Theoxena of Egypt
Encyclopedia
For others of this name see Theoxena (disambiguation)
Theoxena, also known as Theoxena the Younger to distinguish her from her mother was a Syracusan Greek
Princess and was a noblewoman of high status.
. She was the daughter born to Agathocles and his third wife Theoxena
and had a brother called Archagathus
.
Her father Agathocles, was a Greek Tyrant of Syracuse, who later became King of Sicily. Theoxena had two paternal-half posthumous brothers: Archagathus
and Agathocles; one paternal half-sister Lanassa
who was the second wife of King Pyrrhus of Epirus
and a posthumous paternal half-nephew Archagathus
. Theoxena was the namesake of her mother.
Her mother Theoxena was a Greek
Macedonian
noblewoman. She was the second daughter and third child born to the noblewoman Berenice I
and her first husband obscure nobleman Philip
. Theoxena’s biological maternal grandfather Philip, served as a military officer in the service of the Greek King Alexander the Great and was known in commanding one division of the Phalanx
in Alexander’s wars. Theoxena’s maternal grandmother Berenice I, was the great-niece of the powerful Regent
Antipater
and she was a distant collateral relative to the Argead dynasty
. Her full blooded maternal uncle was Magas of Cyrene
and her full-blooded maternal aunt was Antigone
.
Her biological maternal grandfather Philip died about 318 BC. After his death, Berenice I travelled with her children to live in Egypt
, where she eventually married Ptolemy I Soter
the first Greek Pharaoh and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Through her grandmother’s second marriage to Ptolemy I, Berenice I was an Egyptian Queen and the Queen mother of the Ptolemaic dynasty
, thus her mother was a stepdaughter to Ptolemy I and became an Egyptian Princess. Her maternal grandmother had with Ptolemy I three children; two daughters, Arsinoe II, Philotera
and the future Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus
. Arsinoe II, Philotera were her maternal half-aunts, while Ptolemy II was her maternal half-uncle.
.
.
Sometime in the reign of Ptolemy II reigned 283 BC-246 BC, her uncle had banished her to the Thebaid
, perhaps to Coptos
. Theoxena had brought false accusations to Ptolemy II against parties she knew. The names of these persons are lost as they were recorded on a papyrus, which has been damaged. It can be chronologically plausible that these events were connected to the exile of Arsinoe I. Arsinoe I was the first wife of Ptolemy II and was exiled in 274 BC/273 BC.
Theoxena (disambiguation)
Theoxena is an ancient Greek name and can refer to:* Theoxena of Syracuse , a Greek Macedonian noblewoman who was the third wife of Greek King Agathocles of Syracuse...
Theoxena, also known as Theoxena the Younger to distinguish her from her mother was a Syracusan 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....
Princess and was a noblewoman of high status.
Family Background
Theoxena was a woman of Sicilian originSicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. She was the daughter born to Agathocles and his third wife Theoxena
Theoxena of Syracuse
For others of this name see Theoxena Theoxena was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman. Through her mother’s second marriage, she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and through marriage was a Queen of Sicily....
and had a brother called Archagathus
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...
.
Her father Agathocles, was a Greek Tyrant of Syracuse, who later became King of Sicily. Theoxena had two paternal-half posthumous brothers: Archagathus
Archagathus (son of Agathocles of Syracuse)
For others of this name see Archagathus Archagathus was a Syracusan Greek Prince.Archagathus was a son of Agathocles of Syracuse and had a brother also called, Agathocles. His father was the Greek Tyrant of Syracuse who later became King of Sicily...
and Agathocles; one paternal half-sister Lanassa
Lanassa (wife of Pyrrhus)
Lanassa was a daughter of king Agathocles of Syracuse, Sicily, perhaps by his second wife Alcia. In 295 BC Agathocles married Lanassa to King Pyrrhus of Epirus. Agathocles himself escorted his daughter with his fleet to Epirus to her groom. Lanassa brought the island of Corcyra as dowry into the...
who was the second wife of King 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...
and a posthumous paternal half-nephew Archagathus
Archagathus (grandson of Agathocles of Syracuse)
For others of this name see Archagathus Archagathus was a Syracusan Greek Prince.Archagathus was the son of Archagathus by unnamed wife, being a paternal grandson of the Sicilian Greek King Agathocles of Syracuse from his first wife....
. Theoxena was the namesake of her mother.
Her mother Theoxena was a 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....
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...
noblewoman. She was the second daughter and third child born to the noblewoman Berenice I
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:...
and her first husband obscure nobleman Philip
Philip (first husband of Berenice I of Egypt)
Philip was a Greek Macedonian nobleman that lived in the 4th century BC.Philip was the son of Amyntas by an unnamed mother. He served as a military officer in the service of the Greek King Alexander the Great. Philip was known in commanding one division of the Phalanx in Alexander’s wars and...
. Theoxena’s biological maternal grandfather Philip, served as a military officer in the service of the Greek King Alexander the Great and was known in commanding one division of the Phalanx
Phalanx formation
The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
in Alexander’s wars. Theoxena’s maternal grandmother Berenice I, was the great-niece of the powerful Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
Antipater
Antipater
Antipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became Regent of all of Alexander's Empire. Antipater was one of the sons of a Macedonian nobleman called Iollas or Iolaus and his family were distant collateral relatives to the...
and she was a distant collateral relative to the Argead dynasty
Argead dynasty
The Argead dynasty was an ancient Greek royal house. They were the ruling dynasty of Macedonia from about 700 to 310 BC. Their tradition, as described in ancient Greek historiography, traced their origins to Argos, in southern Greece...
. Her full blooded maternal uncle was Magas of Cyrene
Magas of Cyrene
Magas of Cyrene was a Greek Macedonian nobleman. Through his mother’s second marriage he was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty. He became King of Cyrenaica and he managed to wrestle independence for Cyrenaica from the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt.-Family Background & Early Life:Magas...
and her full-blooded maternal aunt was Antigone
Antigone of Epirus
Antigone was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman. Through her mother’s second marriage was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and through marriage was a Queen of Epirus....
.
Her biological maternal grandfather Philip died about 318 BC. After his death, Berenice I travelled with her children to live in 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...
, where she eventually married Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter I , also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC – c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...
the first Greek Pharaoh and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Through her grandmother’s second marriage to Ptolemy I, Berenice I was an Egyptian Queen and the Queen mother of the Ptolemaic dynasty
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...
, thus her mother was a stepdaughter to Ptolemy I and became an Egyptian Princess. Her maternal grandmother had with Ptolemy I three children; two daughters, Arsinoe II, Philotera
Philotera
Philotera was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman and a Greek Egyptian Princess of the Ptolemaic dynasty.Philotera was a daughter born to Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice I of Egypt. She had one older sister: Arsinoe II and a younger brother the future Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus...
and the future Pharaoh 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...
. Arsinoe II, Philotera were her maternal half-aunts, while Ptolemy II was her maternal half-uncle.
Early life
Like her brother, Theoxena was born between 301 BC-298 BC. Along with her brother they were born and raised in Sicily. When Agathocles felt his death was approaching, he had sent away the elder Theoxena and their children to Egypt. Theoxena’s father died in 289 BC and her father declared his kingdom as a democracy on his death. Theoxena, her brother with their mother; spent their remaining youth in Egypt, possibly in the court living with Ptolemy I and Berenice I in AlexandriaAlexandria
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...
.
Remaining Life
Little is known on the adult life of Theoxena. Theoxena married an unknown person whose name is lost. By her husband, Theoxena had two children; one child whose name is lost and a son called AgathoclesAgathocles (grandson of Agathocles of Syracuse)
Agathocles was an Egyptian Greek nobleman and through his mother was related to the Ptolemaic dynasty.-Family Background:Agathocles was a second child born to Theoxena of Egypt by an unnamed father, whose name is lost and had an older sibling, whose name is also lost...
.
Sometime in the reign of Ptolemy II reigned 283 BC-246 BC, her uncle had banished her to the Thebaid
Thebaid
The Thebaid or Thebais is the region of ancient Egypt containing the thirteen southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan. It acquired its name from its proximity to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes....
, perhaps to Coptos
Qift
Qift is a small town in the Qena Governorate of Egypt about 43 km north of Luxor, on the east bank of the Nile.-History:In ancient Egypt, Qift, known then as Gebtu, was an important center for administration, religion, and commerce, being the chief city of the fifth Upper Egyptian Nome of Harawî...
. Theoxena had brought false accusations to Ptolemy II against parties she knew. The names of these persons are lost as they were recorded on a papyrus, which has been damaged. It can be chronologically plausible that these events were connected to the exile of Arsinoe I. Arsinoe I was the first wife of Ptolemy II and was exiled in 274 BC/273 BC.
Sources
- Ancient Library article: Archagathus, No. 1 & 2
- Ancient Library article: Theoxena no. 1
- Ancient Library article: Magas no.1
- Berenice I article at Livius.org
- Ptolemaic Dynasty - Affiliated Lines: The Antipatrids & Agathocles
- Ptolemaic Genealogy: Berenice I
- Ptolemaic Genealogy: Theoxena
- R.S. Bagnall, Archagathos son of Agathocles, Epistates of Libya, Columbia University Department of Greek & Latin, New York, USA, 1976