Cleopatra Selene of Egypt and Syria
Who was Cleopatra Selene of Egypt and Syria?
Queen of Egypt and Syria
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Cleopatra Selene of Egypt and Syria (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Cleopatra Selene (c. 135-130 to 69 BC) was a Ptolemaic princess who became a key figure in the late Hellenistic period. She was queen consort of both Egypt and Syria before ruling Syria on her own. Her parents were Ptolemy VIII Physcon and Cleopatra III of Egypt. From a young age, she was involved in the complicated politics of the Ptolemaic court. Her mother arranged her marriage to Ptolemy IX Lathyros in 115 BC after forcing him to divorce Cleopatra IV. When Ptolemy IX was expelled from Egypt due to conflicts with his mother, Cleopatra Selene likely married her other brother, Ptolemy X Alexander I.
In 102 BC, Cleopatra III arranged an alliance with the Seleucid Empire, sending Cleopatra Selene to marry Antiochus VIII Grypus of Syria. This started her involvement in the succession disputes of the declining Seleucid dynasty. After Antiochus VIII's assassination in 96 BC, she married his brother and rival Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, showing how political alliances shifted in the Hellenistic world. Her third Syrian marriage was to Antiochus X Eusebes, the son of Antiochus IX, after her second husband's death in 95 BC. When Antiochus X disappeared around 92 BC, Cleopatra Selene became a widow for the last time.
After Antiochus XII's death in 83/82 BC, Cleopatra Selene became an independent ruler, declaring her son Antiochus XIII as king while seemingly acting as co-ruler. She had children with several of her husbands and used them to support her power claims. Her attempt to take control of Antioch after Philip I’s death was one of the last efforts to restore Seleucid power in Syria. However, both Antioch's people and regional governors were tired of the ongoing civil wars that had troubled the Seleucid realm.
Cleopatra Selene spent her last years trying to hold onto power in a fragmented Syria, where many claimed control over different areas. She died in 69 BC at Seleucia at the Zeugma, ending one of the last efforts to unify the Seleucid kingdom. Her life was a link between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties during their declines.
Before Fame
Cleopatra Selene was born into the chaotic court of Ptolemy VIII Physcon during a time when the Ptolemaic dynasty was facing major internal conflicts. Her mother, Cleopatra III, was entangled in a tricky power struggle involving her own children and siblings. The young princess was raised in a setting where royal marriages were mainly used for diplomacy and succession fights often turned into battles.
The late 2nd century BC was a crucial time for both the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms as Roman control in the eastern Mediterranean was growing, while traditional Hellenistic powers were weakening due to internal strife. Royal women then frequently served as important political figures, being moved between kingdoms to form alliances or transferred among brothers and cousins to keep the family stable. Cleopatra Selene's rise was influenced by her mother's efforts to use her children as policy tools, a common strategy among Hellenistic rulers eager to secure their kingdoms through strategic marriages.
Key Achievements
- Served as Queen of Egypt from 115 to 102 BC during the reigns of two different pharaohs
- Became Queen of Syria through marriage to three successive Seleucid rulers between 102 and 92 BC
- Ruled as monarch of Syria in her own right from 82 to 69 BC
- Successfully maintained political relevance across multiple regime changes in both Egypt and Syria
- Established her son Antiochus XIII as a claimant to the Seleucid throne and served as his co-ruler
Did You Know?
- 01.She was married to five different kings during her lifetime, including two of her own brothers and three members of the Seleucid dynasty
- 02.Her name 'Selene' means 'moon' in Greek, making her 'Cleopatra Moon' in translation
- 03.She gave birth to children by multiple husbands and used these offspring to establish competing claims to the Seleucid throne
- 04.She was one of the last independent female rulers of the Seleucid Empire before it was absorbed by Rome
- 05.Her marriages connected the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties during their final periods of independence from Roman control