Stratonice of Libya
Encyclopedia
For other persons with the same name, see Stratonice
Stratonice was a Greek noblewoman of very high status
and was the wife of the Ptolemaic Official
Archagathus of Libya
.
Stratonice is an unattested person and is only known through surviving evidence. When her husband was an Epistates in Libya
serving in Cyrenaica
, Stratonice and her husband Archagathus on marble piece made a dedication of a temenos to Isis and Serapis at Alexandria on behalf of Archagathus’ maternal uncle, the Ptolemaic prince Ptolemy II Philadelphus
and his maternal grandmother the first Ptolemaic Queen Berenice I of Egypt
. The record is dated from ca. 283 BC-278 BC and is on display in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria. The inscription below translated in Greek and English reads:
Stratonice made a dedication, to Ptolemy II’s sister the Ptolemaic princess Arsinoe II. The original statue she dedicated was a Hellenistic original statue of Arsinoe II which must be dated from 280 BC-278 BC. The original Hellenistic statue of Arsinoe II was later copied as a Roman statue
. The text from the Roman copy below translated in Greek and English reads:
The inscription reveals she was a daughter of a King Demetrius and there is a possibility that she could identified as an otherwise-unknown daughter of Greek Macedonian
King Demetrius I Poliorcetes
. According to the suggestions of L. Morretti (RFIC 93, 1965, 73) and R.S. Bagnall (Philologus 120, 1976, 195) that Stratonice may have been the sister of Alexander, son of Demetrius I Poliorcetes and Deidamia
. Alexander lived his remaining life as a honorary hostage in Egypt and Stratonice may have accompanied him to Egypt
. Alexander and Stratonice may have accompanied their maternal uncle Pyrrhus of Epirus
to Egypt in c.299 BC when Pyrrhus lived as a hostage in the country. Stratonice is not to be confused with Stratonice of Syria
, the known daughter of Demetrius I Poliorcetes of this name, who married as the second wife of Seleucus I Nicator
and the wife of Antiochus I Soter
. If this suggestion is correct, Stratonice was born at the same time as her husband between 301 BC-298 BC. There is no record of any children born to her marriage to Archagathus.
Stratonice may have been the same Stratonice who had a celebrated Mausoleum
at Eleusis near Alexandria
and was a later mistress of Ptolemy II.
Stratonice
Stratonice is a name that may refer to:* Stratonice , name of four Greek mythological women- Women of Ancient Macedonia :* Stratonice , the wife of Antigonus Monophthalmus...
Stratonice was a Greek noblewoman of very high status
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....
and was the wife of the Ptolemaic Official
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
Archagathus of Libya
Archagathus of Libya
For others of this name see Archagathus Archagathus was a Syracusan Greek Prince and was a Ptolemaic Official.-Family Background:Archagathus was a man of Sicilian origin and his name was a well-attested local Greek name in Sicily...
.
Stratonice is an unattested person and is only known through surviving evidence. When her husband was an Epistates in 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....
serving in 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...
, Stratonice and her husband Archagathus on marble piece made a dedication of a temenos to Isis and Serapis at Alexandria on behalf of Archagathus’ maternal uncle, the Ptolemaic prince Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Ptolemy II Philadelphus was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BCE to 246 BCE. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice, and was educated by Philitas of Cos...
and his maternal grandmother the first Ptolemaic Queen Berenice I of Egypt
Berenice I of Egypt
Berenice I was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman and through her marriage to Ptolemy I Soter, became the first Queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.-Family:...
. The record is dated from ca. 283 BC-278 BC and is on display in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria. The inscription below translated in Greek and English reads:
- ὑπὲρ βασιλέως Πτολεμαίου
- τοῦ Πτολεμαίου καὶ Βερενίκης
- Σωτήρων Άρχάγαθος Άγαθοκλέους
- ὁ ἐπιστάτης τῆς Λιβύης
- καὶ ἡ γυνὴ Στρατονίκη
- Σαράπιδι Ἴσιδι τὸ τέμενος.
- King Ptolemy
- son of Ptolemy and Berenice
- the Saviours Archagathus son of Agathocles
- epistates of Libya
- and his wife Stratonice
- SerapisSerapisSerapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian name of God. Serapis was devised during the 3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography...
, IsisIsisIsis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
of temenosTemenosTemenos is a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, especially to kings and chiefs, or a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, a sanctuary, holy grove or holy precinct: The Pythian race-course is called a temenos, the sacred valley of the Nile is the ...
.
Stratonice made a dedication, to Ptolemy II’s sister the Ptolemaic princess Arsinoe II. The original statue she dedicated was a Hellenistic original statue of Arsinoe II which must be dated from 280 BC-278 BC. The original Hellenistic statue of Arsinoe II was later copied as a Roman statue
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The text from the Roman copy below translated in Greek and English reads:
- Βασίλισσαν Ὰρσινόην βασιλέως
- Πτολεμαίου καί βασιλίσσης Βερενίκης
- Στρατονίκη βασιλέως Δημητρίου
- Queen Arsinoe daughter of King
- Ptolemy and Queen Berenice
- Stratonice daughter of King Demetrius
The inscription reveals she was a daughter of a King Demetrius and there is a possibility that she could identified as an otherwise-unknown daughter of Greek Macedonian
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
King Demetrius I Poliorcetes
Demetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I , called Poliorcetes , son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a king of Macedon...
. According to the suggestions of L. Morretti (RFIC 93, 1965, 73) and R.S. Bagnall (Philologus 120, 1976, 195) that Stratonice may have been the sister of Alexander, son of Demetrius I Poliorcetes and Deidamia
Deidamia I of Epirus
Deidamia was daughter of Aeacides, king of Epirus and his wife Phthia, and sister of Pyrrhus. While yet a girl she was betrothed by her father to Alexander IV, the son of Roxana and Alexander the Great, and having accompanied that prince and Olympias into Macedonia, was besieged in Pydna together...
. Alexander lived his remaining life as a honorary hostage in Egypt and Stratonice may have accompanied him to 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...
. Alexander and Stratonice may have accompanied their maternal uncle Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon . He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome...
to Egypt in c.299 BC when Pyrrhus lived as a hostage in the country. Stratonice is not to be confused with Stratonice of Syria
Stratonice of Syria
For other persons with the same name, see StratoniceStratonice of Syria was the daughter of king Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila, the daughter of Antipater...
, the known daughter of Demetrius I Poliorcetes of this name, who married as the second wife of Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire...
and the wife of Antiochus I Soter
Antiochus I Soter
Antiochus I Soter , was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. He reigned from 281 BC - 261 BC....
. If this suggestion is correct, Stratonice was born at the same time as her husband between 301 BC-298 BC. There is no record of any children born to her marriage to Archagathus.
Stratonice may have been the same Stratonice who had a celebrated Mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
at Eleusis near Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
and was a later mistress of Ptolemy II.
Sources
- Ptolemaic Genealogy: Stratonice
- Ptolemaic Genealogy: Theoxena
- R.S. Bagnall, Archagathos son of Agathocles, Epistates of Libya, Columbia University Department of Greek & Latin, New York, USA, 1976