Statue of Queen Arsinoe II
Statue of Queen Arsinoe II identified with Isis, mother goddess and patron of magic. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Ptolemaic sculpture, which combines Greek and Egyptian elements.
The statue is in a traditional Egyptian striding pose. She stands facing forward with her arms lowered along the sides of the body and her left foot forward. Greek influence is evident in the contrast between the covered and bare areas of the chest and the shape of the folds of her transparent garment, which shows the beauty of the smooth body.
The body shape is in the Greek style, based on the details in the abdomen, chest, and legs, which are all soft and rounded. The statue is smooth and well polished. This exceptional sculpture stood in a temple at the city of Canopus.
The dress provides more clues about the identity of the subject: the handling of fabric recalls the marble work of Hellenistic artists showing Aphrodite in “wet drapery”. The folds actually undress the figure more than they dress it. According to the legend, Aphrodite was born from the foaming seas on the south coast of Cypress. One is immediately reminded of the queen who was considered as the earthly manifestation of Aphrodite – Arsinoë II, wife of Ptolemy II.
Found in the undersea remains of the ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion is hoisted onto a boat off the coastal town of Abu Qir, 24 kms east of Alexandria, 03 June 2000. A team of divers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio discovered the treasures that date back to the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans and early Muslims during two years of exploration and excavation.
Arsinoe seems to have been a genuinely popular goddess throughout the Ptolemaic period, with both Greeks and Egyptians, in Egypt and beyond. ‘Arsinoe’ is one of the few Greek names to be naturalised as an Egyptian personal name in the period. Altars and dedicatory plaques in her honour are found throughout Egypt and the Aegean, while hundreds of her faience oenochoae have been found in the cemeteries of Alexandria.
Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 BC. Black granite, from Canopus. Height: 150 cm; Width: 55 cm; Depth: 28 cm. Now in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum. 842
