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Ptolemic dynasty, was involved in the palace intrigues gripping the royal house when Julius Caesar
arrived in Alexandria in 48 B.C. In the subsequent siege and intense political maneuverings that took
place, Arsinoe at first found herself overmatched by her far more skilled sister, Cleopatra; she became a
prisoner in the palace.
Arsinoe did manage to escape, however, and then moved to better her position politically. She allied
herself with the general of the Egyptian forces, Achillas, but when his loyalty became suspect, she had him
killed. Her gamble failed, for Caesar overcame the siege, won the battle of the Nile over Ptolemy III and
returned to Alexandria in triumph. Broken, Arsinoe was sent to Italy, where she was part of Caesar's
triumph in Rome in 46 B.C.
Subsequently returned to Alexandria, Arsinoe lived a dangerous existence. Cleopatra vowed her death
but had to wait until Marc Antony acquiesced.
¤ ARSINOE (2) Name given to several Egyptian towns after the royal women named Arsinoe in
Egyptian-Ptolemaic history. Two were considered preeminent.
Arsinoe (Heroopolites) was built (date uncertain) along the Suez Gulf in Lower Egypt, specifically along
the Sinus Heropolites or western branch of the Red Sea. It was noted in the Early Empire for its
manufacturing of popular garments.
Arsinoe (Kiman Fares), called Shedyet by the Egyptians, was a substantial city in the Faiyum region of
Middle Egypt. For many years Shedyet was the seat of the cult of the crocodile and was called
Crocodilopolis. In 215 A.D., the Romans introduced the worship of Jupiter Capitolinus. There are a
number of ruins to be found there, including a New Kingdom temple of Ramesses II and Ptolemaic
temple. See also RELIGIONS.
¤ ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Art
The Augustan Age (27 B.C.-14 A.D.) - With the dawn of the Empire, Roman art revealed a strong Latin
influence and embodied AUGUSTUS' vision of imperial grandeur. The greatest example of
contemporary sculpture was the Ara Pacis ("Altar of Augustus' Peace"), with its relief sculpture
glorifying the success of the Empire and pictorially augmenting the written record of Augustus' triumphs,
RES GESTAE DIVI AUGUSTUS. Built around 10 B.C., the altar precinct was part of the CAMPUS
MARTIUS complex. Its carvings depict the imperial pageants of the Praetorians, the Vestals and
members of the citizenry. The entire design celebrates Augustus, but he is not represented as
superhuman; he is part of the procession, not its focal point.
Under Augustus, considerable effort was put into decorating and beautifying altars. A kind of artistic
practice emerged in the painting of these altars, best typified by the work preserved in the volcanic ash of
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