18 – Relief of Arsinoe II

Relief with Arsinoe II, Ptolemaic, c. 180 BCE. Arsinoe II reigned as queen with her brother-husband Ptolemy II (ruled 285-246 BCE). They were worshipped as the Theoi Adelphoi (Sibling Gods), and after her death in 270 BCE the king instituted a special cult for her throughout Egypt. In this relief from a temple probably in Memphis, she wears an elaborate crown that was created specifically for her and adopted by later Ptolemaic queens. The hieroglyphic inscriptions, “Arsinoe, daughter of Amun” and “beloved of the gods,” suggest that this is a posthumous image.

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