Berenice


Berenice

(bĕrənī`sē), b. c.340 B.C., d. 281 or 271 B.C., consort and half-sister of Ptolemy IPtolemy I
(Ptolemy Soter) , d. 284 B.C., king of ancient Egypt, the first ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (or Lagid dynasty), son of a Macedonian named Lagus. He was one of the leading generals of Alexander the Great, and after Alexander's death (323 B.C.
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, king of ancient Egypt. A Macedonian, she was the widow of Philip, one of the officers of Alexander the Great, and was by this marriage the mother of Magas, king of Cyrene; Antigone, wife of Pyrrhus of Epirus; and Theoxena, wife of Agathocles, ruler of Syracuse. Berenice, whose portrait appears with that of Ptolemy on many medals, was the mother by him of Ptolemy IIPtolemy II
(Ptolemy Philadelphus) , c.308–246 B.C., king of ancient Egypt (285–246 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy I and Berenice (c.340–281 B.C.). He continued his father's efforts to make Alexandria the cultural center of the Greek world.
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 and Arsinoë II.

Berenice,

c.273–21 B.C., queen of ancient Cyrene and Egypt. She was the daughter and successor of King Magas of Cyrene. In 247 B.C. she married Ptolemy IIIPtolemy III
(Ptolemy Euergetes) , d. 221 B.C., king of ancient Egypt (246–221 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy II and the first Arsinoë. He plunged immediately into a war with Syria, where his sister, Berenice, was trying to secure the throne for her
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, thereby effectively annexing Cyrene to Egypt. According to Callimachus and Catullus, he named a constellation after her, Berenice's Hair (Coma Berenices). After her husband's death she ruled jointly with their son, Ptolemy IVPtolemy IV
(Ptolemy Philopator) , king of ancient Egypt (221–205 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy III and Berenice of Cyrene. He had his mother, his brother, his uncle, and possibly his wife (who was his sister Arsinoë) killed.
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, until he had her put to death.

Berenice,

c.280–46 B.C., queen-consort of ancient Syria; wife of Antiochus IIAntiochus II
(Antiochus Theos) , d. 247 B.C., king of Syria (261?–247 B.C.), son and successor of Antiochus I. In warfare with Ptolemy II he had sporadic successes, but his marriage to Ptolemy's daughter Berenice sealed the peace, and most of the Syrian possessions his
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. She was called Berenice Syra. She was the daughter of Ptolemy IIPtolemy II
(Ptolemy Philadelphus) , c.308–246 B.C., king of ancient Egypt (285–246 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy I and Berenice (c.340–281 B.C.). He continued his father's efforts to make Alexandria the cultural center of the Greek world.
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, and her marriage (252) to Antiochus II marked a temporary cessation in the wars between the Egyptian monarchs and the Seleucids. On the death of Antiochus, however, Laodice I, the king's divorced first wife, brought about the death of Berenice and her infant son before Berenice's brother, Ptolemy IIIPtolemy III
(Ptolemy Euergetes) , d. 221 B.C., king of ancient Egypt (246–221 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy II and the first Arsinoë. He plunged immediately into a war with Syria, where his sister, Berenice, was trying to secure the throne for her
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, could arrive. New war resulted.

Berenice,

fl. 6 B.C., Jewish princess; daughter of Costobarus and Salome, sister of Herod the Great (see under HerodHerod,
dynasty reigning in Palestine at the time of Jesus. As a dynasty the Herods depended largely on the power of Rome. They are usually blamed for the state of virtual anarchy in Palestine at the beginning of the Christian era.

Antipater (fl. c.65 B.C.
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). She was married to her cousin Aristobulus and bore him a son, Herod Agrippa I. She was accused of having instigated the murder of her husband by Herod the Great in 6 B.C. Later she married Theudion, a brother-in-law of Herod the Great. After Theudion was put to death for plotting against Herod, she married Archelaus.

Berenice,

b. c.A.D. 28, Jewish princess; daughter of Herod Agrippa I (see under HerodHerod,
dynasty reigning in Palestine at the time of Jesus. As a dynasty the Herods depended largely on the power of Rome. They are usually blamed for the state of virtual anarchy in Palestine at the beginning of the Christian era.

Antipater (fl. c.65 B.C.
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). A very beautiful woman, she was often involved in intrigue. After her first husband died, she was married to her uncle Herod of Chalcis. After his death (A.D. 48) she lived in incest with her brother, Herod Agrippa II, causing some scandal. Her third husband was the Cilician king Polemon II, whom she abandoned, returning to Herod Agrippa II. She and her brother sided with Rome in its struggle with Judaea. The emperor TitusTitus
(Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus) , A.D. 39–A.D. 81, Roman emperor (A.D. 79–A.D. 81). Son of Emperor Vespasian, Titus was closely associated with his father in military campaigns, and after A.D. 71 he acted as coruler with the emperor.
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 apparently planned to marry her, but the Romans' great dislike of the Jews forced him to withdraw from the match. Titus' dilemma is the subject of Racine's play Bérénice.

Berenice,

city of ancient Cyrenaica: see BenghaziBenghazi
or Bengasi
, city (1985 est. pop. 490,500), capital of Benghazi municipality, NE Libya, the main city of Cyrenaica and a port on the Mediterranean Sea. It is primarily an administrative and commercial center.
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.

Berenice

or

Berenike,

city of ancient Egypt, on the Red Sea. Founded by Ptolemy IIPtolemy II
(Ptolemy Philadelphus) , c.308–246 B.C., king of ancient Egypt (285–246 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy I and Berenice (c.340–281 B.C.). He continued his father's efforts to make Alexandria the cultural center of the Greek world.
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 and named in his mother's honor, it commanded the trade with Arabia and India, flourishing from the 3d cent. B.C. to the 4th cent. Its harbor subsequently silted up.