Posts tagged ‘Egypt’
CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER, A BOOK REVIEW
CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER, A BOOK REVIEW
BY
JANE DRAYCOTT
The name Cleopatra is well known, but not the name of her daughter, Cleopatra Selene.
This extensively researched memoir of Cleopatra Seline covers the period in the BCEs of the early 30s to the early CEs and follows the life of Cleopatra Selene in Egypt from birth until the suicide of her mother. The young girl was then taken to Rome at around the age of ten where she was a virtual prisoner. Upon entering womanhood, she married Juba and became queen of Mauretania.
What I found remarkable about this book was the amount of detailed history which is known about the era of Cleopatra Selene’s life and the important individuals impacting the time before, during and after. The amount of information available regarding individuals who had a significant role in her life and lineage is, to me, surprising.
Other interesting details covered in this book were that during this period in history incest and murder within royal families were not unusual. To have married brother and sister couples as rulers was often the case. Neither uncommon was the fact that members of families murdered or arranged the murders of other family members.
The book also points out that a great deal of historic detail is gleaned from coins printed during that time of antiquity. Portraits on the coins give some clue to the appearance of significant players during this time.
This book provides a remarkable and thorough review of ancient history rarely explored during the life and era of Cleopatra Selene.
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