Today in Cyprus there are no settlements called Arsinoe. But in ancient times there were three such cities. Why were they all called that? The story is based on intrigue and incest.
Arsinoe was called: a city on the site of modern Polis Chrysochous, a city between Palepaphos and Kato Paphos (approximately in the area of the current village of Geroskipou), as well as the ancient city of Salamis (north of modern Famagusta).
The name was so popular because it was the name of the wife of the king of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Or rather, his two wives.
Ptolemy was married to his distant maternal relative, Arsinoe (305-248 BC). Her father was Lysimachus, king of Thrace and Macedonia. Arsinoe was officially declared queen of Egypt. Ptolemy had three children with her. However, the Cypriot cities are not named after her.
Queen Arsinoe's father Lysimachus was married twice. The second wife, 45 years younger than him, was the elder sister of King Ptolemy, who was also named Arsinoe (316-270 BC).
Thus, one Arsinoe was both the stepmother and sister-in-law of the other Arsinoe, the queen of Egypt.
In 279 BC. e. Ptolemy's sister Arsinoe arrived in Egypt. Soon after this, the king was informed of a conspiracy that his wife Arsinoe allegedly made against him. The king believed this information and exiled his wife to the city of Koptos. Soon after this, Ptolemy married his full sister Arsinoe, who became Queen Arsinoe II. Cities in Cyprus, which was then part of the Kingdom of Egypt, were named in her honor.
The text was prepared based on Wikipedia materials.
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The city of Arsinoe, modern Polis Chrysochous, has a long and glorious history, which you can read about here.
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