Eurydice of Egypt
| Eurydice | |
|---|---|
| Queen of Egypt | |
| Spouse | Ptolemy I Soter |
| Issue | Ptolemy Keraunos Meleager Ptolemais Lysandra |
| Dynasty | Ptolemaic |
| Father | Antipater |
Eurydice (Greek Εὐρυδίκη) was a Queen of Egypt by marriage to Ptolemy I Soter.
Life
She was the daughter of Antipater and married Ptolemy I Soter. The period of her marriage is not mentioned by any ancient writer, but it is probable that it took place shortly after the partition of Triparadisus, and the appointment of Antipater to the regency in 321 BC.
She was the mother of three sons: Ptolemy Keraunos, Meleager, who succeeded his brother on the throne of Macedonia and a third child, whose name is unknown, who was put to death by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who was the son of Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice.
Eurydice also had two daughters; Ptolemais, who married Demetrius I of Macedon[1] (who was also married to Eurydice's sister Phila), and Lysandra, the wife of Agathocles.
Ptolemy I Soter, according to the customs of the day, had several concubines and latterly neglected Euydice for Berenice.[2] It was probably from resentment on this account, and for the preference shown to the children of Berenice, that she withdrew from the court of Ptolemaic Egypt.
In 287 BC she was residing at Miletus, where she welcomed Demetrius I of Macedon, and gave him her daughter for marriage. [3]
Issue
- Ptolemy Keraunos, king of Macedon from 281 BC to 279 BC.
- Meleager, who ruled as King of Macedon during 279 BC for two months.
- A third son, whose name is unknown but is referred to as 'rebel in Cyprus',[4] who was put to death by Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
- Ptolemais, who married Demetrius I of Macedon[1] (who was also married to Eurydice's sister Phila)
- Lysandra, first married to Alexander V and after to the son of Lysimachus and Nicaea.[5][6][7][8]
Notes
- ^ a b Plutarch, Parallel Lives, "Demetrius", 32, 46
- ^ Plutarch, "Pyrrhus", 4
- ^ Plutarch, "Demetrius", 46
- ^ Ogden, Daniel (1999). Polygamy Prostitutes and Death. The Hellenistic Dynasties. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. p. 150. ISBN 07156 29301.
- ^ Pausanias, i. 9
- ^ Macurdy, Grace Harriet (1985). Hellenistic Queens (Reprint of 1932 ed.). Ares Publishers. ISBN 0-89005-542-4.
- ^ Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3
- ^ Eurydice by Chris Bennett
References
- Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Eurydice (4)", Boston, (1867)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Eurydice (4)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
Further reading
- Waterfield, Robin (2011). Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great’s Empire (hardback). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-957392-9.