Berenice ( grc, Βερενίκη, translit=Berenikē) (275 BC–246 BC), also called Berenice Phernophorus ("Dowry Bearer") or Berenice Syra, was an Egyptian princess, and a Seleucid queen regent. She was a Selecucid queen by marriage to

Antiochus II Theos Antiochus II Theos ( grc-gre, Ἀντίοχος Θεός, ; 286 – July 246 BC) was a Greek king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire who reigned from 261 to 246 BC. He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC. He wa ...

, and regent during the minority of her son Antiochus in 246. She was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and

Arsinoe I of Egypt Arsinoe I ( el, Αρσινόη Α’, 305 BC – after c. 248 BC), Footnote 10 was queen of Egypt by marriage to Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Life Arsinoe was the second daughter and youngest child born to King Lysimachus and Nicaea of Macedon. Her ...

. Around 252 BC, following the peace agreement of 253 BC between Antiochus and Ptolemy to end the

Second Syrian War The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, successor states to Alexander the Great's empire, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of t ...

, she married the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

monarch

, who divorced his wife

Laodice I Laodice I ( el, Λαοδίκη; flourished 3rd century BC, died before 236 BC) was a Greek noblewoman of Anatolia who was a close relative of the early Seleucid dynasty and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos. Family ...

and transferred the succession to Berenice's children. In 246 BC, when Ptolemy died, Antiochus II took up again with his first wife, Laodice. Antiochus died shortly thereafter, many suspect from poisoning. Queen Berenice claimed the regency for her infant son Antiochus however, she and her son were both killed by Laodice. Berenice's brother,

Ptolemy III Euergetes , predecessor = Ptolemy II , successor = Ptolemy IV , nebty = ''ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj'Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery''The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land , nebty_hiero ...

, succeeded their father and set about to avenge his sister's murder by invading Syria and having Laodice killed. This is also mentioned in the

Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th century BC setting. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon", it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology ...

.John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas. IVP Bible Background Commentary, 2000.

Notes

References

"Women in power 500 - C.E. 1"
accessed 20 March 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Berenice Ancient murder victims Ptolemaic dynasty Seleucid rulers Seleucid royal consorts 3rd-century BC women rulers 270s BC births 246 BC deaths