Marital Crises or Institutional Crises? Two Ptolemaic Couples under the Spolight

This study examines two royal Ptolemaic couples who, according to some classical sources, were reputed to have experienced serious marital crises. The primary focus is on the couple Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III, who ruled during the end of the third century BCE . A point for comparison is provided by the couple Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II from the second century BCE . The methodology used here aims to compare the information provided by the literary sources – which are much later than the marital crises mentioned – with information from contemporary documentary sources concerning these rulers. The written sources consist of Greek and Egyptian inscriptions and papyri; the visual sources are from Egyptian temple bas- reliefs and inscriptions. The comparison between both categories of sources should permit an evaluation of the historicity of the marital crises attributed to both couples and at the same time, question the reliability of the available documentation on this subject