| Preceded by: Cleopatra VII |
Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemaic Dynasty |
Succeeded by: Cleopatra VII | |||
| Arsinoë II Philadelphos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koine Greek: Ἀρσινόη Φιλάδελφος Romanized: Arsinoë Philadelphos | |||||
| Reign | |||||
| 273 – 270 or 268 BC | |||||
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| Legacy | |||||
| Father | Ptolemy I | ||||
| Mother | Cleopatra V (?) | ||||
| Consort(s) | Lysimachus, Ptolemy Keraunos, Ptolemy II | ||||
| Issue | Ptolemy Epigonos, Lysimachus, Philip | ||||
| Born | c. 315 BC | ||||
| Died | 270 or 268 BC | ||||
| Burial | Mendes | ||||
- For other pages by this name, see Arsinoë.
Arsinoë II Philadelphos (Koine Greek: Ἀρσινόη Φιλάδελφος, between 68 and 63 BCE – 41 BCE) was a Queen-regent of the Ptolemaic Dynasty during the Hellenistic Period. She became co-ruler with her brother Ptolemy II from 273 BCE to 270 or 268 BCE. Before she replaced Arsinoë I as queen consort, Arsinoë II was queen of Thrace, Anatolia, and Macedonia by marriage to King Lysimachus, to whom she bore three sons.
After the death of Lysimachus in battle in 281 BC, Arsinoë II fled to Cassandreia and married her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos. This proved to be a serious misjudgement, as Ptolemy Keraunus promptly killed two of her sons; the third was able to escape. Arsinoë fled again, this time to Alexandria, Egypt.
In Egypt, she probably instigated the accusation and exile of her brother Ptolemy II's first wife, Arsinoe I. Arsinoë II then married her brother; as a result, both were given the epithet "Philadelphoi" ("Brother-Loving") by the scandalized Greeks. Arsinoë II shared all of her brother's titles and apparently was quite influential, having towns dedicated to her, her own cult (as was Egyptian custom), and appearing on coinage. Apparently, she contributed greatly to foreign policy, including Ptolemy's victory in the First Syrian War (274 BC-271 BC) between Egypt and the Seleucid Empire in the Middle East. After her death Ptolemy II continued to refer to her on official documents, as well as supporting her coinage and cult.
External links[]
| Predecessor: Ptolemy II |
Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemaic Dynasty |
Successor: Ptolemy II |