The Memory of Arsinoe II. in Callimachus’ Ektheosis Arsinoes

Abstract

This paper discusses the fragmentary poem Ektheosis Arsinoes by Callimachus as a memorialization of the deceased queen Arsinoe II, wife of Ptolemy II. First it looks at the genre and structure of the poem. This leads to the consideration of the allusions which can be detected in the text. In addition, the study offers a new hypothesis regarding the poem’s historical context.