Les adieux à la βασίλισσα. Mise en scène et mise en intrigue de la mort des femmes royales dans le monde hellénistique

Abstract

The death of Hellenistic βασίλισσαι (both queens and princesses) has raised little interest from ancient writers and rarely appears in inscriptions and papyri. In this paper we have collected and analysed all available sources concerning the major Hellenistic dynasties (Antigonids, Attalids, Seleukids, Ptolemies) as well as some minor dynasties (Cappadocian, Bithynian, Pontic, Commagenian Kings). We examine when and why the death of the ‹royal females› became a significant event and to what degree it sheds light on dynastic ideology.