Person

Berenice II

c. 267–221 BCE · 3rd century BCE

Berenice II was the daughter of Magas, king of Cyrene, and queen of Ptolemaic Egypt. Promised to Ptolemy III, she was instead married to Demetrius the Fair, whom she had killed. She then married Ptolemy III in 246 BCE, reuniting Cyrene with Egypt. The constellation Coma Berenices is named after the lock of hair she dedicated for his safe return from war. She was murdered in 221 BCE.

Berenice II
Image: Ptolémée IV (Philopator ; roi lagide). Autorité émettrice de monnaie Lagides (dynastie). Autorité émettrice de monnaie · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Cyrene under Magas

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Berenice II. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berenice-ii
MLA
“Berenice II.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berenice-ii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Berenice II.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berenice-ii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Berenice II’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/berenice-ii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻