Abstract

Callimachus's "Lock of Berenice," which concludes the Aetia, was written for and about Berenice II, the wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes. This poem and Callimachus's "Hymn to Athena" are presented as portraits of the queen that treat some aspects of her questionable past in a way that is positive, yet nuanced. Material evidence, including a cameo, a mosaic portrait, faience jugs, and documentary papyri shed further light on her public persona.

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