Arsinoe IV of Egypt

Arsinoe IV (ca. 68/67 – 41 BC) was the youngest daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, sister of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII, and one of the last rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt. When their father died, he left Ptolemy and Cleopatra as joint rulers of Egypt, but Ptolemy soon dethroned Cleopatra and forced her to flee Alexandria.

When Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria in 48 BC and sided with Cleopatra's faction, Arsinoe escaped from the capital with her mentor Ganymedes and joined the Egyptian army under Achillas, assuming the title of pharaoh. When Achillas and Ganymedes clashed, Arsinoe had Achillas executed and placed Ganymedes in command of the army. [Julius Caesar, "Commentarii de Bello Civili" 3.112.10-12; "De Bello Alexandrino" 4; Cassius Dio, "Roman History" 42.39.1-2; 42.40.1; Lucan, "Pharsalia" 10.519-523] Ganymedes initially enjoyed some success against the Romans, but the leading Egyptian officers were soon dissatisfied with the eunuch. They pretended to want peace and negotiated with Caesar an exchange of Arsinoe for Ptolemy XIII, who was released. ["De Bello Alexandrino" 23-24 and, with some deviations, Cassius Dio, "Roman History" 42.42] But Ptolemy continued the war. Soon the Romans received reinforcements and inflicted a decisive defeat on the Egyptians.

Arsinoe was transported to Rome, where she was forced to appear in Caesar's triumph, but the Romans had pity for her. [Cassius Dio, "Roman History" 43.19.2-3; Appian, "Civil Wars" 2.101.420] Despite usual traditions of prisoners in triumphs being strangled when the festivities were at an end, Caesar spared Arsinoe and granted her sanctuary at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Arsinoe lived in the temple for many years, always keeping a watchful eye for her sister Cleopatra, who saw her as a threat to her power. Her fears proved well-founded; in 41 BC, at Cleopatra's instigation, Mark Antony ordered Arsinoe executed on the steps of the temple. The priest Megabyzus, who had welcomed Arsinoe on her arrival at the temple as "Queen", was only pardoned, when an embassy from Ephesus made a petition to Cleopatra. [Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews" 15.89; Josephus, "Contra Apion" 2.57; inaccurate Appian, "Civil Wars" 5.9.34-36 and Cassius Dio "Roman History" 48.24.2]

The tomb of Arsinoe was very probably correctly identified by Hilke Thür with a octogonal monument situated in the centre of Ephesus. The epitaph is missing but the tomb can be dated in the time of 50 to 20 BC and in 1926 the body of an approximately 20 year old woman of aristocratic rank was found in the burial chamber. Arsinoe was the only known member of the nobility of that time who died in Ephesus. If the monument is really the tomb of Arsinoe, she would be the only member of the Ptolemaic dynasty whose body has survived until today. [Hilke Thür: Arsinoë IV, eine Schwester Kleopatras VII, Grabinhaberin des Oktogons von Ephesos? Ein Vorschlag. ("Arsinoe IV, a sister of Cleopatra VII, grave owner of the octogon in Ephesus? A suggestion.") In: Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts, vol. 60, 1990, p. 43–56.]

Notes

References

*"Encyclopædia Britannica," 2003 edition

External link

* www.livius.org: [http://www.livius.org/arl-arz/arsinoe/arsinoe_iv.html Arsinoe IV]
* Biography by Christopher Bennett: [http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Egypt/ptolemies/arsinoe_iv.htm Arsinoe IV]