Арсиноя Филадельфа и Птолемей Филадельф: сакрализация и констатация инцеста (In Russian) Arsinoe Philadelphus and Ptolemy Philadelphus: Sacralization and Statement of the Incest (original) (raw)

The epithet «Philadelphus» had a different semantic meaning for the royal spouses-siblings: Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II. This circumstance is connected with two possible reasons of the marriage of a above-stated king of Hellenistic Egypt and his sister: first, the aspiration of the siblings to the deification and second, the factor of a sexual attraction of Arsinoe for Ptolemy. Arsinoe considered this epitet as the part of her divine image. First of all, it united her with some brother-loving goddesses: Hera, Isis and, possibly, Demeter. Therefore, the epithet «Philadelphus» has turned into personal posthumous cultic epiclesis of Arsinoe II pretty naturally. In turn, the brother-spouse of Arsinoe has avoided the creation of his own cult of Ptolemy Philadelphus consciously. At the same time, according to the evidence of Stephanus of Byzantium (s.v. Philadelpheia), Ptolemy II has used his own epithet «Philadelphus» for refounding of city Rabbat-Amman to Philadelphia. So, Ptolemy II didn’t consider above-stated epithet as a religious mark, but only as statement of fact of sexual possession of his sister. Key words: Ptolemy II, Arsinoe II, marriage, incest, dynastic policy, «Philadelphus», divine image.