Berenike IV.

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Berenike IV. ( Greek  Βερενίκη , * between 78 and 75 BC; † approx. April 55 BC ) was an Egyptian queen (58–55 BC) from the Ptolemaic dynasty . It was 58 BC. After the expulsion of their father Ptolemy XII. proclaimed queen from Egypt. She vigorously opposed her father's attempts to regain the throne with Roman help, including diplomatic means. After Ptolemy XII. through a military expedition by Aulus Gabinius against Egypt he had regained his former position of ruler, he had Berenike IV and her followers executed.

Life

Berenike IV was the eldest daughter of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XII. Neos Dionysus and his sister wife Cleopatra VI. Tryphaina. Most likely she was not a full sister, but a half sister of the famous Cleopatra VII , because according to Strabon's testimony she was the only legitimate daughter of Ptolemy XII. was.

When Ptolemy XII. probably in June or early July 58 BC BC fled from Egypt to Rome before an uprising of the Alexandrines , Berenike IV was appointed Queen of Egypt together with her mother because her brothers Ptolemy XIII. and Ptolemy XIV were still minors. Probably now Berenike IV put the ruler's name Cleopatra in front of her own name according to Ptolemaic custom, so she called herself Cleopatra Berenike. From papyrus finds one can conclude that Berenike IV. And her mother began to count their reigns anew, with their first year being 58/57 BC. Corresponds to. After the death of her mother (57 BC) after only one year of joint reign, Berenike IV briefly became sole ruler. Some papyri also date her and her father at the same time.

In Rome, however, Ptolemy XII. generous bribes to senators for military aid for his return to the Egyptian throne. But the Alexandrians no longer wanted him as king and sent in early 57 BC. A delegation to Rome to present their reasons for his expulsion. Thereupon Ptolemy XII. murdered numerous ambassadors and, since Rome could not quickly decide to intervene in Egypt, left at the end of 57 BC. To Ephesus to wait for the further development there.

In order to strengthen Berenike IV's position and because of the alleged rejection of the sole government of a woman, the Alexandrians wanted their queen to marry. They sent Menelaus, Lampon and Kalimandros as negotiators to a candidate for marriage, Seleucus VII , an alleged brother of the Seleucid Antiochus XIII. Since he apparently had gross manners, he was given the nickname Kybiosaktes (= "salt fish dealer"). In any case, Berenike IV had her husband strangled after a short time, apparently because of his primitiveness.

The Roman proconsul of Syria, Aulus Gabinius , successfully prevented another candidate, the Seleucid prince Philip II, from becoming the new consort of Berenike IV.

Now the Macedonian Archelaos , priest prince of Komana in Pontos , stepped onto the scene. This gave himself up for a son of the important Pontic king Mithridates VI. out; in fact he was the son of Archelaus, the commanding officer . Since Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus had installed the priestly prince Archelaus in his office, his election as the husband of Berenike IV seems to have been favorably assessed by the Alexandrians. So the Egyptian queen got in March or April 56 BC. A Macedonian consort. Gabinius did not consent to this marriage. The papyri now dated twice to Berenike IV and Archelaus, equating the queen's second year of reign with the first year of her husband's reign.

Ptolemy XII had at the beginning of 55 BC Success when he was lifted back to the Egyptian throne by Gabinius on the orders of Pompey with military force. Archelaus had died fighting Gabinius. The reinstated king had his daughter Berenike IV and her followers executed immediately.

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literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11 p. 796.
  2. ↑ On the dating Chris Bennett, Mark Depauw: The reign of Berenike IV (summer 58 – spring 55 BC). In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . Volume 160, 2007, pp. 211-214. Chris Bennett: Ptolemy XII. Note 18 .
  3. ^ Cassius Dio , Roman History 39, 12; among others
  4. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11 p. 796; Cassius Dio, Roman History 39, 13, 1; Porphyrios in Felix Jacoby , The Fragments of the Greek Historians (FGrH), No. 260, F 2, 14; Cleopatra Tryphaina is wrongly called the sister of Berenike IV by Porphyrios (in: FGrH 260 , F 32, 28).
  5. ↑ For example, double dating after the two queens in: Egyptian documents from the State Museums in Berlin, Greek documents (BGU) 8, 1762 .
  6. ↑ For example Demotic Papyrus Louvre 3452 with identification of the 3rd year of the Queen with the 25th year of the King. See Chris Bennett, Mark Depauw: The reign of Berenike IV (summer 58 – spring 55 BC). In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy. Volume 160, 2007, p. 211.
  7. ↑ Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 39, 12-16; among others
  8. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11, p. 796; Cassius Dio, Roman History 39, 57, 1; Porphyrios in: FGrH 260, F 32, 28.
  9. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11 p. 796; see. Suetonius , Vespasian 19, 2.
  10. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11, p. 796; similar to Cassius Dio, Roman History 39, 57, 2; Porphyrios's statement to the contrary (in: FGrH 260, F 32, 28) that Seleucus VII succumbed to a serious illness was perhaps spread by the Berenikes court.
  11. ↑ According to Porphyrios (in: FGrH 260, F 32, 28), however, the marriage candidate was Philip I, the father of Philip II.
  12. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11, p. 796; Titus Livius , periochae 105.
  13. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11, p. 796; differently Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 39, 57, 2f.
  14. ^ Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 39, 55-58; among others
  15. ↑ Strabon, Geôgraphiká 17, 1, 11, p. 796; Cassius Dio, Roman History 39, 58, 3; Porphyrios in: FGrH 260, F 2, 14.
predecessor Office successor
Ptolemy XII Queen of Egypt
58–55 		Ptolemy XII
personal data
SURNAME Berenike IV.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler of Egypt
DATE OF BIRTH between 78 BC BC and 75 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 55 BC Chr.