Cleopatra's Sons Disappeared But Her Daughter Was Queen of Mauretania

Summary: Cleopatra's three sons disappeared but her only daughter, who lived for approximately 25 years after her mother's death, became Queen of Mauretania.

melon-coiffed marble portrait credited as Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, ca. 10-1 BCE, found ca. 1856 near Juba II and Cleopatra Selene's palace in Caesarea (modern-day Cherchell), Algeria; detail of image of Cleopatra Selene, extracted Aug. 22, 2020, from June 18, 2018, image: Hichem algerino, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Last Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra's three sons disappeared soon after her death in 30 BCE, but her only daughter married, had two children and became Queen of Mauretania in a lifespan that extended approximately 25 years after her mother's death.

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) birthed four known children. Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or 13, 100-March 15, 44 BCE) fathered Ptolemy XV Caesar Philopator Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Καῖσαρ Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Kaisar Philopator Philometor, "Ptolemy Caesar, Beloved of his Father, Beloved of his Mother"; 47-30 BCE), known as Caesarion (Ancient Greek: Καισαρίων, Kaisarion, "Little Caesar"). Cleopatra's first child and first son is considered as Julius Caesar's only known biological son.

Roman militarian and politician Marcus Antonius "Mark Antony" (Jan. 14, 83-Aug. 1, 30 BCE) fathered three children with Cleopatra. Fraternal twins Cleopatra Selene II (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Σελήνη, Kleopatra Selene, "Cleopatra the Moon") and Alexander Helios (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος Ἥλιος, Alexandros Helios, "Alexander the Sun") were born in 40 BCE as Cleopatra's second daughter and second son, respectively. Ptolemy Philadelphus (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaios Philadelphos) was born in 36 BCE as the last Ptolemaic queen's third son and fourth child.

The deaths of Mark Antony, firstly, and of Cleopatra, soon thereafter, in August 30 BCE orphaned the four children. Their Ptolemaic descent placed them at the mercy of the Macedonian Greek royal dynasty's overthrower, Gaius Octavius "Octavian" (Sep. 23, 63 BCE-Aug. 19, 14 CE). Octavian had become Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus in 44 BCE as adopted son and heir of his assassinated maternal great uncle, Julius Caesar. Octavian's name change to Caesar Augustus beginning in January 27 BCE signaled the transformation of the Roman Republic as the Ptolemaic Kingdom's (305-30 BCE) replacer into the Roman Empire.

In summer 30 BCE, prior to her August death, Cleopatra had assessed the safety of her four children, according to British Egyptologist Joann Fletcher (born Aug. 30, 1966) in Cleopatra the Great (Part Six, Chapter 11 The Final Year: Defeat, Death and Eternal Life, pages 306-307), published in 2011. She evacuated her three youngest children, accompanied by their tutor Euphronios, to the safety of her supporters in Thebes, Upper Egypt (Southern Egypt). But she sent Caesarion, targeted as her Ptolemaic heir, to refuge, in the company of his tutor, Rhodon, in India, according to Greek biographer Plutarch (46 BCE-ca. 122 CE) in Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly known as Parallel Lives.

"Cleopatra's children, together with their attendants, were kept under guard and had generous treatment. But Caesarion, who was said to be Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar, was sent by his mother, with much treasure, into India, by way of Ethiopia," narrated Plutarch in his biography of "Antony," according to American classicist Bernadotte Perrin's (Sep. 15, 1847-Aug. 31, 1920) translation, published in 1920 (Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 318-321).

Yet, Rhodon's duplicitous insistence of Octavian's intention of passing the Ptolemaic Kingdom to its rightful heir convinced Caesarion to make a fateful decision. Meanwhile, first century BCE Alexandrian philosopher Areius has been credited with a pithy persuasion of Octavian against mercy.

"There Rhodon . . . persuaded him to go back, on the ground that Caesar invited him to take the kingdom. But while Caesar was deliberating on the matter, we are told that Areius said: -- Not a good thing were a Caesar too many. As for Caesarion, then, he was afterwards put to death by Caesar, -- after the death of Cleopatra" (Bernadotte Perrin translation; Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 320-321).

In addition to Caesarion, Octavian ordered the execution of Marcus Antonius Antyllus (47 BCE-Aug. 23, 30 BCE), designated as his father's heir. Known as Antyllus ("the Archer"), he was the older of two sons born to Mark Antony and his third wife, Fulvia (ca. 83-40 BCE).

With removal of the two heirs, Octavian blended Cleopatra's offspring with Mark Antony's other children in the home of his sister, Octavia the Younger (Latin: Octavia Minor; ca. 66/69-11 BCE). Octavia had numbered as Mark Antony's fourth wife. Her household already included the two Antonias (Antonia Major, Antonia Minor), her two daughters fathered by Mark Antony. In referring to the blended household, Plutarch only mentioned Cleopatra's daughter. Her two Antonine sons were not referenced.

"Antony left seven children by his three wives, of whom Antyllus, the eldest, was the only one who was put to death by Caesar; the rest were taken up by Octavia and reared with her own children. Cleopatra, the daughter of Cleopatra, Octavia gave in marriage to Juba, the most accomplished of kings . . ." (Bernadotte Perrin translation; Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 330-331).

Cleopatra Selene II's husband, Mauretanian King Juba II, joined her in vanishment, as their burial sites are unknown and the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania stands as an empty memorial; bronze bust of Juba II, ca. 20 BCE, collection of Museum of History and Civilizations in Rabat (Arabic: متحف التاريخ والحضارات, French: Musée de l'histoire et des civilisations), northwestern coastal Morocco: Françoise Foliot, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cleopatra Selene's twin, Alexander Helios, and their younger brother, Ptolemy Philadelphus, disappeared from Rome-supporting sources after 25 BCE. The last official sighting of Alexander occurred during Octavian's triple Roman triumphs, held Aug. 13 through Aug. 15, 29 BCE. The Senate-granted civil ceremony lavishly celebrated Octavian's victories in his campaigns in south central and southeastern Europe's Illyricum, 35 to 33 BCE, and against Cleopatra and Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium, Sep. 2, 31 BCE, and in the siege of Alexandria, Aug. 1, 30 BCE.

Only Alexander and Cleopatra Selene were identified as suffering through the humiliating event by Roman historian Lucius Cassius Dio (ca. 155-235 CE), known as Dio Cassius, in Roman History (Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἱστορία, Historia Romana), his historical compendium of ancient Rome, written in Greek. Ptolemy Philadelphus possibly had predeceased the event. His succumbence to his first, and last, cold Roman winter in 29 BCE has been suggested by American Classicist Duane Roller (born Oct. 7, 1946) in The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene (page 84), published in 2003, and by Joann Fletcher (Cleopatra the Great, Part Six, Chapter 12 Epilogue: The Aftermath, page 333).

"On the second day the naval victory at Actium was commemorated, and on the third the subjugation of Egypt. Now all the processions proved notable thanks to the spoils from Egypt, -- in such quantities, indeed, had spoils been gathered there that they sufficed for all the processions, -- but the Egyptian celebration surpassed them all in costliness and magnificence. Among other features, an effigy of the dead Cleopatra upon a couch was carried by, so that in a way she, too, together with the other captives and with her children, Alexander, called also Helios, and Cleopatra, called also Selene, was a part of the spectacle and a trophy in the procession," Dio Cassius stated, according to American classicist Earnest Cary's (Feb. 25, 1879-) translation, published in 1955 (Dio's Roman History, Vol. VI, Book LI: 21.7-21.8, pages 61-62).

Cleopatra Selene's Octavian-approved marriage to Juba II (Latin: Gaius Iulius Iuba; Ancient Greek: Ἰóβας, Ἰóβα or Ἰούβας; ca. 48 BCE-23 CE), King of Mauretania in northwestern Africa, took place in 25 BCE, approximately five years after her parents' deaths. The marriage occasioned exemptions for the bride's two brothers from suffering the fate of their half-brother, Caesarion, according to Dio Cassius.

"Cleopatra was married to Juba, the son of Juba; for to this man who had been brought up in Italy and had been with him on campaigns, Caesar gave both the maid and the kingdom of his fathers, and as a favour to them spared the lives of Alexander and Ptolemy," Dio Cassius stated (Earnest Cary translation; Dio's Roman History, vol. VI, Book LI: 15.6, page 43).

Cleopatra Selene joined her brothers in vanishment after her death in 5 BCE. She was entombed in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, located east of the Mauretanian capital of Caesarea (modern-day Cherchell, Algeria). The mausoleum also was the burial site for her husband, who died 18 years later, in 23 CE. Yet, no trace of the couple remains in the mausoleum, according to travel writer Ethel Davies in North Africa: The Roman Coast (Part One, Chapter 1 Background Information: The Romans, page 11), published in 2009.

As with her mother's and father's tomb and burial sites of her half-brother and her two brothers, Cleopatra Selene II, Queen of Mauretania, along with her husband, lacks a gravesite.

The resting place of the last Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene II, Queen of Mauretania, mystifies modern-day researchers, voyagers and armchair travelers, as the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania has been found to be an empty tomb; "James Bruce, 1730–1794, British, Tomb de la Chretienne / Juba and Cleopatra, ca. 1769, Watercolor, pen and brown ink, black ink, gouache, gray wash and graphite on moderately thick, moderately textured, cream laid paper, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1977.14.9090": Public Domain, via Yale Center for British Art

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

melon-coiffed marble portrait credited as Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, ca. 10-1 BCE, found ca. 1856 near Juba II and Cleopatra Selene's palace in Caesarea (modern-day Cherchell), Algeria; detail of image of Cleopatra Selene, extracted Aug. 22, 2020, from June 18, 2018, image: Hichem algerino, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cleopatra_Selene_II.jpg

Cleopatra Selene II's husband, Mauretanian King Juba II, joined her in vanishment, as their burial sites are unknown and the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania stands as an empty memorial; bronze bust of Juba II, ca. 20 BCE, collection of Museum of History and Civilizations in Rabat (Arabic: متحف التاريخ والحضارات, French: Musée de l'histoire et des civilisations), northwestern coastal Morocco: Françoise Foliot, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fran%C3%A7oise_Foliot_-_Juba_II_bis.jpg

The resting place of the last Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene II, Queen of Mauretania, mystifies modern-day researchers, voyagers and armchair travelers, as the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania has been found to be an empty tomb; "James Bruce, 1730–1794, British, Tomb de la Chretienne/ Juba and Cleopatra, ca. 1769, Watercolor, pen and brown ink, black ink, gouache, gray wash and graphite on moderately thick, moderately textured, cream laid paper, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1977.14.9090": Public Domain, via Yale Center for British Art @ https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:15508; Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb_of_Juba_II_and_Cleopatra_Selene_(James_Bruce).jpg

For further information:

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Lucius Cassius Dio. ". . . . Cleopatra was married to Juba, the son of Juba; for to this man who had been brought up in Italy and had been with him on campaigns, Caesar gave both the maid and the kingdom of his fathers, and as a favour to them spared the lives of Alexander and Ptolemy. . . ." Book LI: 15.5-15.6, page 43. Dio's Roman History, vol. VI. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA Harvard University Press, MCMLV [1955].
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Lucius Cassius Dio. ". . . . On the second day the naval victory at Actium was commemorated, and on the third the subjugation of Egypt. Now all the processions proved notable thanks to the spoils from Egypt, -- in such quantities, indeed, had spoils been gathered there that they sufficed for all the processions, -- but the Egyptian celebration surpassed them all in costliness and magnificence. Among other features, an effigy of the dead Cleopatra upon a couch was carried by, so that in a way she, too, together with the other captives and with her children, Alexander, called also Helios, and Cleopatra, called also Selene, was a part of the spectacle and a trophy in the procession. . . ." Book LI: 21.7-21.8, pages 61-62. Dio's Roman History, vol. VI. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA Harvard University Press, MCMLV [1955].
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Perrin, Bernadotte, trans. "LXXXI. As for the children of Antony, Antyllus, his son by Fulvia, was betrayed by Theodorus his tutor and put to death; and after the soldiers had cut off his head, his tutor took away the exceeding precious stone which the boy wore about his neck and sewed it into his own girdle; and though he denied the deed, he was convicted of it and crucified. [2] Cleopatra's children, together with their attendants, were kept under guard and had generous treatment. But Caesarion, who was said to be Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar, was sent by his mother, with much treasure, into India, by way of Ethiopia. There Rhodon, another tutor like Theodorus, persuaded him to go back, on the ground that Caesar invited him to take the kingdom. But while Caesar was deliberating on the matter, we are told that Areius said: -- Not a good thing were a Caesar too many." Pages 318-321. Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 138-333. In eleven volumes. Loeb Classical Library. First printed 1920. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, MCMLIX [1959].
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Perrin, Bernadotte, trans. "LXXXII. As for Caesarion, then, he was afterwards put to death by Caesar, -- after the death of Cleopatra; but as for Antony, though many generals and kings asked for his body that they might give it burial, Caesar would not take it away from Cleopatra, and it was buried by her hands in sumptuous and royal fashion, such things being granted her for the purpose as she desired. But in consequence of so much grief as well as pain (for her breasts were wounded and inflamed by the blows she gave them) a fever assailed her, and she welcomed it as an excuse for abstaining from food and so releasing herself from life without hindrance. [2] Moreover, there was a physician in her company of intimates, Olympus, to whom she told the truth, and she had his counsel and assistance in compassing her death, as Olympus himself testifies in a history of these events which he published. But Caesar was suspicious, and plied her with threats and fears regarding her children, by which she was laid low, as by engines of war, and surrendered her body for such care and nourishment as was desired." Pages 320-321. Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 138-333. In eleven volumes. Loeb Classical Library. First printed 1920. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, MCMLIX [1959].
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Rolfe, J.C. (John Carew). ". . . . He allowed them both the honour of burial, and in the same tomb, giving orders that the mausoleum which they had begun should be finished. The young Antony, the elder of Fulvia's two sons, he dragged from the image of the Deifird Julius, to which he had flet after many vain entreaties, and slew him. Caesarion, too, whom Cleopatra fathered on Caesar, he overtook in his flight, brought back, and put to death. But he spared the rest of the offspring of Antony and Cleopatra, and afterwards maintained and reared them according to their several positions, as carefully as if they were his own kin." Pages 147-148, Book II The Deified Augustus. Suetonius The Lives of the Caesars, vol. I. In two volumes. Loeb Classical Library. London: William Heinemann; New York: The Macmillan Co., MCMXIV [1914].
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