Berenice II (“Berenikē” in Greek) was a Queen of Egypt in the third century B.C.E. and married to Pharaoh Ptolemy III. Dr. Dee L. Clayman, Professor of Classics & Executive Officer of the PhD Program in Classics, The Graduate Centre, The City University of New York, joins the show to discuss who Berenice was and the life she lived.
Some topics explored
- Berenikē being born in Cyrene (in present day Libya), including what’s known about Greek people from Thira (present day Santorini) originally creating settlements in the region
- Berenice being the only daughter of the King Magas of Cyrene
- Her first marriage to Demetrius the Fair, including her coordinating his murder after finding him committing adultery
- Her marriage to Pharaoh Ptolemy III of Euergetes, and as a result, becoming Queen of Egypt
- Conflict with the The Seleucid Empire
- Ancient religions, cults, and tradition
- Berenice having six children and what occurred with some of them
- Berenikē being an ardent supporter of the arts and sciences
- To what degree she was involved in policy creation and administration as Queen
- Her supporting culture and temples in Egypt
- Berenice being murdered after the death of her husband by her son
- Her being “immortalized” in tradition
Listen to the episode
The episode is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
- Professor Clayman is author of the monograph Berenice II and the Golden Age of Ptolemaic Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2013)
- Dr. Clayman referenced a poem written by Catullus dedicated to Berenikē
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