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Shadow of the Moon: The Triumphant, Tragic Life of Cleopatra Selene II
Daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Cleopatra Selene II survived her parents' tragic fall. Raised in Rome by her enemy's family, she rose to become a powerful and cultured queen of Mauretania alongside her husband Juba II, ruling until her untimely death during a lunar eclipse at age 35.
When we hear the names Cleopatra and Mark Antony, we picture a whirlwind romance of power, passion, and tragedy that ended with the fall of Egypt and double suicide. But their story didn't end there. It lived on through their children, most notably their only daughter, a woman who survived the wreckage of her heritage to become a powerful queen in her own right: Cleopatra Selene II.
From Alexandrian Princess to Roman Captive
Born in 40 BCE as a twin to Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene's early life was one of unimaginable privilege. As the daughter of Egypt's queen and a Roman triumvir, she was declared a monarch in her own right during the "Donations of Alexandria," a lavish ceremony where her parents distributed lands to their children. But this gilded world shattered after her parents' defeat at the Battle of Actium. At just ten years old, she was orphaned and taken to Rome by their conqueror, Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus. In a display of ultimate humiliation, she and her brothers were paraded through the streets of Rome in golden chains during Octavian's triumph, a living trophy of his victory over their famous mother.
A Gilded Cage in the House of Augustus
Her life as a captive could have been short and brutal, but fate took a strange turn. Selene and her surviving brother were placed in the care of Octavia the Younger—Augustus's sister and the very woman Mark Antony had divorced to be with Cleopatra. In this politically charged household, she was raised alongside Antony's other children and various other royal orphans from conquered kingdoms. She received a first-class Roman education, but lived as a constant, poignant reminder of her family's downfall, her life entirely in the hands of the man who had destroyed her world.
The Ptolemaic Phoenix: Queen of Mauretania
Rather than fade into obscurity, Cleopatra Selene thrived. Augustus, a master of political maneuvering, saw an opportunity. He arranged her marriage to another royal ward, Juba II of Numidia. Together, Augustus installed them as the client rulers of Mauretania (modern-day Morocco and Algeria). It was a brilliant move, placing loyal, Roman-educated rulers on a key North African throne. But Cleopatra Selene was more than just a pawn. As queen, she embraced her rich heritage. She and Juba II transformed their capital, Caesarea, into a vibrant cultural hub that blended Egyptian, Greek, Punic, and Roman influences. They embarked on massive construction projects and promoted trade, bringing immense wealth to their kingdom. On her coinage, she asserted her lineage, styling herself as "Queen Cleopatra, daughter of Queen Cleopatra," often using the Ptolemaic symbols of the sistrum and the crescent moon, a nod to her own name, Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon.
An Eclipse of a Queen
After a successful and influential reign, Cleopatra Selene died around 5 BCE at the age of 35. Her death was marked by a celestial event so fitting it feels like myth. The Greek poet Crinagoras of Mytilene, a contemporary, penned an epigram that tied her passing directly to a lunar eclipse.
The moon herself grew dark, rising at sunset, / Veiling her grief in night, / Because she saw her own beautiful namesake, Selene, / Breathless, going down to Hades, / With her she had had the beauty of her light in common, / And mingled her own darkness with her death.
The moon, her namesake, darkened the sky as she passed from the world. This poetic end cemented the legacy of a woman who was born into the brightest light, cast into the deepest shadow, and rose again to rule as a powerful queen, her life and death forever intertwined with the celestial body she was named for. She was the last Ptolemaic queen, a forgotten daughter whose legacy of resilience and power shines brightly through the mists of history.