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Cleopatra's Daughter
Cleopatra's Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to Egyptian Queen | Jane Draycott
1 post | 1 read | 1 to read
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 identityuntil, 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 mothers 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, Cleopatras Daughter reclaims a mighty regentand her infamous familyfor posterity.
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review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Mehso-so

The author themselves admit that, following her marriage, information about Cleopatra Selene's life tails off. We don't know exactly when she died or what caused her relatively early death. Unfortunately due to this dearth of verified information, I felt as if I didn't really know much more about Cleopatra Selene than before I started reading. I also found it a little dry to read at times. (Continued)

OutsmartYourShelf Mine seems to be an outlier opinion though so don't let it put you off. 3⭐

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Head of Zeus/Apollo, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4991933929
(edited) 2y
28 likes1 comment