Arsinoe II
Ptolemaic Period, after 270 B.C
Egyptian
Limestone with traces of gilding and paint; H. 15 in.
(38.1 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1920
(20.2.21)
In traditional Egyptian manner, the queen stands in a striding pose against a back pillar, at the same time as her representation incorporates Hellenistic elements like the hairstyle and cornucopia, a Greek symbol for divinity
Since the inscription on the back of this figure refers to Arsinoe II as a goddess, it was probably made after her death in 270 B.C. when her cult was established by her brother and husband Ptolemy II, the forerunner of a phenomenon that is distinctive to the Ptolemaic dynasty. Indeed, stylistic considerations suggest a considerably later date for this statuette, in the second half of the second century B.C., reflecting the continuing importance of the cults of Arsinoe II and other Ptolemaic queens