Menasha Public Library (Elisha D. Smith)

Cleopatra's daughter, from Roman prisoner to African queen, Jane Draycott

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

individual biography

illustrationsplatesmapsgenealogical tables

index present

non fiction

Cleopatra's daughter

bibliography

1378318195

Jane Draycott

from Roman prisoner to African queen

"The first biography of one of the most fascinating yet long-neglected rulers of the ancient world: Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. Years ago, archaeologists excavating near Pompeii unearthed a hoard of Roman treasures, among them a bowl depicting a woman with thick, curly hair and sporting an elephant-scalp headdress. For decades, theories circulated about her identity-until, at last, she was ascertained to be Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Roman Triumvir Marc Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII. Using this discovery as her starting point and creating a narrative from mere fragments in the archaeological record, historian Jane Draycott reconstructs the exceptional life of this woman who, although born into royalty and raised in her mother's court, was held captive by Augustus Caesar and his sister, Octavia, after her parents' demise. Yet as Draycott shows, Cleopatra Selene was destined to emerge as an influential ruler in her own right, as queen, alongside King Juba II, of Mauretania, an ancient African kingdom. A long-overdue historical corrective, Cleopatra's Daughter reclaims a mighty regent-and her infamous family-for posterity"--, Provided by publisher

Alexandria: Cleopatra Selene's birthplace -- Antony and Cleopatra: West Meets East -- The birth of a queen -- Death of a dynasty? -- The aftermath of Actium -- When in Rome -- Egyptomania! -- A Queen in the making -- A fresh start: the Kingdom of Mauretania -- Wedded bliss? -- Family matters: the second Ptolemaic dynasty -- An African princess?