Aphrodite and Arsinoë II: Laying the Keel for Understanding a New Goddess’

Modern scholars may have embarked upon the study of classical maritime religion, but the topic of such religion in hellenistic times is still largely uncharted waters. In particular the study of the maritime Aphrodite during this period appears to harbour many unanswered questions. This seminar attempts to navigate the sea of information relating to early Ptolemaic religion, which included various innovations such as ruler cults and new deities such as Sarapis. In the 270s BC the Ptolemaic Queen, Arsinoë II, was deified as the maritime goddess, Aphrodite of Fair Sailing (Euploia). This seminar seeks to understand the possible reasons for this deification by getting all relevant sources on deck and examining the development of the maritime cult of Aphrodite in the hellenistic period.