Berenice of Cilicia, also known as Julia Berenice and sometimes spelled Bernice (, ''Bereníkē'' or ''Berníkē''; 28 – after 81), was a Jewish client queen of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

during the second half of the 1st century. Berenice was a member of the

Herodian dynasty The Herodian dynasty was a royal dynasty of Idumaean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and later the Herodian tetrarchy as a vassal state of the Roman Empire. The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great who assumed ...

that ruled the Roman province of

Judaea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the prese ...

between 39 BC and 92 AD. She was the daughter of King

Herod Agrippa I 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 ...

and Cypros and a sister of King

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 ...

. What little is known about her life and background comes mostly from the early historian

Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing ''The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Judaea ...

, who detailed a history of the

Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

and wrote an account of the Jewish Rebellion of 67.

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

Dio Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

Aurelius Victor Sextus Aurelius Victor ( 320 – 390) was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. Victor was the author of a now-lost monumental history of imperial Rome covering the period from Augustus to Constantius II. Under the emperor Julian (361 ...

, and

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ; 55–128), was a Roman poet. He is the author of the '' Satires'', a collection of satirical poems. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, but references in his works to people f ...

also write about her. She is also mentioned in the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

(25:13, 23; 26:30). However, it is for her tumultuous love life that she is primarily known since the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. Her reputation was based on the bias of the Romans against Eastern princesses like

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

, or later

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner, and she married the ruler of the ...

. After two marriages in which she was widowed in her 40s, she spent much of the remainder of her life at the court of Herod Agrippa II, amidst rumors the two were carrying on an

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

uous relationship, though this was neither proved nor disproved. During the

First Jewish-Roman War First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, she began a love affair with the future

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Titus Flavius Vespasianus. However, her unpopularity among the Romans compelled Titus to dismiss her on his accession as emperor in 79. When he died two years later, she disappeared from the historical record.

Early life

Berenice was born in 28 to

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 ...

and Cypros, as granddaughter to

Aristobulus IV Aristobulus IV (31–7 BC) was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice (daughter of Salome), Berenice, daughter of Costobarus and Salome I. He was the son of Herod the Great and his second wife, Mariamn ...

and great-granddaughter to

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 ...

. Her elder brother was

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 ...

(b. 27), and her younger sisters were

Mariamne Mariamne is a name frequently used in the Herodian royal house. In Greek it is spelled Μαριάμη (Mariame) by Josephus; in some editions of his work the second ''m'' is doubled (Mariamme). In later copies of those editions the spelling was ...

(b. 34) and Drusilla (b. 38).Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XVIII.5.4Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XIX.9.1 According to

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

, there was also a younger brother called Drusus, who died before his teens. Her family constituted part of what is known as the

Herodian Dynasty The Herodian dynasty was a royal dynasty of Idumaean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and later the Herodian tetrarchy as a vassal state of the Roman Empire. The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great who assumed ...

, who ruled the Judaea Province between 39 BC and 92 AD. Festus window

Josephus records three short-lived marriages in Berenice's life, the first which took place sometime between 41 and 43, when she was between the ages of 13 and 15, to Marcus Julius Alexander, brother of

Tiberius Julius Alexander Tiberius Julius Alexander (fl. 1st century) was an equestrian governor and general in the Roman Empire. Born into a wealthy Jewish family of Alexandria but abandoning or neglecting the Jewish religion, he rose to become the 2nd procurator of Ju ...

and son of

Alexander the Alabarch Alexander Lysimachus the Alabarch (Greek: Άλέξανδρος ό Αλάβαρχος; c. 10 BC – after 41 AD) was an Alexandrian Jewish aristocrat. His brother was the exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria. Ancestry and family Alexander' ...

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 ...

.Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XIX.5.1 On his early death in 44, she was married to her father's brother,

Herod of Chalcis Herod of Chalcis (died 48 CE), also known as Herod Pollio King of Chalcis, Herod V, and listed by the ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' as Herod II, was a son of Aristobulus IV, and the grandson of Herod the Great, Roman client king of Judaea. He was the ...

, with whom she had two sons, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus.Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XX.5.2 After her husband died in 48, she lived with her brother Agrippa for several years and then married

Polemon II of Pontus Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon II of Pontus and Polemon of Cilicia (; 12 BC/11 BC–74), was a prince of the Bosporan, Pontus, Cilicia, and Cappadocia. He served as a Roman client king of Pontus, Colchis, and Cilicia. ...

, king of

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

, whom she subsequently deserted.Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XX.7.3 According to Josephus, Berenice requested this marriage to dispel rumors that she and her brother were carrying on an

uous relationship, with Polemon being persuaded to this union mostly on account of her wealth. However the marriage did not last, and she soon returned to the court of her brother. Josephus was not the only ancient writer to suggest incestuous relations between Berenice and Agrippa.

, in his sixth satire, outright claims that they were lovers. Whether this was based on truth remains unknown. Berenice indeed spent much of her life at the court of Agrippa and by all accounts shared almost equal power. Popular rumors may also have been fueled by the fact that Agrippa never married. Berenice was a co-ruler of her brother Agrippa II. The

records that during this time,

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

appeared before their court at

Caesarea Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire: Places In the Levant * Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...

. An inscription of an honorific statue of Berenice set up in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, dated to 61 AD, refers to Berenice as ''

basilissa ''Basileus'' () is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs throughout history. In the English-speaking world, it is perhaps most widely understood to mean , referring to either a or an . The title was used by sover ...

'', a title given by

to Jewish queens who ruled in their own right. Berenice is called ''regina'' ("queen") in the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

inscription discovered at Beyrout, in which her name appears to precede that of her brother Agrippa.

During Jewish-Roman wars

Early phase of the revolt

In 64 emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

appointed

Gessius Florus Gessius Florus was the 7th Roman procurator of Judea from 64 until 66. Biography Born in Clazomenae, Florus was appointed to replace Lucceius Albinus as procurator by the Emperor Nero due to his wife Cleopatra's friendship with Nero's wife Po ...

procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...

of the Judaea Province. During his administration, the Jews were systematically discriminated against in favour of the Greek population of the region.Josephus, ''The War of the Jews'' II.14 Tensions quickly rose to civil unrest when Florus plundered the treasury of the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

under the guise of imperial taxes. Following riots, the instigators were arrested and

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...

by the Romans. Appalled at the treatment of her countrymen, Berenice travelled to Jerusalem in 66 to personally petition Florus to spare the Jews. Not only did he refuse to comply with her requests, Berenice was nearly killed during skirmishes in the city. Likewise a plea for assistance to the legate of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Cestius Gallus Gaius Cestius Gallus (d. 67 AD) was a Roman senator and general who was active during the Principate. He was suffect consul for the second '' nundinium'' of the year 42 as the colleague of Gaius Caecina Largus. Gallus was the son of Gaius Cestius ...

, met with no response.Josephus, ''The War of the Jews'' II.16.1 To prevent violence from further escalating, Agrippa assembled the populace and delivered a speech to the crowd in the company of his sister, but the insurgents burned down their palaces. They fled the city to

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

where they later gave themselves up to the Romans. Meanwhile, Cestius Gallus moved into the region with the Twelfth legion but was unable to restore order and suffered defeat at the battle of Beth-Horon, forcing the Romans to retreat from Jerusalem.

Affair with Titus

Emperor Nero then appointed

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

to put down the rebellion; he landed in Judaea with the Fifth and Tenth legions in 67. He was later joined at Ptolemais by his son

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 ...

, who brought with him the

Fifteenth legion Legio XV Apollinaris ("Apollo's Fifteenth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was recruited by Octavian in 41/40 BC. The emblem of this legion was probably a picture of Apollo, or of one of his holy animals. XV ''Apollinaris'' ...

.Josephus, ''The War of the Jews'' III.4.2 With a strength of 60,000 professional soldiers, the Romans quickly swept across Galilee and by 69 marched on Jerusalem. It was during this time that Berenice met and fell in love with Titus, who was eleven years her junior.Tacitus, ''Histories'' II.2 The Herodians sided with the

Flavians The Flavian dynasty, lasting from 69 to 96 CE, was the second dynastic line of emperors to rule the Roman Empire following the Julio-Claudians, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. The Flavians rose to power ...

during the conflict, and later in 69, the

Year of the Four Emperors The Year of the Four Emperors, AD 69, was the first civil war of the Roman Empire, during which four emperors ruled in succession, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. It is considered an important interval, marking the change from the ...

—when the Roman Empire saw the quick succession of the emperors

Galba Galba ( ; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for 7 months from 8 June AD 68 to 15 January 69. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne follow ...

Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...

and

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

—Berenice reportedly used all her wealth and influence to support Vespasian in his campaign to become emperor. When Vespasian was declared emperor on 21 December 69, Titus was left in Judaea to finish putting down the rebellion. The war ended in 70 with the destruction of the

Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...

and the

sack of Jerusalem Siege of Jerusalem, fall of Jerusalem, or sack of Jerusalem may refer to: Battles * Siege of Jebus (1010 BC), a siege by David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel, from biblical narrative * Sack of Jerusalem (925 BC), by Pharaoh Shishak, from b ...

, with hundreds of thousands killed and 97,000 taken captive by the Romans. Triumphant, Titus returned to Rome to assist his father in the government, while Berenice stayed behind in Judaea.

In Rome

It took four years until Titus and Berenice reunited, when she and her brother Agrippa II came to Rome in 75. The reasons for this long absence are unclear but have been linked to possible opposition to her presence by

Gaius Licinius Mucianus Gaius Licinius Mucianus (fl. 1st century AD) was a Roman general, statesman and writer. He is considered to have played a role behind the scenes in the elevation of Vespasian to the throne. Life His name shows that he had passed by adoption fr ...

, a political ally of emperor Vespasian who died sometime between 72 and 78. Agrippa II was given the rank of

praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...

, while Berenice resumed her relationship with Titus, living with him at the palace and reportedly acting in every respect as his wife.Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'
LXV.15
/ref> The ancient historian

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

writes that Berenice was at the height of her power during this time, and if it can be any indication as to how influential she was,

Quintilian Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (; 35 – 100 AD) was a Roman educator and rhetorician born in Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quin ...

records an anecdote in his ''Institutio Oratoria'' where, to his astonishment, he found himself pleading a case on Berenice's behalf where she presided as the judge. The Roman populace however perceived the Eastern queen as an intrusive outsider, and when the pair was publicly denounced by

Cynic Cynic or Cynicism may refer to: Modes of thought * Cynicism (philosophy), a school of ancient Greek philosophy * Cynicism (contemporary), modern use of the word for distrust of others' motives Books * ''The Cynic'', an 1875 book by James Gordon ...

s in the theatre, Titus caved to the pressure and sent her away. Upon the accession of Titus as emperor in 79, she returned to Rome but was quickly dismissed amidst a number of popular measures of Titus to restore his reputation with the populace. It is possible that he intended to send for her at a more convenient time. However, after reigning barely two years as emperor, he suddenly died on 13 September 81. It is not known what happened to Berenice after her final dismissal from Rome. Agrippa II died around 92, and with him, the Herodian Dynasty's rule over Judaea came to an end.

Portrayal in the arts

From the 17th century to contemporary times, there has been a long tradition of works of art (novels, dramas, operas, etc.) devoted to or featuring Berenice and especially her affair with Titus. The list includes: * ''Lettres de Bérénice à Titus'' (1642), a French novel by

Madeleine de Scudéry Madeleine de Scudéry (; 15 November 1607 – 2 June 1701), often known simply as Mademoiselle de Scudéry (), was a French writer. Her works demonstrate such comprehensive knowledge of ancient history that it is suspected she had received ins ...

* ''Bérénice'' (1648–50), a French novel by Jean Regnauld de Segrais * ''Tite'' (1660), a French drama by Jean Magnon * ''Il Tito'' (1666), an Italian opera by

Antonio Cesti Antonio Cesti (; baptised Pietro Cesti, 5 August 1623; died 14 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor) and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generatio ...

(mus.) and Nicola Beregani (libr.) * ''

Bérénice ''Berenice'' () is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. ''Berenice'' was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries. It was premiered on 21 November 1670 by the Comédiens du Roi at the Hôtel de ...

'' (1670), a French drama by

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...

* ''

Tite et Bérénice ''Tite et Bérénice'' is a heroic comedy by the 17th-century French playwright Pierre Corneille. It was premiered on 28 November 1670 by the troupe of Molière at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), Palais Royal Theater in Par ...

'' (1670), a French drama by

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

* '' Titus and Berenice'' (1676), an English drama by

Thomas Otway Thomas Otway (3 March 165214 April 1685) was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for '' Venice Preserv'd'', or ''A Plot Discover'd'' (1682). Life Otway was born at Trotton near Midhurst, the parish of which his father ...

* ''

Tito e Berenice ''Tito e Berenice'' is an opera (''dramma per musica'') in three acts composed by Antonio Caldara to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece. It premiered on 10 January 1714 at the Teatro Capranica in Rome. The story centers on the love affair betw ...

'' (1714), an Italian opera by

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara ( – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, probab ...

(mus.) and Carlo Sigismondo Capace (libr.) * ''Berenice'' (1725), an Italian opera by

Giuseppe Maria Orlandini Giuseppe Maria Orlandini (4 April 167624 October 1760) was an Italian baroque composer particularly known for his more than 40 operas and intermezzos. Highly regarded by music historians of his day like Francesco Saverio Quadrio, Jean-Benjamin d ...

(mus.) and Benedetto Pasqualigo (libr.). Also set to music by

Niccolò Vito Piccinni Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion". There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole. The f ...

(1766) * ''

La clemenza di Tito (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an ''opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. Mozart completed the work in the midst of composing ''Die Zauberfl ...

'' (1734), an Italian opera by librettist

Pietro Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and Libretto, librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early ...

, set to music by over 40 composers, including **

(1734) **

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

(1735) ** Giuseppe Arena (1738) **

Francesco Corradini Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is one of the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation) ...

(1747) **

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...

(1752) ** Andrea Adolfati (1753) **

Niccolò Jommelli Niccolò Jommelli (; 10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic reforms including redu ...

(1753) **

Ignaz Holzbauer Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (18 September 1711 – 7 April 1783) was an Austrian composer of symphony, symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the ''Sturm und Dran ...

(1757) ** Vincenzo Legrezio Ciampi (1757) ** Gioacchino Cocchi (1760) ** Marcello Bernardini (1768) **

Andrea Bernasconi Andrea Bernasconi (c. 1706 – 24 January 1784) was an Italian composer. He began his career in his native country as a composer of operas. In 1755 he was appointed to the post of ''Kapellmeister'' at the Bavarian court in Munich where he ...

(1768) **

Pasquale Anfossi Pasquale Anfossi (5 April 1727 – February 1797) was an Italian opera composer. Born in Taggia, Republic of Genoa, he studied with Niccolò Piccinni and Antonio Sacchini, and worked mainly in London, Venice and Rome. He wrote more than 80 ope ...

(1769) **

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(''

'', 1791) * ''Tito e Berenice'' (1776), an Italian opera by Raimondo Mei (mus.) and Carlo Giuseppe Lanfranchi-Rossi (libr.) * ''Tito e Berenice'' (1782), a ballet by Paolino Franchi (chor.) * ''Tito; o, La partenza di Berenice'' (1790), a ballet by Domenico Maria Gaspero Angiolini (mus. and chor.) * ''Tito e Berenice'' (1793), an Italian opera by

Sebastiano Nasolini Sebastiano is both a masculine Italian given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Sebastiano Antonio Tanara (1650–1724), Italian cardinal * Sebastiano Baggio (1913–1993), Italian clergyman * Sebastiano Bianchi (16th cent ...

(mus.) and Giuseppe Maria Foppa (libr.) * ''Tito che abbandona Berenice'' (1828), a painting by

Giuseppe Bezzuoli Giuseppe Bezzuoli (28 November 1784 – 13 September 1855) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassical and Romantic periods. Biography He was born to Luigi Bazzuoli, a farmer, and his wife Anna, née Banchieri. Later, he changed the spelling of ...

* ''Titus et Bérénice'' (1860), a French opera by Leon-Gustave-Cyprien Gastinel (mus.) and

Édouard Fournier Édouard Fournier (15 June 1819, Orléans – 10 May 1880, Paris) was a French homme de lettres, playwright, historian, bibliographer and librarian. Biography Born into a locksmiths artist family, he studied at the Collège d'Orléans then ...

(libr.) * ''

Daniel Deronda ''Daniel Deronda'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, first published in eight parts (books) February to September 1876. It was the last novel she completed and the only one set in the Victorian society of ...

'' (1876),

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

's final novel, in which a set of drawings of Berenice's story is an important symbolic element * ''Berenice'' (1890), a German novel by Heinrich Vollrat Schumacher * ''Cross Triumphant, The'' (1898), a historical fiction novel by Florence Morse Kingsley * ''

'' (1909), a French opera by

Alberic Magnard Alberic (; ; , ) is a learned form of the name Aubrey. Notable people with the name include: People with the mononym * Alberic of Cîteaux (died 1109), one of the founders of the Cistercian Order * Alberic I, Count of Dammartin (died after ...

(mus. and libr.) * ''Titus und die Jüdin'' (1911), a German drama by

Hans Kyser Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

* ''Lost Diaries: From the Diary of Emperor Titus'' (1913), an English novel by

Maurice Baring Maurice Baring (27 April 1874 – 14 December 1945) was an English man of letters, known as a dramatist, poet, novelist, translator and essayist, and also as a travel writer and war correspondent, with particular knowledge of Russia. During Wo ...

* ''Bérénice, l’Hérodienne'' (1919), a French drama by Albert du Bois * ''Bérénice'' (1920), incidental music by

Marcel Samuel-Rousseau Marcel Auguste Louis Samuel-Rousseau (né Rousseau; 18 August 1882 – 11 June 1955) was a French composer, organist, and opera director.Griffiths & Langham Smith 1992. Life and career Born in Paris, he was the son of Samuel Rousseau and later ch ...

* ''Berenice'' (1922), an English drama by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

* ''Bérénice'' (1934), a French parody by Noel Ouden * The Jospephus Trilogy (1932 - 1942), historical fiction by

Lion Feuchtwanger Lion Feuchtwanger (; 7 July 1884 – 21 December 1958) was a German Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Republic, Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht. ...

, in which Berenice plays a prominent role * ''Berinikah'' (1945), a Hebrew drama by Eisig Silberschlag and Carl de Haas * ''Le reine de Césarée'' (1954), a French drama by

Robert Brasillach Robert Brasillach (; 31 March 1909 – 6 February 1945) was a French author and journalist. He was the editor of '' Je suis partout'', a nationalist newspaper which advocated fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot. After the liberation o ...

* ''Berenice, Princess of Judea'' (1959), an English novel by Leon Kolb * ''Mission to Claudies'' (1963), an English novel by Leon Kolb * ''Agrippa’s Daughter'' (1964), an English novel by Howard Melvin Fast * ''La pourpre de Judée: ou, Les délices du genre humain'' (1967), a French novel by

Maurice Clavel Maurice Clavel () (10 November 1920 – 23 April 1979) was a French writer, journalist, and philosopher. Early life Maurice Clavel was born on 10 November 1920 in Frontignan, Hérault to a family headed by a father who was a pharmacist. This c ...

* ''Bérénice'' (1968), a French TV-film by Piere-Alain Jolivet * ''Tito y Berenice'' (1970), a Spanish drama by Rene Marques * ''Bérénice'' (1983), a French TV-film by

Raoul Ruiz __NOTOC__ Raoul is a French variant of the male given name Ralph or Rudolph. Raoul may also refer to: Given name * Raoul André (1916–1992), French director and screenwriter * Raoul Anglès (1887–1967), French politician * Raoul Aragon, ...

* ''Assassins of Rome'' (2002) and the ''Enemies of Jupiter'' (2003) in

Caroline Lawrence Caroline Lawrence (born 1954) is an English American children's author, best known for '' The Roman Mysteries'', a series of historical novels following four child detectives in Ancient Rome. The series has won numerous awards and has been publ ...

's historical youth fiction series

The Roman Mysteries ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, ''The Thieves of Ostia'', was published in 2001, and the seventeenth and final book, ''The Man from Pomegranate Street'', in 2009. The s ...

Lindsey Davis Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and career ...

's historical fiction '' Falco'' series (circa 1990s - 2010s) incorporates Berenice as a minor recurring character * ''The Last Disciple'' (2004), a historical novel by Hank Hanegraff and

Sigmund Brouwer Sigmund Brouwer (born 1959) is a prolific Canadian author of children's, young adult, and adult books. He has over 100 titles and four million books in print. Brouwer's novel, ''Dead Man's Switch'', won the Arthur Ellis Award in 2015 for Canada ...

, includes Berenice * Those About to Die (2024), an American television series based on the book of the same name In modern history, her aspirations as a potential empress of Rome have led to her being described as a 'miniature

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Tal Ilan, Queen Berenice: A Jewish Female Icon of the First Century CE, Brill, 2022. * * *

External links

Primary sources

* Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'', English translation * Josephus, ''The War of the Jews'', Book II, English translation * Tacitus, ''Histories'', Book 2, English translation
Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'', Book 65, Chapter 15
English translation
"The 'New Cleopatra' and the Jewish Tax"
Biblical Archaeology Society

Images

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berenice 1st-century Romans Flavian dynasty 1st-century Jews 1st-century people Herodian dynasty 28 births Year of death unknown People from Roman Judea

Berenice Berenice (, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the Attic Greek name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. The Latin variant Veron ...

Women in the New Testament Daughters of kings Ancient queens consort Remarried queens consort Queens of Pontus Roman client monarchs 1st-century queens regnant 1st-century Herodian rulers