Arsinoe IV of Egypt - History

History

When their father died, he left Ptolemy and Cleopatra as joint rulers of Egypt, but Ptolemy soon dethroned Cleopatra and forced her to flee Alexandria. When Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria in 48 BC and sided with Cleopatra's faction, Arsinoë escaped from the capital with her mentor, the eunuch Ganymedes, and joined the Egyptian army under Achillas that was besieging Alexandria, assuming the title of pharaoh. When Achillas and Ganymedes clashed, Arsinoë had Achillas executed and placed Ganymedes in command of the army. Ganymedes initially enjoyed some success against the Romans, but the leading Egyptian officers were soon dissatisfied with the eunuch. Under a pretext of wanting peace, they negotiated with Caesar to exchange Arsinoë for Ptolemy XIII, who was subsequently released. However, Ptolemy continued the war, but soon the Romans received reinforcements and inflicted a decisive defeat upon the Egyptians.

Arsinoe was transported to Rome, where in 46 BC she was forced to appear in Caesar's triumph. Despite the usual tradition of prominent prisoners in triumphs' being strangled when the festivities were at an end, Caesar was pressured to spare Arsinoe and granted her sanctuary at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Arsinoe lived in the temple for a few years, always keeping a watchful eye on her sister Cleopatra, who saw her as a threat to her power. Her fears proved well-founded; in 41 BC, at Cleopatra's instigation, Mark Antony ordered Arsinoë executed on the steps of the temple, a gross violation of the temple sanctuary and an act which scandalised Rome. The priest Megabyzus, who had welcomed Arsinoë on her arrival at the temple as Queen, was only pardoned when an embassy from Ephesus made a petition to Cleopatra.