She holds a papyrus scepter in one hand and an ankh, a symbol of her immortality, in the other. The Queen wears a long dress and collar, a vulture hat, a long wig and a composite tiara designed especially for her. It consists of a red crown ( deshret ) from Lower Egypt, decorated with two tall feathers ( shuty ), and a horizontal spiral of ram's horns covered by a lyre. A cow-shaped horn surrounds the sun disk, with an upright cobra (uraeus) in front. Arsinoe's crown assimilates her to the divine consort of the king and identifies her with Mut- Hathor.

Arsinoe divinity was also celebrated through sacrificial festivals during which gilded silver or faience wine vases (oenochoae) were used to pour wine. They show the Queen in the name of Agathe Tyche (the personification of good luck), holding double cornucopias (dikeras) in one hand and pouring wine on the altar with the other. Incidentally, dikeras were double horns designed specifically for Arsinoe II and later appropriated by Cleopatra VII. This attribute is highlighted on the back of the Queen Octopus (pictured above).

In the superb double portrait of the so-called Gonzaga Cameo (above), the king's crowned helmet is fastened with a laurel wreath and decorated with a winged serpent (uraeus); his bust is draped with A scaly wool (the aegis) adorned with the heads of Medusa and Phobos (the personification of fear). The Queen wears an ear of corn on her veiled head, linking her to natural fertility. Therefore, the royal couple is depicted as the monarchs of Olympus. Named after the Renaissance Duke of Mantua, the sardonyx relief is an epitome of Greek art.

Two main types of coins, or rather golden medals, were issued, bearing her likeness. One shows Ptolemy I and Berenice I on the obverse and their children Ptolemy II and Arsinore II on the reverse - expressing the dynastic lineage descending from either side of Lagus and Arsinore . Another coin type that became one of the most enduring of the Ptolemaic coins, the Arsinoe is depicted alone on the obverse. Her attributes - veil, crown, lotus-headed scepter and ram's horns around her ears - symbolized her status as king and divine consort of Zeus-Ammon - thus identifying her as Hera-Dionne.

Death and Aftermath

Arsinoe II was not yet 50 years old when she died - although admittedly there is some scholarly dispute over the date of her death (270 or 268 BC). The poet Callimachus later composed Coma Berenices, a hymn in which he commemorated the queen's earthly death and praised her deification as she passed over the full moon to her place in the Big Dipper in the sky below, while the whole population lamented.

Shortly after her death, her brothers appointed a co-ruler named Ptolemy "son" (r. 267-259 BC). The specific wording indicates that the same ruler could not have been the later Ptolemy III, but rather that he was not the biological son of Ptolemy II. The most obvious candidate would have to be Arsinore's eldest son Ptolemy - which meant that towards the end of her life she would have to have finally succeeded in establishing him as heir to the throne, albeit not of Macedon or Thrace but of Ptolemy Secret Kingdom. Her son eventually came into conflict with his uncle and claimed territory in Termessus (c. June 258-240 BC), a city in Lycia (southwestern Anatolia).

With the exception of Olympias and Cleopatra, few ancient authors provide more basic biographical information about royal women. The influence of Arsinoe's mother, Berenice, in the court of Alexander is noted—but no more. Arsinoe's prominence in the court of Lysimachus was probably not exceptional among Hellenistic royal women. It could just be chance that delivers evidence that we know more about her than contemporary queens - or it could be due to her later career.

When she did return to Egypt, she set a precedent for female *** that would change the status of Greek queens in Egypt and beyond. The city was (re)founded in her honor, her name and title were mentioned in public decrees, coins depicted her as a goddess, cults and festivals were established in her worship, and statues were erected in her honor, not only in Egypt, but also throughout Ptolemaic sphere of influence.

When Cleopatra VII came to the throne more than 200 years later, her role model could be said to be the real Arsinoe II.