Cleopatra Selene (II)
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- This article is in reference to the daughter of Cleopatra VII. For the daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III, see Cleopatra Selene (I).
Cleopatra Selene II (in Greek Κλεοπατρα Σελινη) (25 December 40 BC - 6 AD), also known as Cleopatra VIII, was the only daughter to the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. She was the younger twin to Alexander Helios and the namesake of her mother. Her second name Selene in Ancient Greek means ‘Moon’ (Plutarch - Antony - clause 36).
Cleopatra was born, raised and educated in Alexandria, Egypt. During the Donations of Alexandria in 34BC, she was made ruler of Cyrenaica and Libya.
Cleopatra became an orphan when her parents committed suicide after their defeat by Octavian (future Caesar Augustus). She and her brothers Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphus were taken to Rome; Octavian celebrated his triumph by parading the three orphans in heavy golden chains in the streets. The chains they wore were so heavy they couldn’t walk. Cleopatra and her brothers were taken and raised by Octavia Minor, Augustus’ sister and her father’s ex-wife. Octavia also became their guardian.
At some point between 26-20BC, Cleopatra married Juba II of Numidia. By then her brothers had died, probably through illness. Augustus as a wedding present gave her a huge dowry and appointed her Queen of Mauretania.
Juba and Cleopatra initially ruled from Numidia. The local Numidians disapproved of Juba being Romanised and this caused unrest. Juba and Cleopatra moved to Mauretania and renamed their capital Caesaria (now Cherchel, Algeria).
Unfortunately, there are no specific surviving written sources on Cleopatra’s life. Numismatic evidence and surviving construction projects (including the mausoleum where the couple were buried) suggest that she inherited the will and perseverance of the Ptolemaic women. The construction projects were built on a mixture of Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman architectural styles.
The children of Cleopatra and Juba were:
- Cleopatra of Mauretania, a possible daughter
- Ptolemy of Mauretania (1 BC - 40 AD)
- Drusilla of Mauretania (b. 5 AD)
Cleopatra Selene (II) is mentioned in the novels by Robert Graves, I, Claudius and Claudius the God.
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