Ladice (Cyrenaean Princess)
Encyclopedia
This article is about Ladice, the Libyan Greek Cyrenaean Princess who married the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II
. For the village in Slovakia
, go to Ladice
.
Ladice or Ladice of Cyrene (Greek
: Λαδική, flourished 6th century BC) was a Libya
n Greek
woman, who was a Greek
Cyrenaean
Princess and was a member of The Battiads Dynasty. She was the daughter of the fifth Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III
and Greek Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
. Her brother would be the future sixth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus III
. Although her maternal grandparents are unknown, her paternal grandparents were the fourth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
and Greek Cyrenaean Queen Eryxo
. Although her father was Battus III, Herodotus states from other accounts her father could have been Arcesilaus II or Critobulus, one of the leading Greek Cyrenaean citizens. She was born and raised in Cyrene.
ian Pharaoh
Amasis II
as his fourth wife. Before her marriage with Amasis took place, her father made an alliance with the Pharaoh to protect Cyrenaica
from the local Libya
n population and its aristocracy.
Amasis, as a token of his goodwill and friendship with Battus, wanted to marry a Greek woman from Cyrenaica and Battus allowed him to pick any woman, whom he wanted to marry. Amasis chose Battus' daughter Ladice to marry as his Greek wife. Ladice and Amasis married in Cyrene. When Ladice married Amasis, she became the first Greek woman in history to marry a Pharaoh of Egypt and first Greek woman in history to marry into a native Pharaoh dynasty in Egypt.
When Ladice married Amasis, she became a member of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
, the last native dynasty of Pharaohs to rule Egypt. Ladice is not well known in Ancient Egypt
ian History and her name does not appear on monuments, nor it is mentioned in any inscriptions in Egypt. However, her marriage to Amasis began to develop and encourage cultural interaction with Egypt and its neighbours. Trade began to open from Egypt. Egypt traded with Greece
and with the surrounding countries in the Mediterranean.
, their marriage, for a while, was not consummated. Every time Amasis went to bed with Ladice, he was unable to have intercourse with her, although he did with his other wives. Amasis thought that Ladice might have had bewitched him and charged Ladice with bewitching the Pharaoh. If she was found guilty, the punishment would be the death penalty. She denied the charge in vain.
. If Aphrodite could save her life and her marriage, she would dedicate a statue to her in Cyrene. The Goddess answered her prayer and her marriage was consummated and the Pharaoh fell deeply in love with her. Amasis withdrew the charge from Ladice.
Ladice ordered a statue to be made in the image of Aphrodite and she sent the statue to Cyrene, where it was placed looking outward from the city. The statue was still there in the time of Herodotus
.
conquered Egypt. When Cambyses discovered who Ladice was, he sent her safely from Egypt back to Cyrene. What happened to Ladice after her return to Cyrene is unknown.
Amasis II
Amasis II or Ahmose II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.-Life:...
. For the village in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, go to Ladice
Ladice
This article is about Ladice, the village in Slovakia. For the Libyan Greek Cyrenaean Princess who married the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II, see Ladice ....
.
Ladice or Ladice of Cyrene (Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
: Λαδική, flourished 6th century BC) was a Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
woman, who was a Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
Cyrenaean
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
Princess and was a member of The Battiads Dynasty. She was the daughter of the fifth Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III
Battus III of Cyrene
Battus III of Cyrene or Battus III, surnamed The Lame was the fifth Greek Cyrenaean king and a member of the Battiad dynasty....
and Greek Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
Pheretima (Cyrenaean Queen)
Pheretima or Pheretime was the wife of the Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III and the last recorded queen of the Battiad dynasty in Cyrenaica....
. Her brother would be the future sixth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus III
Arcesilaus III of Cyrene
Arcesilaus III of Cyrene or Arcesilaus III was the sixth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
. Although her maternal grandparents are unknown, her paternal grandparents were the fourth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene or Arcesilaus II also known as Arcesilaus II The Oppressor, The Tough, The Severe or The Harsh. Arcesilaus was the fourth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty...
and Greek Cyrenaean Queen Eryxo
Eryxo
Eryxo was a Greek woman, who was a Queen of Cyrenaica and was a member of The Battiads dynasty, the family that ruled Cyrenaica and Cyrene...
. Although her father was Battus III, Herodotus states from other accounts her father could have been Arcesilaus II or Critobulus, one of the leading Greek Cyrenaean citizens. She was born and raised in Cyrene.
Marriage
After 548 BC, she married the second last native EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Amasis II
Amasis II
Amasis II or Ahmose II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.-Life:...
as his fourth wife. Before her marriage with Amasis took place, her father made an alliance with the Pharaoh to protect Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
from the local Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n population and its aristocracy.
Amasis, as a token of his goodwill and friendship with Battus, wanted to marry a Greek woman from Cyrenaica and Battus allowed him to pick any woman, whom he wanted to marry. Amasis chose Battus' daughter Ladice to marry as his Greek wife. Ladice and Amasis married in Cyrene. When Ladice married Amasis, she became the first Greek woman in history to marry a Pharaoh of Egypt and first Greek woman in history to marry into a native Pharaoh dynasty in Egypt.
When Ladice married Amasis, she became a member of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC . The Dynasty's reign The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (also written Dynasty XXVI or Dynasty 26) was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC...
, the last native dynasty of Pharaohs to rule Egypt. Ladice is not well known in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian History and her name does not appear on monuments, nor it is mentioned in any inscriptions in Egypt. However, her marriage to Amasis began to develop and encourage cultural interaction with Egypt and its neighbours. Trade began to open from Egypt. Egypt traded with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and with the surrounding countries in the Mediterranean.
Stepsons
It is unknown whether Ladice and Amasis had any children. However, from her marriage to the Pharaoh Ladice had two stepsons. Amasis had two sons, a child each from his first wife and third wife. They were the native Egyptian Prince Amose and his younger half brother, the last native Egyptian Pharaoh Psametik III.Marriage not consummated
When Amasis and Ladice returned to his palace in Sais, EgyptSais, Egypt
Sais or Sa el-Hagar was an ancient Egyptian town in the Western Nile Delta on the Canopic branch of the Nile. It was the provincial capital of Sap-Meh, the fifth nome of Lower Egypt and became the seat of power during the Twenty-fourth dynasty of Egypt and the Saite Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt ...
, their marriage, for a while, was not consummated. Every time Amasis went to bed with Ladice, he was unable to have intercourse with her, although he did with his other wives. Amasis thought that Ladice might have had bewitched him and charged Ladice with bewitching the Pharaoh. If she was found guilty, the punishment would be the death penalty. She denied the charge in vain.
Prayer to Aphrodite
Ladice made a silent prayer to the Greek Goddess of love AphroditeAphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
. If Aphrodite could save her life and her marriage, she would dedicate a statue to her in Cyrene. The Goddess answered her prayer and her marriage was consummated and the Pharaoh fell deeply in love with her. Amasis withdrew the charge from Ladice.
Ladice ordered a statue to be made in the image of Aphrodite and she sent the statue to Cyrene, where it was placed looking outward from the city. The statue was still there in the time of Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
.
Return to Cyrene
When Amasis died, in December 526 BC, Psametik III became Pharaoh and ruled from then until 525 BC, when the King Cambyses II of PersiaCambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II son of Cyrus the Great , was a king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Cambyses's grandfather was Cambyses I, king of Anshan. Following Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Near East and Central Asia, Cambyses II further expanded the empire into Egypt during the Late Period by defeating...
conquered Egypt. When Cambyses discovered who Ladice was, he sent her safely from Egypt back to Cyrene. What happened to Ladice after her return to Cyrene is unknown.
Sources
- Morkot, R., The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, Penguin Books, The Bath Press - Avon, Great Britain, 1996
- HerodotusHerodotusHerodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, The Histories, Book 4 - http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrenaica/cyrenaica.html
- http://www.livius.org/am-ao/amasis/amasis.html
- http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/history21-31.htm
- http://books.google.com/books?id=yFoGAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA476&lpg=RA1-PA476&dq=battus+i+of+cyrene&source=web&ots=t0ry2lDq05&sig=de4r9u7WwS3ocdHqMZvG-z6ZZU4
- http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.aegyptologie.com/forum/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl%3Faction%3Dlexikond%26id%3D040405054421&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=9&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DLadice%2Bof%2BCyrene%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DORl%26sa%3DN