The Celestial Hairlock Of Berenice II, Queen Of Egypt And Cyrene
Not long after the passing of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, one of his generals, Ptolemy - who went on to found the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt and later known as Ptolemy I Soter - annexed Cyrene (in modern Libya). As Cyrene proved challenging to govern, around two decades later Ptolemy I appointed the then 20-year-old Magas, son of his latest wife Berenice I from her previous marriage to an obscure local nobleman, as ruler of Cyrene. But Fate chose Berenice II, the daughter of Magas, in whose hands by murder, or hair by redemption, the future of Cyrene would lie.
Magas King of Cyrene, circa 282/75 to 261 BC. (Classical Numismatic Group / CC BY-SA 3.0)
After Ptolemy I’s demise, Magas proclaimed his independence and crowned himself King of Cyrene, making himself the first King of Cyrene in about 200 years – the last of whom was Arcesilaus IV in 440 BC. Magas married Apama, a member of the Seleucid Dynasty which had turned against the Ptolemies in 275 BC and waged war against Magas’ half-brother Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Ptolemy I's son and successor in Egypt. The only child born of Magas and Apama was also named Berenice.
