daughter of Lysimachus
first wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphus
mother of Ptolemy III Euergetes
Ill-fated princess of Thrace who became queen
of Egypt about 282 BCE to cement an alliance to stop Seleucus
I from invading Asia Minor. Within five years, however, political
intrigues precipitated by her father's death forced her into exile. In 279
Lysimachus' ambitious widow, Arsinoë
II, returned to Alexandria to seek
refuge from her brother Ptolemy II. Intent on gaining the throne, she
instigated accusations that Arsinoë I was plotting Ptolemy's murder. Ptolemy
repudiated his wife & scandalized Greeks by adopting the Egyptian royal
tradition of marrying his own sister (277 BCE). Although Arsinoë I's three
children by Ptolemy II remained in the palace, she herself was banished to
Upper Egypt, where she died in obscurity.
Other resources on line:
Perspective on the
World of Jesus 