Born: 246/5 BCE, Egypt
Died: 205 BCE
Country most active: Egypt
Also known as: Ἀρσινόη ἡ Φιλοπάτωρ
The following is excerpted from “Female Warriors: Memorials of Female Valour and Heroism, from the Mythological Ages to the Present Era,” by Ellen C. Clayton (Mrs. Needham), published in 1879 and shared online by Project Gutenberg.
Arsinoe, Queen of Egypt, was the wife of Ptolemy Philopater. She was a brave as well as prudent woman, and accompanied her husband when he invaded Syria, B.C. 217. In the battle of Raphia she rode up and down through the ranks, exhorting the soldiers to behave manfully during the fight. She remained beside her husband during the heat of the action; and by her presence she greatly contributed to the victory gained by the Egyptians.
The following is excerpted from A Cyclopædia of Female Biography, published 1857 by Groomsbridge and Sons and edited by Henry Gardiner Adams.
Daughter of Ptolemy the Third, Euergetes, was married to her brother, Ptolemy the Fourth, Philopater; she is called Eurydice by Justin, and Cleopatra by Livy. She was present at the battle of Rhaphia, a city not far from Gaza, in Palestine, fought between her husband and Antiochus the Great, B.C. 217, and is said to have contributed not a little to the victory. Ptolemy afterwards, seduced by the charms of Agathoclea, ordered Arsinoe to be put to death.