ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two royal Ptolemaic couples who, according to some classical sources, were reputed to have experienced serious marital crises. The primary focus is on the couple Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III, who ruled during the end of the third century bce. A point for comparison is provided by the couple Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II from the second century bce. The classical sources provide heterogeneous and conflicting information about the royal couple’s relationship. At Thespiae, the Ptolemaic couple intervened in favour of the sanctuary of the Muses and the Mouseia festival. Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III provided 25,000 silver drachmae to the Thespians for purchasing land for the sanctuary. At the Amphiareion of Oropos, two inscriptions indicate that the royal couples were honoured with a statue, erected between 220-217 BC on the main road leading to the sanctuary. Around the Aegean Sea, outside the Ptolemaic possessions of Cyprus and Thera, we find several documents concerning the royal couple.
