Berenice II of Egypt
Berenice II Euergetis (267 or 266 – 221 BCE; Greek: Βερενίκη Ευεργέτις, Berenikē Euergetis, "Berenice the Benefactress"[4]) was queen regnant of Cyrenaica from 258 to 246 BCE and co-regent queen of Ptolemaic Egypt from 246 to 222 BCE as the wife of Ptolemy III.
Berenice II
Annexed by Ptolemaic Kingdom
246–221 B.C.E.[3]
Ptolemy III (246–222 BCE)
Ptolemy IV (222–221 BCE)
c. 267/266 BCE
221 BCE (aged 45 or 46)
Ptolemy IV
Arsinoe III
Alexander
Magas of Egypt
Berenice
She married Demetrius, thus giving him the throne of Cyrenaica, on the death of her father Magas in 250/249 BCE. After a short power struggle with her mother, Berenice married her half-cousin Ptolemy III, the third ruler of the Ptolemaic 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 constellation Coma Berenices being named after her. Berenice was murdered by the regent Sosibius shortly after the accession of her son Ptolemy IV Philopator in 221 BCE.
Legacy[edit]
The city of Euesperides (now the Libyan city of Benghazi) was renamed Berenice in her honour, a name it retained until the Middle Ages.
The asteroid 653 Berenike, discovered in 1907, also is named after Queen Berenice.[30]