Born: 292 BCE (circa), Iraq (assumed)
Died: Unknown (after 249 BCE)
Country most active: Libya
Also known as: Apame II, Arsinoe
In the third century BCE, Apama II was a princess of the Seleucid Empire who became queen of Cyrenaica through marriage with King Magas of Cyrene circa 275 BCE. After marrying, she may have changed her name to Arsinoe, which was more common among Ptolemaic royals (whom she could claim distant familial ties to), but this is not certain.
Sometime after 270 BCE, Apama bore her only known child, a daughter who would come to be known as Berenice II. After Magas died in 250 or 249 BCE, she disregarded a previous betrothal with Ptolemy III and married Berenice to Apama’s own uncle, the Greek Macedonian prince Demetrius, so that he would become king. Apama began a sexual affair with her uncle/son-in-law, leading to tension between them and Berenice. Although there had been no opposition to Demetrius when he came to the throne, his reckless ambition subsequently created strife and Berenice was able to lead a coup that resulted in Demetrius dying in Apama’s arms.
Berenice travelled to Egypt, marrying her previous fiance Ptolemy III and becoming queen of Egypt, with Cyrenaica joining the Ptolemaic Empire. Apama’s fate is unknown.