Arsinoe of Egypt and Macedon: A Royal Life

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Oxford University Press, 28.03.2013 - 215 Seiten
The life of Arsinoë II (c. 316-c.270 BCE), daughter of Ptolemy Soter, the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, is characterized by dynastic intrigue. Her marriage to her full brother Ptolemy II, king of Egypt, was the first of the sibling marriages that became the "dynastic signature" of the Ptolemies. With Ptolemy II, she ended her days in great wealth and security and was ultimately deified. However, in order to reach that point she was forced to endure two tumultuous marriages, both of which led her to flee for her life, leaving war, murder, and bloodshed in her wake. Throughout much of her life, Arsinoë controlled great wealth and exercised political influence, but domestic stability characterized only her last few years. Arsinoë was the model for the powerful role Ptolemaic women gradually acquired as co-rulers of their empire. Her image continued to play a role in dynastic loyalty and solidarity for centuries to come. Despite the fact that Arsinoë was the pivotal figure in the eventual evolution of regnal power for Ptolemaic women, and despite a considerable body of recent scholarship across many fields relevant to her life, there is no up-to-date biography in English on the life of this queen. Elizabeth Carney, in sifting through the available archaeological and literary evidence, creates an accessible and reasoned picture of this royal woman. In describing Arsinoë's significant role in the courts of Thrace and Alexandria, Carney dicusses the role of earlier Macedonian royal women in monarchy, the institution of sibling marriage, and the reasons for its longstanding success in Hellenistic Egypt. Ultimately, this book provides a broader view of an integral player in the Hellenistic world.
 

Inhalt

Introduction
1
Arsinoës Background and Youth 31814300
11
Arsinoë as the Wife of Lysimachus ca 300281
31
Arsinoë and Ptolemy Ceraunus 28127976
49
Arsinoës Return to Egypt and Marriage to Ptolemy II 279275
65
Arsinoë II as Wife of Ptolemy II ca 275270 268
83
Arsinoë s Afterlife
106
Important People in the Life of Arsinoë II
135
Sources and Assessment of Arsinoë IIs Career
137
Notes
147
Glossary
179
Bibliography
181
Index
203
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Autoren-Profil (2013)

Elizabeth Donnelly Carney is Professor of History and Carol K. Brown Endowed Scholar in Humanities at Clemson University.

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