Agathoclea (; c. 247 BC/mid-230s BC – 203/202
) was the favourite mistress of the

Greco-Egyptian The Egyptian Greeks, also known as Egyptiotes () or simply Greeks in Egypt (), are the Greeks, ethnic Greek community from Egypt that has existed from the Hellenistic period until the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution of 1952, Egyptian coup d' ...

Pharaoh

Ptolemy IV Philopator Ptolemy IV Philopator (; "Ptolemy, lover of his Father"; May/June 244 – July/August 204 BC) was the fourth pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 221 to 204 BC. Ptolemy IV was the son of Ptolemy III and Berenice II. His succession to the throne was ...

who reigned 221–205; sister of Ptolemy IV’s minister

Agathocles Agathocles ( Greek: ) is a Greek name. The most famous person called Agathocles was Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from and . Other people named Agathocles include: *Agathocles, a sophist, teacher of Damon ...

. Agathoclea was an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...

. She was one of the daughters born to

Oenanthe of Egypt Oenanthe (, which means ''wineflower'' - from οἶνος ''wine'' and ἄνθος ''flower''), who died in 203 BC, was an Egyptian Greek noblewoman who, through marriage, was a relation of the Ptolemaic dynasty. She was a woman of obscure origin ...

. The name of her father is uncertain.

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

states Agathoclea had relatives who served the Ptolemaic dynasty: Nikon a nauarch under Ptolemy IV; and Philammon who was appointed libyarch of Cyrene by her brother. Agathoclea may have been an owner of a grain boat. Agathoclea and her brother, who both exercised almost unlimited influence over the Pharaoh, were introduced to him by their ambitious mother. Polybius (15.31.13), states that Agathoclea claimed to have a wet-nurse to the son of Ptolemy IV. Despite Ptolemy IV marrying his sister

Arsinoe III Arsinoe III Philopator (, ''Arsinóē hē Philopátо̄r'', meaning "Arsinoe the father-loving", 246 or 245 BC – 204 BC) was Queen of Ptolemaic Egypt in 220 – 204 BC. She was a daughter of Ptolemy III and Berenice II and spouse of her brothe ...

in 220 BC, Agathoclea continued to be his favourite. In late c. 210 BC, Agathoclea may have given birth to a son from her affair with Ptolemy IV, who may have died shortly after his birth, and it has also been suggested that

Ptolemy V Ptolemy V Epiphanes Eucharistus (, ''Ptolemaĩos Epiphanḗs Eukháristos'' "Ptolemy the Manifest, the Beneficent"; 9 October 210–September 180 BC) was the King of Ptolemaic Egypt from July or August 204 BC until his death in 180 BC. Ptolemy ...

was in fact born of Agathoclea. On the death of Ptolemy IV in 205, Agathoclea and her friends kept the event secret, that they might have an opportunity of plundering the royal treasury. They also formed a conspiracy with

Sosibius Sosibius (; floruit 221-204 BC) was the chief minister of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–204 BC), king of Egypt. Nothing is known of his origin or parentage, though he may have been a son of Sosibius of Tarentum; nor is there any account of how he ...

aimed at placing Agathocles on the throne or at least making him regent for the new king,

Ptolemy V Epiphanes Ptolemy V Epiphanes Eucharistus (, ''Ptolemaĩos Epiphanḗs Eukháristos'' "Ptolemy the Manifest, the Beneficent"; 9 October 210–September 180 BC) was the Pharaoh, King of Ptolemaic Egypt from July or August 204 BC until his death in 180 BC. ...

. With the support of Sosibios, they murdered Arsinoe III. Agathocles then acted as guardian to the young king Ptolemy V. In 203/202, the Egyptians and Greeks of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, exasperated at Agathocles' outrages, rose against him, and the military governor

Tlepolemus In Greek mythology, Tlepolemus (; ) was the leader of the Rhodian forces in the Trojan War.Homer, ''Iliad'2.653–70 Family Tlepolemus was a son of Heracles and Astyoche, daughter of Phylas, king of Ephyra. Though some sources say that his ...

placed himself at their head. They surrounded the palace in the night, and forced their way in. Agathocles and his sister begged for mercy, but in vain. Agathocles was killed by his friends, to avoid an even more cruel fate. Agathoclea with her sisters, and Oenanthe, who had taken refuge in a temple, were dragged out, and in a state of nakedness exposed to the fury of the multitude, who literally tore them limb from limb. All their relations and those who had had any share in the murder of Arsinoe III were likewise put to death. There was another Agathoclea, the daughter of a man named Aristomenes, who was by birth an

Acarnania Acarnania () is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part ...

n, and rose to great power in Egypt.

''l.c.''

Ancestry

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Agathoclea 3rd-century BC births 3rd-century BC deaths 3rd-century BC Egyptian women 3rd-century BC Egyptian people Mistresses of Egyptian royalty Egyptian murder victims 3rd-century BC Greek people 3rd-century BC Greek women Ptolemaic courtiers