Berenice, b. c.a.d. 28, Jewish princess; daughter of Herod Agrippa I (see under Herod). A very beautiful woman, she was often involved in intrigue. After her first husband died, she was married to her uncle Herod of Chalcis. After his death (a.d. 48) she lived in incest with her brother, Herod Agrippa II, causing some scandal. Her third husband was the Cilician king Polemon II, whom she abandoned, returning to Herod Agrippa II. She and her brother sided with Rome in its struggle with Judaea. The emperor Titus apparently planned to marry her, but the Romans' great dislike of the Jews forced him to withdraw from the match. Titus' dilemma is the subject of Racine's play Bérénice.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Middle East: Biographies
