Critola ( grc, Κρίτολα, flourished 550 BC) was a

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

princess of

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

and its capital Cyrene and was a member of the

Battiad dynasty The Battiadae, or Battiads ( gr, Βαττιάδαι), were the ruling dynasty of the Greek city-state of Cyrene, in modern Libya. Battus I, who founded Cyrene in 631 BC, was also the founder of the dynasty. The Battiads were overthrown in 440 BC. ...

. She was the daughter of Arcesilaus I, the second king of Cyrenaica, while her mother is unknown. Her paternal grandfather was Battus I, the first king of Cyrene, and her brother Battus II would be future Cyrenaean king. Critola was the paternal aunt and mother-in-law of future Cyrenaean king Arcesilaus II. Little is known about Critola. According to

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ...

, she was renowned for her great dignity and was highly respected by all citizens. Critola married a Greek

Cyrenaean Cyrene ( ) or Kyrene ( ; grc, Κυρήνη, Kyrḗnē, arb, شحات, Shaḥāt), was an ancient Greek and later Roman city near present-day Shahhat, Libya. It was the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities, known as the pentapolei ...

nobleman, however his name is unknown. Her first child was a son called Polyarchus and her youngest child was her only daughter called

Eryxo {{no footnotes, date=May 2012 Eryxo ( grc, Ἐρυξώ; flourished 6th century BC) was a Greek woman, who was a Queen of Cyrenaica and was a member of The Battiads dynasty, the family that ruled Cyrenaica and Cyrene. From the ancient Greek source ...

. Plutarch states that Critola by her husband had other sons, however the historian does not mention their names. Eryxo would become a future Cyrenaean Queen and would be the mother of future Cyrenaean King Battus III. Her husband around 550 BC was murdered by

Learchus In Greek mythology, Learchus (Ancient Greek: Λέαρχος) or Learches was a Boeotian prince as the son of King Athamas and Ino, daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes. He was the brother of Melicertes. Mythology The story of Learchus is part of ...

, a rival to her nephew Arcesilaus II. Critola’s husband had died a short time before

and Polyarchus had plotted to kill Learchus, who also had murdered Arcesilaus II. When Learchus was murdered, her grandson Battus III was proclaimed king by Polyarchus. Critola supported Polyarchus who travelled to apologise to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

ian

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...

Amasis II Amasis II ( grc, Ἄμασις ; phn, 𐤇𐤌𐤎 ''ḤMS'') or Ahmose II was a pharaoh (reigned 570526 BCE) of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conques ...

in order to save Cyrenaica. Plutarch states that she still lived when Battus III (reigned 550 BC-530 BC) became king and also states then she was an old woman.

Sources

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Abaeus-Dysponteus
edited by Sir William Smith

6th-century BC Greek women Cyrenean Greeks Ancient African women Ancient Greek princesses