Berenice (, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the

Attic Greek Attic Greek is the Greek language, Greek dialect of the regions of ancient Greece, ancient region of Attica, including the ''polis'' of classical Athens, Athens. Often called Classical Greek, it was the prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige diale ...

name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. The Latin variant Veronica is a direct transliteration. The name also has the form Bernice. Many historical figures bear the name Berenice:

Ancient world

Ptolemaic and Seleucid queens and royal daughters in Cyrenaica and Egypt

* Berenice I of Egypt ( – between 279 and 268 BC), mother of Magas of Cyrene and wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt * Berenice Syra ( – 246 BC), daughter of Ptolemy II of Egypt and wife of Seleucid monarch Antiochus II Theos *

Berenice II of Egypt Berenice II Euergetis (267 or 266 – 221 BCE; , ''Berenikē Euergetis'', "Berenice the Benefactress") was queen regnant of Cyrenaica from 258 to 246 BCE and queen of Ptolemaic Egypt from 246 to 222 BCE as the wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes, Ptolem ...

(267 or 266 BC – 221 BC), daughter of Magas of Cyrene, wife of Ptolemy III of Egypt and traditional namesake of the constellation Coma Berenices * Berenice III of Egypt (120–80 BC), daughter of Ptolemy IX of Egypt; she first married Ptolemy X of Egypt, and later Ptolemy XI of Egypt * Berenice IV of Egypt (77–55 BC), daughter of Ptolemy XII of Egypt and elder sister of Cleopatra VII * Berenice (3rd to 2nd century BC), Greek princess and chief priestess of the Carian Satrapy, great-granddaughter of Ptolemy Epigonos and daughter of the third and final Ptolemaic Client King of Telmessos.

Judean princesses

* Berenice (daughter of Salome) (1st century BC), daughter of Salome I, a sister of

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

and mother of

Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa I ( Roman name: Marcus Julius Agrippa; ), also simply known as Herod Agrippa, Agrippa I, () or Agrippa the Great, was the last king of Judea. He was a grandson of Herod the Great and the father of Herod Agrippa II, the last known k ...

* Berenice (28–?), a daughter of Herod Agrippa I, wife of Herod of Chalcis until 48, then spent much of her life at the court of her brother,

Herod Agrippa II Herod Agrippa II ( Roman name: Marcus Julius Agrippa, ; AD 27/28 – or 100), sometimes shortened to Agrippa II or Agrippa, was the last ruler from the Herodian dynasty, reigning over territories outside of Judea as a Roman client. Agrippa ...

. She is chiefly known for her love affair with the Roman general (later emperor)

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

* Berenice (after 50–?), a granddaughter of Herod Agrippa I

Saints

* Berenice, also known as Saint Veronica, 1st-century saint from Jerusalem * Domnina, Berenice, and Prosdoce, 4th-century Christian martyrs

Others

* Berenice (Oxyrhynchus), Roman Egyptian wine merchant * Berenice of Chios (died 72/71 BC), third wife of

Mithridates VI of Pontus Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator (; 135–63 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an effective, ambitious, and r ...

* The daughter in the exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter, one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the Christian Gospels

Modern era

Berenice Abbott Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of cultural figures of the interwar period, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science ...

(1898–1991), American photographer * Bérénice Bejo (born 1976), French-Argentine actress * Berenice Celeyta, Colombian human rights activist * Berenice Mallory (1901–1997), American home economist * Bérénice Marlohe (born 1979), French actress * Bernice Slote (1913–1983), poet and Willa Cather scholar * Berenice Sydney (1944–1983), English artist * Berenice Wicki (born 2002), Swiss snowboarder * Bernice Williams, American blues singer

References

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

* {{given name, cat1=French feminine given names, cat2=English feminine given names Feminine given names