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Love and Marriage of Berenice, the Youthful Queen of Cyrene

Shortly after his marriage, the King received word of imminent danger to his sister. In return for his safety as his marched to Syria to save his sister’s life, his loving wife promised to sacrifice a lock of her hair in return for his safety. Upon his return from the campaign, a lock of hair from the Queen’s head was cut and dedicated to the gods, only to disappear by the following day. Later, the court astronomer Conon then announced that he had discovered the lock in the night. To this day, the constellation is called Coma Berenices (“Berenice’s Lock”).

Teuta, Roman Envoys and the Ancient Retellings of the Adventure of the Pirate Queen

Teuta acted as a regent for her step-son after King Agron’s death and rose to the Ardiaean throne. Teuta proceeded to continue her husband’s expansionist aspirations. However, Teuta’s most feared forces, probably even more than her powerful navy, were the Illyrian pirates. It was also the Illyrian pirates which would be the cause of her downfall.

Veleda and the Ancient Germanic Seers

The Batavi surrendered to Roman rule following a defeat in 77 AD. However, this time they were made to accept humiliating terms and endure a legion being stationed permanently on their territory, at Noviomagus (modern day Nijmegen, The Netherlands). Despite the ultimate victory of the Romans, the Batavi’s early successes were notable. In fact, their victories over the Roman legions were predicted by Veleda, a seer who was worshiped as a deity by the majority of the tribes in central Germany during the latter half of the first century AD.

The Rise of Thea Musa, the Divine Queen of the Parthians

The Parthians’ victory over Roman General Marcus Licinius Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC was a significant event in Rome-Parthia relations, leading to Rome’s obsession with restoring its reputation. Emperor Augustus achieved this by compelling the Parthians to return the spoils and standards of three Roman armies, a triumph heavily used in imperial propaganda. In 20 BC, Augustus returned a Parthian prince and gifted an Italian slave-girl. This unusual act, possibly aimed at gathering intelligence or influencing the Parthian King, led to the slave-girl, Musa, becoming queen.

Ancient History of Dream Interpretation

Early civilizations had a variety of ideas about what dreams were, but they always seemed to place a high value on them. Dreams were regarded as an especially important way of receiving messages from the world of power and spirit, from the gods and other powerful beings. Dream interpretation was the responsibility of those with experience in such things in these groups such as tribal elders, matriarchs and patriarchs of the family or community, priests and shamans.