Tryphaena ( el, Τρύφαινα; c. 141 BC111 BC) was a Ptolemaic princess. She married the Seleucid king

Antiochus VIII Grypus Antiochus VIII Epiphanes/Callinicus/Philometor, nicknamed Grypus ( gr, Γρυπός, "hook-nose"), was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire from 125 to 96 BC. He was the younger son of Demetrius II and Cleopatra Thea. He may have spent h ...

and was queen of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

(124–111 BC).

Biography

Early life and Queen of Syria

It is often assumed that Tryphaena also bore the name ''Cleopatra'', but this has not been attested. She was the oldest daughter of the Egyptian king

Ptolemy VIII Physcon Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Tryphon ( gr, Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης Τρύφων, ''Ptolemaĩos Euergétēs Tryphon'' "Ptolemy the Benefactor; c. 184 BC – 28 June 116 BC), nicknamed Physcon ( "Fatty"), was a king of the Ptolema ...

and his niece and wife

Cleopatra III Cleopatra III ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα; c.160–101 BC) was a queen of Egypt. She ruled at first with her mother Cleopatra II and husband Ptolemy VIII from 142 to 131 BC and again from 127 to 116 BC. She then ruled with her sons Ptole ...

. Therefore, she was the sister of

Ptolemy IX Lathyros Ptolemy IX Soter II Ptolemy IX also took the same title 'Soter' as Ptolemy I. In older references and in more recent references by the German historian Huss, Ptolemy IX may be numbered VIII. ( el, Πτολεμαῖος Σωτ� ...

Ptolemy X Alexander I Ptolemy X Alexander I ( gr, Πτολεμαῖος Ἀλέξανδρος, ''Ptolemaĩos Aléxandros'') was King of Egypt from 107 BC till his death in 88 BC, in co-regency with his mother Cleopatra III as Ptolemy Philometor Soter until 101 BC, and ...

Cleopatra IV Cleopatra IV ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα) was Queen of Egypt briefly from 116 to 115 BC, jointly with her husband Ptolemy IX Lathyros. She later became queen consort of Syria as the wife of Antiochus IX Cyzicenus.Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton, The ...

and Cleopatra Selene. In 124 BC Ptolemy VIII broke with his former ally

Alexander II Zabinas Alexander II Theos Epiphanes Nikephoros ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος Θεός Ἐπιφανής Νικηφόρος ''Áléxandros Theós Épiphanḗs Nikēphóros'', surnamed Zabinas; 150 BC – 123 BC) was a Hellenistic Seleucid monarch who r ...

, instead supporting Antiochus VIII Grypus, the son of Demetrius II Nicator and

Cleopatra Thea Cleopatra Thea ( el, Κλεοπάτρα Θεά, which means "Cleopatra the Goddess"; c. 164 – 121 BC) surnamed Eueteria (i.e., "good-harvest/fruitful season") was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She was queen consort of Syria fr ...

. As part of the new policy, Ptolemy VIII married his daughter Tryphaena to Antiochus VIII and also sent him reinforcements. The couple had five sons: Seleucus VI Epiphanes, the twin Antiochus XI Epiphanes and

Philip I Philadelphus Philip I Epiphanes Philadelphus ( grc, Φίλιππος Ἐπιφανής Φιλάδελφος; between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) was a Hellenistic Seleucid monarch who reigned as the king of Syria from 94 to either 83 or 75 BC. The son of ...

, Demetrius III Eucaerus, and

Antiochus XII Dionysus Antiochus XII Dionysus Epiphanes Philopator Callinicus ( grc, Ἀντίοχος Διόνυσος Ἐπιφανής Φιλοπάτωρ Καλλίνικος; between 124 and 109 BC – 82 BC) was a Hellenistic Seleucid monarch who reigned as Ki ...

. Tryphaena also bore her husband a daughter called Laodice, who became the wife of

Mithridates I Callinicus Mithridates I Callinicus ( el, Μιθριδάτης ὀ Кαλλίνικος) was a king of Orontid Iranian; ; ; ; descent who lived during the late 2nd century BC and early 1st century BC. Mithridates was a prince, the son, and successor of King ...

. Porphyry, quoted by

Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...

, ''Chronicle'' I, p. 261-262, edition by Schoene

Feud with Cleopatra IV and death

In 112 BC Antiochus VIII defeated his stepbrother and rival Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, and took

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, where Cleopatra IV, the wife of Antiochus IX, stayed. Tryphaena hated her sister Cleopatra IV, who had taken refuge in the temple of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, and wanted her to be killed. She accused Cleopatra IV of introducing foreign armies into the dispute between the Seleucid stepbrothers and marrying outside Egypt against the will of her mother. Antiochus VIII asked his wife in vain to spare her sister. He said that his ancestors had never dealt so violently with women. He added that the temple, where Cleopatra IV had taken refuge, was sacred, and that he had to respect the gods, with whose help he had won. But Tryphaena was not to be persuaded by her husband and ordered several soldiers to execute her sister. They penetrated into the temple and killed Cleopatra IV. Before dying Cleopatra IV cursed her murderers and left her revenge to the discretion of the dishonoured gods. A year later, in 111 BC, Tryphaena was taken prisoner by Antiochus IX after he had beaten his stepbrother in another battle. Antiochus IX had her executed and sacrificed her to the

manes In ancient Roman religion, the ''Manes'' (, , ) or ''Di Manes'' are chthonic deities sometimes thought to represent souls of deceased loved ones. They were associated with the '' Lares'', '' Lemures,'' '' Genii'', and ''Di Penates'' as deities ( ...

of his wife.Justin, ''Epitoma historiarum Philippicarum Pompei Trogi'' 39.3.4-12, our only source for these events

Notes

References

* Felix Stähelin: ''Kleopatra 25)''. In: '' Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft'' . Vol. XI, 1 (1921), col. 787–788.

External links