Berenice II

Berenice II was the daughter of King Magas of Cyrene and Queen Apama II. Her marriage to Ptolemy III in 246 BC successfully reunited the province of Cyrene with Egypt. She governed as co-ruler alongside her husband until his death in 222 BC and survived into 221 BC before being murdered in a court intrigue; dates are certain to within a single year.

Berenice exercised significant royal authority, acting as regent in Egypt while her husband campaigned abroad in the Third Syrian War. A famous court tradition recounted that she dedicated a lock of her hair for his safe return, giving rise to the constellation Coma Berenices. She was named jointly with the king in official decrees, including the bilingual Canopus Decree of 238 BC, and appeared on royal coinage and temple reliefs throughout Egypt.

Historians know Berenice II from contemporary Greek poetry, royal gold and silver coinage, and bilingual hieroglyphic texts such as the stelae of Canopus.

Monuments

• Canopus decree stela

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Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.