When we get ready to navigate the pages of the history of Ancient Egypt, we find aspects and characters that capture our attention. It is enough to bring the memory to the image of the marvelous pyramids and sphinxes, or to the lives of characters as curious as Tutankhamun, the youngest pharaoh in history. Among all of them, Cleopatra is perhaps one of the most popular. The pharaoh, who was an emblem of power, but also of sensuality and seduction, has gone down in history as a universal symbol. More relegated, has been Arsínoe IV, Cleopatra’s sister, whose story we will tell you about in the next few lines.
Arsinoe IV was the queen of Cyprus and, like her famous sister Cleopatra, she dreamed of taking power over all of Egypt. The hatred between these two sisters unleashed one of the bloodiest wars in Egypt and, although Arsinoe did not take the throne, she certainly shook the Roman Empire and the ruthless Cleopatra. Today in Supercurioso we tell you part of his life.
Who was Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoe?
When we talk about who was cleopatra, there are many data that come to mind. From his power that, at times, he became ruthless to his love affairs with Julio César and Marco Antonio, in addition to his peculiar secrets of beauty and seduction. But, beyond all this, the family in which she grew up when she was just a girl, was marked by ambition. Arsinoe, Cleopatra’s sister, is a character who demonstrates this well.
When King Ptolemy XII passed away, he made it very clear in his will that Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, were to be the rulers of Egypt’s destiny. However, the finance manager, as well as the highly respected General Aquilas, decided that Ptolemy XIII would be the only heir. For this reason, Cleopatra was sent to the desert, although she managed to flee at the first opportunity.
When Cleopatra was exiled, her sister Arsinoe accompanied her. This decision was not exactly made by the love between sisters, but quite the opposite… Cleopatra did not trust Arsinoe, as she had already heard that she also yearned for the throne.
Shortly after this event, he arrived in Alexandria, Cease, who, among other things, is about to be the arbiter in the situation of succession to the throne of Egypt. When Cleopatra finds out she quickly returns. It is not known for sure if Arsinoe returned with her sister, but it is known that the young princess was in the palace when the different events that would end in a bloody war began to occur.
It was then that Cleopatra’s beauty seduces the great Caesar one night and he was so captivated by her charms that he named her Queen. Unfortunately, César did not imagine the consequences that this would bring. The Egyptian people did not want her. He called her, like her sister Arsinoe, friends of the romans. They said that under his mandate the dependence of the Roman Empire would be even greater. Such was the pressure from the Alexandrian people that Caesar had to leave saying that he was going to comply with the will expressed by the deceased King in his will.
How does Arsinoe become the Queen of Cyprus?
Although it is the name of the pharaoh, it is the one that went down in history, Arsinoe, Cleopatra’s sister, also held spaces of power in the time in which she lived, although always insufficient for her ambitions.
It was Caesar himself who appointed Arsinoe as the Queen of Cyprus. But, although she was theoretically her Queen, Caesar keeps her hostage inside her palace. However, Arsinoe manages to outwit her captors and escape. On the other hand, Aquilas gathered an army of more than 20,000 men to support the Alexandrians who did not want Cleopatra.
When Arsinoe arrived at the camp of the Egyptian soldiers, the men saw in her a true Queen who would not hand over the sovereignty of Egypt to the Romans.In addition, she was the one who had the courage to face the powerful Caesar and his capricious sister Cleopatra.
Quickly, it was proclaimed Queen by all the rebels. The battle was so terrible that the Roman army retreated further and further before his might. Indeed, Arsinoe’s troops staggered Caesar.
Arsinoe had amply demonstrated his ambitions for political power, as well as his courage and courage in battle, and his leadership at the head of the troops that responded to him with loyalty. In the midst of desperation, Caesar requested the support of the Asian legions and that is when On March 27, 47 BC, one of the bloodiest battles in all of Egyptian history occurs: “the Battle of Alexandria”.
Arsinoe was captured and Caesar took her to Rome as his prisoner. After Caesar’s assassination, Cleopatra allies herself with Marco Antonio and asks him for the head of her younger sister Arsinoe. that’s when Marco Antonio sends two assassins to end the life of what was once the Queen of Cyprus. Thus ended the life of a woman who marked, along with her sister, a time of war and infernal death, for seizing the power of the Egyptian throne.
Arsinoe’s tomb
Arsinoe was just as ambitious as her sister Cleopatra, although she did not have the alliances that would help her consolidate her power. For this reason, little has been said about her tomb. It is known that in 1904, during the first excavations in Ephesus, the Austrian Institute of Archeology he excavated a monument, the Octagon. It was called that way because in ancient times it supported an octagonal structure crowned by a pyramid and finished off with a sphere.
A few years later, in 1926, a tomb was found in its interior in which the mortal remains of a woman of about twenty years were found. Experts believe that it is the mortal remains of Arsinoe.
And you, Did you know the story of Arsinoe, Cleopatra’s sister? How do you think her story would have been, if she was the one who came to the throne of Egypt? Feel free to leave us your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you! And if you feel, like us, a fascination for this ancestral country, don’t miss this selection of the best for see in egypt. We also invite you to enjoy the most interesting curiosities of cleopatra See you in an upcoming supercurious article!