Berenike "the Crocodile" (108 BC-48 BC) was a Greek stateswoman of Ptolemaic Egypt and the Nomarch of Faiyum during the 1st century BC. Berenike was remembered for overseeing attempts to Hellenize the local Egyptian population, to claim Egyptian farmland for the Greek elite, and to enforce law and order in the Faiyum Oasis, killing countless innocent Egyptians in the process. In 48 BC, she was assassinated by the medjay Bayek at her estate, the Kerkesoucha Granary.
Biography[]
Berenike was born in Ptolemaic Egypt in 108 BC to a family of Greek aristocrats. She was a firm believer in the superiority of Hellenistic civilization, and she joined the powerful Order of the Ancients, which saw to it that she was appointed Nomarch of Faiyum. Berenike, based from her estate at the Kerkesoucha Granary, attempted to bring progress to the Faiyum Oasis region through a threefold plan of "prosperity for all, culture for all, security for all." She oversaw the increased acquisition of Egyptian land through the reclamation of dead Egyptians' farms for Greek buyers, used Greek farming methods to spur increased grain productivity, increased trade activity for Greek businesses, increased the Ptolemaic military presence (such as the establishment of the Okteres Blockade and several military camps), tore down or segregated Egyptian slums to secure Greek settlement, and secured Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII's aid to Greek investors. A ruthless pragmatist, Berenike was remorseless about the countless deaths brought about by her programme, and, in 48 BC, she even had the young girl Shadya drowned in the oasis after her mother Khenut - who had stolen an incriminating ledger from one of her associates - argued with her. The girl's father Hotephres and his associate Bayek swore to avenge Shadya by hunting down her killer, whom they knew only as "the Crocodile" and believed was male. Bayek headed to the Krokodilopolis Arena to hunt down the red-haired mercenaries whom the Crocodile had employed, and, after defeating the Gallic brothers Diovicos and Viridovix, Bayek interrogated them and discovered that their patron was Berenike.
Assassination[]
Berenike's death
Berenike, who had watched Bayek fight side-by-side with Kensa during the match, hired Kensa as a bodyguard to replace the Gauls, having witnessed their defeat. She then held a symposium for the Greek elite at her estate, with Kensa and several Greek soldiers guarding the grounds. However, Bayek infiltrated the granary and accidentally killed Kensa with an arrow to the face. Berenike, aware of Bayek's presence, crept around the palace and searched for him. As she was ascending the staircase of a guard tower, Bayek came up behind her and stabbed her in the head. Bayek then angrily confronted Berenike about Shadya's death, and, when Berenike showed no remorse and did not remember her, Bayek told her that "Shadya" would be the last word that she would ever hear, and he shouted her name before Berenike died.