Can't-Wait Wednesday: Berenice by Bruce Chilton

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.

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Berenice: Queen in Roman Judea by Bruce Chilton
Expected publication: February 17, 2026 by Yale University Press

The life story of the Judean queen Berenice, descendant of Herod the Great, who became a player on the stage of Roman conquest and politics

Berenice (born ca. 28) was the most notorious Jewish woman in the Roman Empire of her time. Multiple marriages, rumors of incestuous relations with her brother (Agrippa II of the Herodian dynasty), and her scandalous liaison with Titus, the Roman general and emperor-to-be, guaranteed Berenice’s celebrity.

This reputation does not, however, paint a complete portrait of Berenice, nor does it capture her significance. Her political acumen was as effective as it would become legendary. The great-granddaughter of Herod the Great and the daughter of King Agrippa I, she promoted the family’s unusual version of Judaism as well as its outsized ambitions. Berenice was a pivotal figure in Agrippa II’s advance in imperial preferment; played a crucial role during the Jewish-Roman war; and, as consort to Titus, supported his father, Vespasian, in his accession to the role of emperor.

Bruce Chilton traces Berenice’s quest for power and her influence in Rome and beyond through the lens of the tensions, conflicts, political intrigues, and cultural interactions that shaped the empire during the second half of the first century

I don't know much about Berenice, the daughter of king Herod so this book would be perfect to learn more about her!!

What book are you awaiting today?