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Cleopatra’s Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen

byJane Draycott

Jane Draycott reconstructs the remarkable life of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. Taken to Rome after her parents' defeat, Selene was raised in the household of Augustus and later married Juba II, becoming queen of Mauretania in North Africa. Archaeology, coins, architecture, and fragmentary texts reveal how she combined Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and African traditions to build authority. The biography shows a captive child becoming a successful ruler, challenging histories that end Cleopatra's dynasty at Actium and overlook women who exercised power across the Roman world.

Publisher

Penguin Publishing Group

Publication date

2023

Format

Print edition

Pages

—

ISBN

9781324092599