Cleopatra selene ii biography sampler
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Cleopatra's Daughter
why aren’t we talking more about Cleopatra Selene?
This is the first biography *ever* on Cleopatra’s daughter, written by the fantastic Jane Draycott (who has also written pioneering articles and books on disability and prosthetics in the #ancientworld - she’s one to keep an eye on). If you’re interested in #ancienthistory , #egyptiannhistory, #cleopatra , #womeninhistory , I mean, the list goes on - as far as I’m concerned, if you’re here, you’ll enjoy this book.
As with Cleopatra, we have a skeletal outline of Cleopatra Selene’s life, but nothing with total clarity. We don’t know what she really looked like, what she thought or felt, but we do know she was intelligent and determined enough to not only survive, but prosper in her tumultuous position as Cleopatra’s daughter in the xenophobic, early Roman Empire.
Draycott offers an in-depth, holistic interpretation of Cleopatra Selene’s life. She doesn’t speculate, and she writes an empathetic history without bias (unlike many other authors of Cleopatra and family). For example: “If there is any truth in this…” - she acknowledges the discrepancies in the history and sources surrounding Selene (there’s a fully appendix of translated source passages, fyi, which is #dreamy ), and provides the reade
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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.
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Cleopatra Selene II - Wikipedia
Cleopatra Selene II - Wikipedia