Cleopatra Selene is an historical figure who should be much better known, particularly by young women of colour who look for someone they can personally identify and engage with in the historical record. [loc. 125]
I was only vaguely aware of the existence of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony: I hadn't appreciated the arc of her life, from Egyptian princess to Roman prisoner to African queen. Draycott's biography, whilst admittedly a 'qualified reconstruction' rather than a rigorous examination of historical evidence, is an eminently readable account of the known facts, and the probable truths, of Cleopatra Selene's life. While there is little information about her childhood, there is ample information about aristocratic children in Rome around that time; though there are no records of her life in Alexandria, archaeological and historical evidence allows Draycott to describe city life in the first century BCE.
After the deaths of their parents, Cleopatra Selene and her brothers Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphos were taken to Rome to be raised in the household of Octavia, wife to Antony and sister to Octavian whose naval defeat of Antony and Cleopatra orphaned the three children. (Caesarion, Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar, had already been killed: if he'd lived, and the war hadn't happened, he'd have ruled with Cleopatra Selene as his sister-wife.) The two boys vanished from the historical record shortly afterwards: in Draycott's view, it's at least as likely that they contracted some disease as that Octavian had them killed. Cleopatra Selene survived, though, and at age 15 was married to Juba II of Numidia, an African prince. The two became co-rulers of the Roman client kingdom of Mauretania -- co-rulers rather than a king and his consort, evidenced by coinage issued in both their names. Cleopatra Selene died relatively young, at 35, allegedly during a lunar eclipse. Her only son, Ptolemy, ruled Mauretania with his father and then alone until he was executed by Caligula.
Draycott is keen to draw parallels between Cleopatra Selene's time and the modern world. She's careful to stress that our concepts of 'race', 'nationality' and so on aren't applicable to the ancient world: however, prejudice, appropriation and misogyny are very much in evidence both then and now. Whilst prisoner, or adoptee, in Rome, Cleopatra Selene would have been exposed to 'Egyptomania, a process of cultural appropriation whereby Egyptian motifs were reworked for this newfound Roman audience and became extremely fashionable as a result' [loc. 1933]; I was reminded of the interest in ancient Egypt sparked by Napoleon's campaign in the early 19th century. Draycott's comparisons of ancient and modern life are usually apt: I was struck by her mention, during the passage discussing the triumphal procession in which the children were paraded through Rome, of Princes William and Harry walking behind their mother's coffin. There are also references to Meghan Markle's treatment by the British press, and to the surprising popularity of Cleopatra Selene (and her romance/political alliance with Juba) on social media. While occasionally the modern-day contextualisation jars ('Antony was keen on cosplay throughout his life') it's generally well-observed and will likely make the book more accessible to younger readers, and to those without a grounding in ancient history or the classics.
Fulfils the ‘Addresses a specific topic’ rubric of the 52 books in 2022 challenge.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this honest review. UK publication date is 10 November 2022.
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