Berenice II came to the Ptolemaic throne through Cyrene, having allegedly arranged the murder of her first betrothed, Demetrius the Fair, before marrying Ptolemy III Euergetes in 246 BC. Her subsequent deification was not merely ceremonial flattery — it carried political weight, linking the queen's cult to state religion at a moment when Ptolemy III was prosecuting the Third Syrian War deep into Seleucid territory. Bronze issues bearing her name were part of a coordinated effort to circulate her image and divine status throughout Egypt and its possessions while the king was abroad.
Berenice II came to the Ptolemaic throne through Cyrene, having allegedly arranged the murder of her first betrothed, Demetrius the Fair, before marrying Ptolemy III Euergetes in 246 BC. Her subsequent deification was not merely ceremonial flattery — it carried political weight, linking the queen's cult to state religion at a moment when Ptolemy III was prosecuting the Third Syrian War deep into Seleucid territory. Bronze issues bearing her name were part of a coordinated effort to circulate her image and divine status throughout Egypt and its possessions while the king was abroad.