Earth and Space News: Cleopatra III Was the Third of Seven Ptolemaic Queens Named Cleopatra

Summary: Cleopatra III was the third of seven queens named Cleopatra in Ancient Egypt's Ptolemaic Kingdom, which ended with Cleopatra VII's death in 30 BCE.

Cleopatra-Coccia (Cleopatra III), with cartouche of her name in hieroglyphics, drawn by Coimbra, Portugual-born Italian painter Giuseppe Angelelli (Dec. 7, 1803-Nov. 4, 1844), engraved by Italian engraver Carlo Lasinio (Feb. 10, 1759-March 29, 1838), in Ippolito Rosellini, I Monumenti Dell'Egitto e Della Nubia Disegnati Dalla spedizione Scientifico-Letteraria Toscana in Egitto, Tomo primo: Monumenti Storici (1822), No. XXIV, Fig. 35: Free to use without restriction, via New York Public Library Digital Collections

Cleopatra III was the third of seven queens named Cleopatra in Ancient Egypt's Ptolemaic Kingdom, an Ancient Greek state that ended with the death of the seventh Cleopatra in 30 BCE.

Cleopatra III Euergetis Philometor Soteira (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Εὐεργέτις Φιλομήτωρ Σωτήιρα, Kleopatra Euerghetis Philometor Soteira; ca. 160/155-ca. September 101 BCE) was born ca. 160 to 155 BCE. Her parents were coupled siblings Cleopatra II Philometor Soteira (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλομήτωρ Σωτείρα, Kleopatra Philometor Soteira; ca. 185-116 BCE) and the first of her two brother-husbands, Ptolemy VI Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Philometor; ca. 186–145 BCE).

Cleopatra II had married Ptolemy VI as her first brother-husband ca. March 175 BCE, according to American Egyptologist Christopher "Chris" John Bennett (1953-Jan. 10, 2014) in the "Cleopatra II" section of Ptolemaic Dynasty: The Genealogy on his Tynsdale House-provided website, Egyptian Royal Genealogy. The marriage was dated to April 176 BCE by English-Australian papyrologist and classicist John Whitehorne (July 2, 1944-March 5, 2020) in Cleopatras, published in 1994 (Chapter 8: Cleopatra II and Ptolemy VI, page 91).

Cleopatra III had at least one sister and two brothers as siblings. Her mother's dynastic name also had been given to Cleopatra III's older sister, Cleopatra Thea Eueteria (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Ευετηρια, Kleopatra Thea Eueteria, "Cleopatra the Goddess of Plenty"; ca. 164-121 BCE). As with her first brother, Ptolemy VI, her second brother received the male Ptolemaic dynastic name of Ptolemy as Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Tryphon (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Εὐεργέτης Τρύφων, Ptolemaios Euergetes Tryphon, "Ptolemy the Benefactor, the Opulent"; ca. 184/183-June 28, 116 BCE).

Cleopatra III also may have had a second sister, Berenice. The detail of her engagement to Attalus III (Ancient Greek: Ἄτταλος Γ΄, Attalos III; ca. 171/170-133 BCE), King of northwestern Asia Minor's Kingdom of Pergamum (Ancient Greek: Πέργαμον, Pergamon, "citadel"), has contrasted sharply with the historical anonymity of shadowy Berenice (Ancient Greek: Βερενίκη, Berenike; ca. 163/160-ca. 150 BCE). Her name, her engagement and her distraught fiancé's accusations of her murder constitute the only details of Berenice's life, according to Chris Bennett ("Berenice," footnote 3). Her female Ptolemaic dynastic name has engendered the supposition of her Ptolemaic royal birth and has possibilitized the suggestion of King Attalus III's contemporaries, Cleopatra II and Ptolemy VI, as Berenice's parents.

Cleopatra III's father died ca. July 145 BCE from injuries sustained during the Battle of the Oinoparas River. The battle was fought in northwestern Syria at the Oinoparas River (modern-day Afrin River in Syria and Türkiye), a tributary of the Orontes (Ancient Greek: Ὀρόντης, Orontes), the northward-flowing river of Lebanon, Syria and Türkiye. Antioch, the second capital of Ptolemy VI's opponents, the Seleucid Empire (Ancient Greek: Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, Basileia ton Seleukidon, "Kingdom of the Seleucids"; 312-63 BCE), was known as Antioch on the Orontes (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, Antiokheia he epi Orontou) for its location on the Orontes River's eastern bank.

Cleopatra III's widowed mother subsequently remarried, with her second brother, Ptolemy VIII, as her second husband. Cleopatra II's second brother-husband marriage took place ca. 145/144 BCE. The marriage added a half-sibling to Cleopatra III's sibling tally. Ptolemy Memphites (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Μεμφίτης, Ptolemaios Memphites, "Ptolemy the Memphite") was born ca. late 144-mid-142 BCE.

Ptolemy VIII dissolved his marriage to Cleopatra II by January 140 BCE. The last mention of Cleopatra as Ptolemy VIII's wife occurred in the ancient Egyptian civil solar calendar's 12th month, Mesore (Ancient Greek: Μεσορή, Mesore), in year 30, equated to September 140 BCE.

Ptolemy VIII next married Cleopatra III, his niece and stepdaughter, as his second wife. The marriage took place between the 14th day of the eighth month, Pharmouthi (Ancient Greek: Φαρμουθί, Pharmouthi; from Egyptian pꜣ-n-rnn-wtt; Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲣⲙⲟⲩⲑⲓ, Parmouthi), year 29 and the 20th day of the fourth month, Choiak (Ancient Greek: Χοίακ, Khoiak; from Egyptian kꜣ-ḥr-kꜣ; Coptic Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ, Khoiak), year 30, equated, respectively, to May 8, 141, and Jan. 14, 140 BCE (Chris Bennett, "Cleopatra III"). The first mention of Cleopatra III as Ptolemy VIII's Queen has been dated to Jan. 14, 140 BCE (Chris Bennett, "Cleopatra II," note 36).

The uncle/stepfather and niece/stepdaughter marital couple had at least five children. Two sons received male dynastic names as Ptolemy IX Soter II (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaios Soter, "Ptolemy the Saviour"; ca. 143-ca. December 81 BCE) and Ptolemy X Alexander I Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Ἀλέξανδρος Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Alexandros Philometor; ca. 140-88/87 BCE).

Their oldest daughter was named Tryphaena (Ancient Greek: Τρύφαινα, Tryphaina; ca. 141/140-ca. 112/110 BCE). Modern sources usually refer to her as Cleopatra Tryphaena (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Τρύφαινα, Kleopatra Tryphaina), although no ancient justification supports this designation (Chris Bennett, "Tryphaena," note 1).

Two more daughters numbered as the uncle and niece martial couple's fourth and fifth children. Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III continued the line of Ptolemaic Cleopatras by naming their two younger daughters as Cleopatra IV (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα, Kleopatra; ca. 138/135-112 BCE) and Cleopatra Selene I (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Σελήνη, Kleopatra Selene; ca. 135-69 BCE).

First son and also first child Ptolemy IX was the only one of his siblings to die naturally. His younger brother Ptolemy X died during an attempted invasion of Cyprus.

All three daughters died by execution. Tryphaena ordered Cleopatra IV's execution, and, in turn, Seleucid King Antiochus IX Cyzicenus (?-95 BCE) had Tryphaena executed for having executed her younger sister, whom he had married ca. 114 BCE. Tigranes II (Armenian: Տիգրան Մեծ, Tigran Mets; Ancient Greek: Τιγράνης ὁ Μέγας Tigranes ho Megas; Latin: Tigranes Magnus; 140-55 BCE), known as Tigranes the Great, had Cleopatra Selene executed.

Ptolemy VII predeceased his niece-stepdaughter-wife. As with his oldest son, Ptolemy VII apparently died from natural causes. He passed away June 28, 116 BCE.

As with all three of her daughters, Cleopatra III experienced an unnatural death. Younger son Ptolemy X had her murdered.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

upper section of statue of Queen Cleopatra III; Herzogliche Museum Gotha (Ducal Museum Gotha), Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen), central Germany; Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, 12:33, image: Dguendel, CC BY 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gotha,_Herzogliches_Museum,_Oberteil_einer_Statue_der_Königin_Cleopatra_III.jpg

For further information:

Bennett, Chris. "Berenice." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160407031745fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/berenice_d_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Cleopatra II." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160313113330fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_ii_fr.htm
Available via David Instone-Brewer @ https://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_ii_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Cleopatra III." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202502fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_iii_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Cleopatra Thea." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160309014917fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/thea_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Cleopatra IV." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160314131341fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_iv_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035237fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/nios_ii_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy VI." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160313131242fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_vi_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy VIII." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191231fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_viii_fr.htm
Available David Instone-Brewer @ https://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_viii_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy IX." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182258fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_ix_fr.htm

Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy X." Egyptian Royal Genealogy > Ptolemaic Dynasty > The Genealogy.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160404025227fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_x_fr.htm

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Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20180316100012fw_/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/eupator_fr.htm

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Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20160314145958fw_/http://tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/memphites_fr.htm

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Earth and Space News

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Cleopatra III Was the Third of Seven Ptolemaic Queens Named Cleopatra

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