Pheretima (Cyrenaean queen) facts for kids

Pheretima was an important queen from ancient Cyrene, a Greek city in North Africa. She was the wife of King Battus III and the last queen of the Battiad family. Her story is known from the writings of the ancient historian Herodotus. She lived during a time when powerful empires like Persia were growing.

Pheretima's Early Life and Family

Pheretima was a Greek woman from the Dorian people. Her father was also named Battus. She married Battus III before he became king around 550 BC. They had two children together. Their son, Arcesilaus III, later became king. Their daughter, Ladice, married the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II.

The Reign of King Arcesilaus III

When King Battus III died in 530 BC, his son Arcesilaus became the new king. In 525 BC, Arcesilaus made an agreement with King Cambyses II of Persia. Around 518 BC, Arcesilaus wanted to bring back the full power that earlier kings of Cyrene had. His father, Battus III, had made changes to Cyrene's government.

This led to a fight among the people of Cyrene. Arcesilaus was defeated, and he and his mother, Pheretima, had to leave Cyrenaica. Arcesilaus went to Samos, an island. Pheretima traveled to the court of King Euelthon in Salamis, Cyprus.

While her son tried to gather supporters in Samos, Pheretima asked King Euelthon for an army. She wanted to return to Cyrenaica. King Euelthon did not give her an army. Instead, he gave her many beautiful gifts. Pheretima then went back to Cyrenaica.

Arcesilaus, however, found an army in Samos. He returned to Cyrenaica with his new army. He took back his position as king. Arcesilaus then removed his political opponents from power. Pheretima likely influenced this decision. Arcesilaus's supporters received the land they were promised. But they worried about what might happen because of their actions.

Pheretima as Regent and Her Later Life

Arcesilaus later left Cyrene and went to the town of Barca. Pheretima then ruled Cyrene in his place. This means she was the regent, ruling for her son. Arcesilaus and his father-in-law were later killed in the marketplace of Barca. This was an act of revenge by Cyrenaean nobles who had been exiled.

When Pheretima heard about her son's death, she was very upset. She went to Arysandes, the Persian governor of Egypt. She asked for help to get revenge for her son's death. She said that Arcesilaus was killed because he was friends with the Persian king.

Arysandes felt sorry for Pheretima. He gave her the Egyptian army and navy to command. Before she left for Barca, Arysandes sent a messenger to Barca. The messenger asked who had killed Arcesilaus. The people of Barca replied that they were all responsible.

When the messenger returned to Egypt with this answer, the army marched with Pheretima to Barca. They asked the people of Barca who were responsible for the murder to give up. But the Barcaeans refused. A long siege of the city then began. It lasted for nine months. Many soldiers from both sides were lost during the fighting.

Amasis, who was the commander of the Persian foot soldiers, changed his plan. He realized that Barca could not be taken by force. He came up with a trick to get the Barcaeans out of their city. He offered to discuss a peace agreement. Amasis ordered his soldiers to dig a large trench in front of the city. They covered it with wooden planks and earth to hide it.

Amasis then invited the Barcaeans to a meeting. The Barcaeans came out of their city. They agreed to end the fighting if they paid a fair amount of money to the Persian king. The Barcaeans accepted this offer and opened their city gates. When the Barcaeans marched out of the city to agree to the terms, they fell into the hidden trap. Pheretima allowed the Persians to take the remaining Barcaeans as prisoners. These Barcaeans were later moved by King Darius I of Persia to a place called Bactria. They named their new settlement Barca.

Pheretima succeeded in getting revenge for her son by punishing the Barcaeans. She returned to Egypt and gave the army back to the governor. While in Egypt, Pheretima became sick with a skin disease. She died in late 515 BC. With her death, Cyrene was no longer fully independent. Her grandson, Battus IV, became king. But Cyrenaica became a state that had to obey the Persian Empire.