3-041-204 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Massacre of the Sons of Lysimachus; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Additional Info: Two men drag the Macedonian queen Arsinoe by her hair from a Gothic city gate, before which lie the dead bodies of her sons. A politically powerful woman, Arsinoe's strength derived from familial ties, but family also caused her suffering. The daughter of Ptolemy, Arsinoe became queen of Macedonia by marrying Lysimachus, the Macedonian king. After Lysimachus's death, Arsinoe agreed to marry her own brother Ceramus, a military commander who wanted to rule as king. Before the ceremony, however, she had her two sons crowned instead. Pretending to accept the situation, Ceramus peacefully entered the city, then captured the castle, ordered his nephews slaughtered, and exiled his sister. Later, Arsinoe's fate turned yet again when she married her other brother, Philadelphus, and became queen of Egypt.