The life of Arsinoë II (c. 316-c.270 BCE), daughter of 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 a dynastic feature of the
Ptolemies. With Ptolemy II, she ended her days in great wealth and
power. However, prior to that point she was forced to endure two
tumultuous marriages, both of which led her to flee for her life.
Arsinoë was the model for the powerful role Ptolemaic women gradually
acquired as co-rulers of their empire, and her image continued to play
a role in dynastic solidarity for centuries to come. Although 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 has been no up-to-date
biography in English of her life. Elizabeth Donnelly Carney, in
sifting through the available archaeological and literary evidence,
offers here an accessible and reasoned portrait. In describing
Arsinoë's significant role in the courts of Thrace and Alexandria,
Carney weaves discussions of earlier Macedonian royal women, the
institution of sibling marriage, and the reasons for its longstanding
success in Hellenistic Egypt, ultimately providing an expansive view
of this integral Hellenistic figure.
Les mer
A Royal Life
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780190613754
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic US
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter