Cleopatra's Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to Egyptian Queen

by Jane Draycott

The first biography of Cleopatra Selene – daughter of Cleopatra VII – princess, prisoner and African queen.

In 1895, archaeologists excavating a villa outside Pompeii discovered a hoard of Roman silverware. In the centre of one dish was a female figure with thick, curly hair, deep-set eyes, a slightly hooked nose and a strong jaw, and sporting an elephant scalp headdress. Modern scholars believe this woman is Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the infamous Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

Using this discovery as her starting-point, Jane Draycott recreates the life and times of a remarkable woman. Unlike her siblings, who were either executed as threat to Rome's new ruler, Augustus, or simply forgotten, Cleopatra Selene survived and prospered. She was a princess who became a prisoner; a prisoner who became a queen; an Egyptian who became Roman; and a woman who became a powerful ruler in her own right at a time when women were marginalised. Her life shines new light on the conflict between the politics, culture and history of Rome and Egypt, as well as the relationship between Rome and one of its most significant allied kingdoms, Mauretania.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Egypt, Ancient History, Africa, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published November 10, 2022

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction accounting of everything known about Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. As it turns out the historians of the time wrote little about her and consequently there is little historical or archaeological evidence of her. Thus this book is filled mostly with what is known about the cultural practices of the time and guesses at what life would have been like for a daughter of two famous people.

We do know she was among the few of Cleopatra VII’s family that Octavian (later Augustus) allowed to live following his victory at the battle of Actium. She was the only one from the household to survive into adulthood. We know that Cleopatra Selene eventually married Juba II, a Numidian prince and fellow hostage in Octavian’s Rome household, and that the pair were packed off to rule in the newly minted kingdom of Mauretania in North Africa, where she died around 5 B.C., while still in her 30s.

The book’s narrative ends up being an account of Rome and Alexandria at the turn of the first millennium, packed with fascinating information, including numerous photographs, about Roman and Egyptian culture Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship and their daughter’s possible descendants. Then at the very end of the book is an appendix containing the English translation of the text from all known ancient writings that mention Cleopatra Saline’s name.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book on one of history's more neglected personalities. Overshadowed by her more famous mother, Cleopatra Selene lived in most interesting times - a period when Egypt, a mighty empire in its own right, came into conflict with another stronger nation whose imperical aspirations would dominate both the region and her life.

Draycott utilises what is readily available - archaeological evidence, historical documents and contemporary histories - to flesh out the life of this cultured and politically astute woman. However, as with many women throughout history, actual, verifiable evidence is often lacking, making the retelling more general than specific. Many women are often overshadowed by either famous parents, siblings or marriage partner, and Cleopatra Selene is one. As a result, Draycott uses more generalised knowledge to re-imagine what her life may have looked like - and that is fine, as long as this is not taken for actual fact.

It is a worthy tome to pick up if this is your area of interest or if long lost historical women are on your research radar.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the rulers who dealt with the Roman empire, Cleopatra has to be the most infamous. Her doomed love affair with Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), her lavish banquets & immense wealth were the subject of gossip even during her lifetime. What of their children, especially her only daughter? What do we know about Cleopatra Selene's life after the death of her parents?

It seems that following the loss of her parents, Cleopatra Selene also lost both her brothers, possibly to childhood disease (although some Roman writers put the blame for Alexander Helios's death firmly on Augustus, as well as his disposal of their older half brother, Caesarion). She grew up within the Emperor's close family, most probably raised by Antony's Roman wife (& Augustus's sister), Octavia. She married another heir from a conquered country, Juba II, & they ruled client kingdom Mauretania together for two decades. They had at least two children, but we only know the name of one, Ptolemy, who became king after his father's death but was murdered at the behest of Caligula, who was Emperor at the time.

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

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

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read courtesy of NetGalley.

Ever since I read a biography of Beregaria - the only English queen who never even visited England - I have been very keen on biographies of women who have just been overlooked. (It wasn't Berengaria's fault; she was married to Richard I while he was on his way to crusade, then he got kidnapped and then he was off fighting in France, so... she never got across the Channel.)

Did I know Cleopatra VII had a daughter? Yes. That she was taken as a prisoner by Octavian back to Rome? Yes, although it wasn't as immediately accessible knowledge. Did I know that this daughter then went on to marry Juba. king of Mauretania, and that she ruled there with him for many years? NO I DID NOT. And I kind of feel a bit aggrieved that I got to be 42 without knowing this.

Draycott has written a quite splendid biography, especially considering the limitation of the source material available. One of the things I particularly like about her style is that she's not pretending knowledge that she doesn't have. The reality is that there's very little information about Cleopatra Selene's childhood, either in Alexandria or in Rome; so Draycott presents what is known for children and families in those places in those times, indicating that this is a good estimation. I like this approach a lot.

Having said that the material is limited, I was surprised at the sources that do exist - see above, not knowing anything about Cleopatra Selene's adulthood. There are (probably) statues (identifying ancients in statue is notoriously hard); there are coins; and there are some written references, too. So it's not all a guessing game ; and when Draycott does make some leaps (like Zenobia maybe being a descendent??), she's pretty clear about the tenuous nature of the links.

It's likely that both Cleopatra Selene's twin, Alexander Helios (yes, yes, Mark Antony, you have a great sense of humour AND hubris), and their younger brother Ptolemy, both died as young boys - Draycott makes a compelling case that this was probably from natural causes, given that Rome was a malaria-ridden swamp and that there doesn't seem to have been a reason to kill the boys and leave the girl alive. Cleopatra Selene marries Juba, also a sort-of captive in Rome, and then they're sent off to rule Mauretania - possibly, Draycott argues, with Cleopatra Selene taking an active part as co-ruler, given the example she'd been set by her own mother. She seems to have lived there for around 20 years, although there's no definite date of her death recorded anywhere.

Finally, I particularly liked Draycott's handling of the question of Cleopatra Selene's 'ethnicity'. That modern understandings (or imaginings) of 'race' and 'ethnicity' are very different from what people of her time would have thought about themselves or others, that it can't be resolved what colour her skin was given the lack of definite knowledge about Cleopatra VII's ancestry, and so on. I think she deals sympathetically with the idea of Cleopatra being 'Black', within the context of both not knowing for sure and those ancient people having different notions of what it means; she does make the firm point that Juba himself was (what today would be called) a Black African, and therefore their children were 'mixed race' and 'mixed ethnicity' (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, African). I like that Draycott is aware of these issues and isn't pretending that such discussions don't exist, or that they are somehow irrelevant to the discourse she's part of.

Well written, thoughtful, and giving a broad understanding of both Cleopatra Selene as a human (as much as can be from the limited sources) and her context in time and place. This is what I want from a biography.

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was a feast for the senses, piecing together both the archaeological and historical in a fascinating display of grandeur and mystery. A really wonderful book. Draycott provides us with sufficient material to paint the person Cleopatra Selene was, though sadly very little is left of her or even known about her. Nonetheless this is a remarkable look at her early years and ascension to Queenship 👑

Cleopatra Selene was named after the Greek word for moon. A child of the Egyptian glitterati and a Ptolemaic princess, she was born into a world of ancient politics and powerful Pharaonic dynasties. Her predecessors were strong women and she came from a long line of great queens. I imagine she must have had a great deal of maternal influence ✨

Marked by her parentage and adopted into emperor Octavian’s Roman regime, it was no easy ride for this poor girl. First there was an enormous smear campaign launched against her disgraced parents, Marcus Antonius and Queen Cleopatra after their defeat, followed by the murder of two of her remaining siblings. What a rough start to her young life! ✨

[Jordy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goed boek over een historisch figuur die tot nu toe onderbelicht is gebleven binnen vooral de Westerse wereld. De auteur legt op een bevlogen manier uit waarom Geschiedenis niet per se hoeft te gaan over dramatische gebeurtenissen, maar dat het vooral een verzameling aan persoonlijke verhalen is.

Draycott is een goede vertelster en vervalt niet vaak in een droog feitenrelaas, ze selecteert duidelijk relevante passages voor de lezer en gebruikt daarbij haar eigen perspectief om keuzes uit te leggen. De auteur is min of meer geforceerd om vooral ongeschreven bronnen te raadplegen voor haar verhaal, gezien mannelijke auteurs uit de antieke wereld slechts mondjesmaat bruikbare informatie verschaffen over Cleopatra Selene.

De beperkingen van het beschikbare bronmateriaal hebben de auteur enkele notities gekost waarin ze uitlegt dat het bewijs niet altijd even sterk is en dat er nog veel onderzoek wordt verricht. Voor mij leverde dat geen problemen op tijdens het lezen, het boek blijft geloofwaardig doordat er openheid is over hoe het bronmateriaal is gebruikt. Een sterk punt is dat er in de tekst zelf direct naar bronnen wordt verwezen die op de pagina's zelf staan.

Wel had het boek wellicht beter kunnen eindigen bij het bespreken van de dood van Cleopatra Selene, dat nu op de achtergrond verdwijnt ten bate van een beschouwing van etniciteit. Het laatste hoofdstuk leest nu als een hoofdstuk - overigens is het wel goed geschreven - dat aan het einde van het schrijven nog vlug is toegevoegd door de auteur. Dat verstoort enigszins de biografie en had beter in eerdere hoofdstukken verwerkt kunnen worden.

Een aanrader voor ieder die interesse heeft in de antieke wereld, het boek leest vlug weg en de auteur behandelt verschillende aspecten van het Romeinse rijk ten tijde van de machtsovername door Octavianus/Augustus. De lezer krijgt een inkijkje in het sociale leven van vooral de elitaire bovenlaag van Rome.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Cleopatra's Daughter' tells the story of perhaps one of the most politically successful women operating in Rome's Late Republic and early Principate. But surprisingly, it is a story about which few people know anything. Most people are dimly aware that Cleopatra VII bore Julius Caesar a son, Caesarion, and perhaps people might know that she also had children with Marc Antony, but that is usually where it ends. What they don't realise is that one of these children by Antony, her daughter Cleopatra Selene, started out life as an Egyptian princess - perhaps destined for the throne of Egypt - and queen of Crete and Cyrenaica, before becoming a prisoner of Octavian - later Augustus - and raised in his house. But unlike her brothers, she didn't die young or slide into insignificance, instead becoming co-ruler of the Roman-allied North African kingdom of Mauretania, reigning successfully for twenty years. It is a story that absolutely needs bringing into the public consciousness.

It is, perhaps, understandable that few historians have tried to do so thus far. As the author, Jane Draycott, admits, it is hard enough to reconstruct fully the life of any ancient person, let alone a woman. When one adds to this the fact that Cleopatra Selene 'succeeded quietly rather than failed loudly', and therefore didn't provoke the attention and tirades that, for example, were directed at her mother, the difficulty increases exponentially. There simply aren't the sources available, beyond a basic timeline, to write a detailed biography. This makes it fruitful ground for historical fiction, but an arid desert for serious history.

So, how does Draycott do it? By weaving together the bits we know about Cleopatra Selene's life - gleaned not just from the canonical texts that have survived, but from poetry, other literary sources, and the archaeological record - with threads of information about Egyptian and Roman politics and life to create a rich and vibrant tapestry, building out and expanding on the direct evidence to create a picture that is not just engaging, but captivating. It is the work of a master craftsman. The reader comes away not just better informed about this infinitely fascinating queen, but about the world in which she lived and the circumstances under which she was forced to operate. But more than this, with the focus shifting ever so slightly from the beating heart of Rome, Draycott incorporates the world of the periphery, which rarely makes it onto the shelves of popular history.

'Cleopatra's Daughter' therefore also fits perfectly with prevailing trends in historiography, branching out from the male-orientated, Eurocentric history of yesteryear, addressing hot topics in a sensitive - and sensible - way. And it couldn't be better timed. Given the recent airing of the Netflix's series on Cleopatra VII, and the furore it has subsequently caused, Draycott provides a soothing, well-reasoned, brilliantly researched, accessible and engaging oil to these suddenly turbulent waters.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleopatra Selene was an extraordinary woman, one who lost her parents Cleopatra and Antony when they were defeated by Octavian, lost her siblings and stepbrother Caesarion, and had to leave Egypt for Rome as a prisoner as a child. She was raised by Octavia, her father's fourth wife along with Antony's other children and orphaned children of rebellious client subjects. When she was of age, Octavian/Augustus sent her to the newly created Mauretania in Northern Africa with Juba, a Numidian prince to govern as client rulers. Cleopatra Selene gained some independence here and ruled for about 20 years. She was able to honor her mother's legacy and keep Rome happy at the same time, a rather amazing feat. She died relatively young, of unknown circumstances and the date is rather mysterious and currently determined in part by eclipses and a surviving eulogy. Draycott tells readers when the evidence for something is questionable, partly because as a woman and a daughter of such famous parents there has not been as much literary evidence to see. Draycott does include illustrations of items thought to be hers or women of her time period. She adds coinage of her and Juba and jewelry thought to be in her image. She also includes maps, family trees, and an extensive bibliography. This is an interesting and easy to read investigation of a relatively unknown woman who deserves a place in herstory/history.

[Lauralee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually 2.5 stars!

Cleopatra is one of the most notorious figures in ancient history. She is mostly known for her passionate love affair with Marc Antony. Yet, very few people have heard about their daughter, Cleopatra Selene. In this first modern biography of Cleopatra’s daughter, it shows how Cleopatra Selene was arguably as successful as her famous mother.

Cleopatra Selene was the daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. She was an Egyptian princess who at an early age was given lands to rule. However, the defeat of both Marc Antony and Cleopatra changed the course of her life forever. She became a prisoner of Rome and was brought up by Octavia. She eventually married Prince Juba of Mauretania. Emperor Augustus made Cleopatra Selene and Juba II client rulers of Mauretania. Once they arrived, they were patrons of the arts and scholars. They made their capital a bustling, thriving, and intellectual capital. Cleopatra Selene ruled alongside King Juba II as his co-ruler but died at a young age.

Overall, this biography of Cleopatra Selene is a short and easy read. However, this biography is mostly conjecture. It is clear that there is not a lot of information about Cleopatra Selene to write a book on. Even though Cleopatra Selene is supposed to be the main subject of this biography, she is largely overshadowed by her own mother. Her mother takes up most of this biography. The writing itself is repetitive. The biography is also disjointed and instead of flowing chronologically, it constantly jumps around to various topics that do not relate to Cleopatra Selene. Therefore, Cleopatra’s Daughter would have been better if it was a short history article published in an academic journal or a historical fiction novel. Still, I recommend this for those who love reading everything about Cleopatra! This biography is perfect for fans of Kara Cooney, Joann Fletcher, and Joyce A. Tyldesley!
(Note: I read an ARC copy of this book in courtesy of Netgalley.)

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always in desperate need of books about historical women and so I really enjoyed this one! Hellenistic and Roman Egypt are such fascinating periods and Draycott weaves Cleopatra Selene's personal narrative through the larger political implications of this world. Some of the broader discussions this book tackles - like the status of Roman client kingdoms and ancient conceptions of race - were incredibly nuanced and insightful, especially in comparison to how discussed and debated Cleopatra the elder has become.

I would have loved to see a more expansive discussion of life in Mauritania during Juba and Cleopatra Selene's reign. Her time in Rome is fleshed out with plenty of supplemental information about art, culture, and daily life, and I think a similar treatment of her time in Africa could have worked really well. Also, this could just be a personal pet peeve, but I could have done with less "perhaps she was feeling this emotion at this time" passages. The art and archaeological evidence made me feel closer to her as a person without this kind of emotional supposing, but I guess that's why I became an art historian.

Overall, I would definitely recommend to someone who is perhaps less familiar with this period of Roman Egypt or wants to examine the ancient world through the perspective of historical women.

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

[rose ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”how does one dare to attempt to write a biography of any ancient historical figure, let alone an ancient woman?”

i requested cleopatra’s daughter on a whim and ended up completely fascinated by a historical figure i previously knew nothing about. cleopatra selene was the only daughter of cleopatra and antony; following their deaths, the young princess and her brothers were taken from egypt to rome, where they disappeared from the historical record while she went on to marry a king and become queen of mauretania.

i really appreciate the way draycott theorizes about cleopatra selene’s life despite the limited source material available to her. her passion is evident in her writing and research, and she does an excellent job of exploring not just one historical figure, but providing context including the societies cleopatra selene lived in, the people who might have played significant roles her life, and the heavily debated question of cleopatra’s (and therefore, her children’s) race/ethnicity. despite my lack of knowledge of this era, i was never lost and actually struggled to put this book down at times.

thank you to netgalley for the arc!

rating: 4.0/5.0 stars

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for historical fiction, it's not here. This is all true, incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched history, complete with pictures from various museums. I really liked this book at first but I'm not a history buff, and eventually I found the book a bit dry. I learned from this book that "the" Cleopatra had a daughter by Marc Antony and that she named this daughter Cleopatra Sellene, and that she went from being an Egyptian princess to being a Roman prisoner, to being an African Queen. It seems she was a good ruler because we don't have any noted historical complaints about her and it doesn't seem like she started any wars or rebellions. She married a man named Juba and died when she was around aged 35. The book gives quite a bit of background and you get a flavor of the times. I admired the author's strict adherence to factual information.

[Samantha Chu · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is my first biography, so i'm not sure if i just don't like the genre or if it was the writing that made me so bored. this book took me almost a month to finish. there were really cool things i learned, but i also felt that the writing got sidetracked a lot. i often forgot that this book was about cleopatra selene because there was so much emphasis placed on other people.

[Megan Fanok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of using information about Rome and Egypt that we know to create an image of what Cleopatra Selene’s life would have looked like to aid the some what limited information we do have about her actual life. You get a lot of surrounding information particularly about Cleopatra and Antony and the political structure of the ancient world and it if definitely worth the read. Super interested in Selene now and I will be seeking out more books about her. She is a great ancient protagonist and should be depicted more in media.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a story to be told here, and Jane Draycott clearly knows what she is talking about. The only problem is that there is so little really known. As with books I've read about Cleopatra herself, lots of educated guesses have to be based upon the slim evidence.

Writings about Cleopatra tend to stop with her death, leaving the stories of her children hanging. While her sons are either known or presumed to have died soon after she did, her daughter Cleopatra Selene lived another two decades and more, and was queen of the north African kingdom of Mauretania. The most interesting parts of the book were those that talked about her life after Cleopatra, as a ward of Augustus Caesar's ex-wife and as queen. She and her husband were apparently both influential and effective, as well as well connected all around the Mediterranean. It is easy to forget that being Antony's child she was half-sibling to ancestors of Roman emperors to come, and through living in Rome for a number of years would have known her relations there. Her son would have continued the Mauretanian line, except that he ran afoul of Caligula which proved fatal. While this was essentially the end of the client kingdom of Mauretania, he appears to have had a daughter who married into a royal family in the Levant.

Draycott tackles head-on the question of what we can and can't know of Cleopatra's ethnic ancestry. The Ptolemies in Egypt were basically Greek, placed in charge there by Alexander of Macedon, but no one knows who Cleopatra's mother was, and she could have been from just about anywhere in the ancient Mediterranean and northern African world.

As usual with books like this, where very little is known, I sometimes questioned the value of certain assumptions upon which a lot was then hung. Cleopatra Selene was eleven when her parents died, and despite her apparent later aptitude for queenship, we have no idea whether she observed her mother's life as a ruler or whether she was even kept close to her mother at all times. Eleven year olds were undoubtedly more mature then than today, but it's still assuming a lot to think that an eleven year old had learned any lessons about ruling a kingdom from her mother.

The illustrations were clearly reproduced and added a lot to the information presented in the text. If you're interested in Cleopatra, or have read any of the apparently numerous historical novels about Cleopatra Selene, this book will interest you.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read a proof of this book.

[Peter Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Cleopatra VII, Cleopatra Selene - the daughter of Anthony and the more famous Cleopatra Queen Of Egypt, before coming into this. And coming out, I know a lot more, but only in as much as Jane Draycott has been able to thread the scantest of sources. Like a number of the Women's Histories I have read this year, there is a lengthy caveat in the introduction as to quite how little evidence there is. And in this case we are talking about the daughter of a Queen, the daughter of a ruler of Rome and someone who would latterly be a queen in her own right of Mauretania. The subtitle of the book is "Egyptian Princess, Roman Prisoner, African Queen" which sums it up nicely, though the work Draycott has to do to flesh out each of these periods is not inconsiderable,

Whilst there were plenty of Roman historians whose work has been preserved they were singularly uninterested in female protagonists except for how they interact with the male protagonists of the histories. So Cleopatra Selene's mother (Cleoptra VII) is mentioned a lot, first for her affair with Julius Caesar and them Mark Anthony. Cleopatra Selene is mentioned as a daughter (twin daughter) but by they time she reaches an age her mother is dead and she has been fostered into a ROman family. This is the shakiest part of the history, Draycott knows who fostered her, and has some idea of the life she could have led but it is hard to say if she was being brought up as a slave (as the title suggests) or as another child. Once she makes her match with Juba and becomes Queen of Mauretania Roman historians lose nearly all interest - though sources shift to those which have survived from Mauretania itself. And its hard to flesh out a life from brief court documents, some coins and a general sense of how the country changed.

In the end, Draycott's main aim is to get everything in one book, to flag up Cleopatra Selene's broad life and importance. After all, there are numerous busts and depictions of her mother that could actually be her (they looked similar and had the same name after all). There's almost a plea for people to come in and fictionalise these blanks as they have done with her mother - just to provide more female historical figures to balance all the men. You can sense her own frustration with the blanks, but she never crosses the line into her own fictions. Cleopatra Selene existed, and Draycott wants everyone to know there wasn't just one Cleopatra worth knowing.

[Shain Verow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I started off Nonfiction November on a strong foot, with a most intriguing history of an important woman who was overshadowed by her extraordinarily famous family. Cleopatra Selene lived through what might be the most chronicled events in ancient history, with her mother Cleopatra VII (Yes, that Cleopatra) and Marc Antony’s (Yes, Julius Caesar’s famous friend) fall, adoption into the household of Octavian (Yes, the Emperor Augustus). However, her own accomplishments are very notable, including her adept management of the Roman Empire and succeeding where her own parents failed. She ruled multiple client kingdoms of the Romans without ever incurring their wrath, and lead her family and people to great prosperity.

Unfortunately, she met an untimely demise at the hand of the most common and impartial of forces in the ancient world, child birth. However, the book does explain how there’s fairly decent evidence that her bloodline lived on and played a very substantial role in the history of the Mediterranean for centuries to come.

Often history focuses much more on the dramatic failures than the successes, and Cleopatra Selene is a prime example of that. It’s hard to comprehend just how skillfully she wielded influence and power to do what she did.

The only thing I can say is that perhaps the author spends a little too much time on the people around her subject than on her subject, but then again it does highlight how almost everything we know about her is from where her life intersected other more famous people.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleopatra's Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen by Jane Draycott is an excellent nonfiction delving into the shrouded life of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. It was fascinating.

Everyone know who Cleopatra was…she is beyond infamous…but her daughter? …not so much. And she is equally as fascinating, I feel, as her mother. Ms. Draycott presents a biography, the first that I know of, detailing as much as she could research and find concerning this intricate and intriguing woman.

Extensively researched and beautifully presented, this biography gives us as much as insight as possible at this time of this true to life woman, that deserves so much more attention than what has been given.

I truly enjoyed this.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Liveright/ W.W. Norton & Company for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/18/23.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleopatra's Daughter was an entertaining read. Given the lack of available information on Cleopatra Selene, there was a lot of speculation in certain areas, but the author acknowledged this and tried to fill in the gaps with 'likely' scenarios based on what is known in general of the period. The text was supplemented by some good images, and the prose read well, telling the story in an interesting manner that makes the book accessible to the general reader as well as the scholar. If you are interested in history of this period, it's well worth a read. It gets four stars from me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve often wondered about the sole survivor of Cleopatra’s children’s her daughter.
Draycott attempts to fill in the gaps by piecing together clues from ancient sources.
She does offer a few tidbits that I’d not known, such as Ptolemy I may have been the half brother of Alexander the Great.
A lot of the book involves cultural and political background for context as I realize information is scant and suppostional.
Thanks to Edelweiss and W.W. Norton and NetGalley for the early read.

[spencer wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

In interesting book that follows the life of a character often relegated to a footnote. Cleopatra herself commands attention, but then as soon as she's gone, histories tend to move on to the rise of Caesar and Rome. This books takes time to look in-between the two, and is well worth reading.

[Alexandra - Alexs books and socks]

Een les in geschiedenis, maar wel een les die heel leuk overgebracht is. Zoals alle boeken die gaan over een bekend - of in dit geval, onterecht, minder bekend - iemand gaat het niet enkel en alleen over die persoon. Zo ook hier.

De auteur neemt je moeiteloos mee terug in de tijd naar de ouders van Cleopatra Selene en start zo een interessante duik in Cleopatra en Cleopatra Selene’s leven. De auteur maakt er een zaak van om de lezers alles simpel en to the point te vertellen, zodat zowel het Egyptische als Romeinse rijk makkelijk te begrijpen is.

Zowel Selene’s ouders, als broers, als haar echtgenoot en mogelijke kinderen krijgen allemaal een plaats in het boek. Omdat er zoveel in het ongewisse is over deze vrouw - die overigens enorm krachtig moet geweest zijn qua karakter - is er ook veel ‘we denken’ bij.

Is dat een minpunt? Zeker niet want de auteur werkt met de weinige informatie die ze heeft en bekijkt alles objectief en geeft de lezer elk mogelijke theorie mee. Dit allemaal gezegd zijnde ben ik dankbaar dat de auteur dit boek schreef. Ondanks dat ik met regelmaat de geschiedenis induik was ik onwetend over Cleopatra Selene. Daar kwam nu, gelukkig, verandering in.

Dit boek is zeker de moeite waard om te lezen en deze bijzondere vrouw te ontdekken en leren kennen.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I realized how little I know about Egyptian and Roman history, as I was fascinated to learn about the relationships between Cleopatra VII, Mark Antony, Augustus, and Cleopatra Selene. Cleopatra Selene was raised in Rome by Octavia, Augustus's sister, after Cleopatra VII's death, and the imperial family tried to mold her into a proper Roman citizen. But, after Augustus arranged a marriage between Cleopatra Selene and Juba II and made them king and queen of the client kingdom of Mauretania, Cleopatra Selene modeled the capital city of the kingdom after Alexandria. She added crocodile motifs to her coinage, worshipped the goddess Isis, and drew inspiration from her mother's reign of Egypt. The author drew all these conclusions from literary and archaeological evidence and "showed her work", so to speak, so it ended up being a surprisingly touching and vivid story about Cleopatra Selene's dedication to her family and her roots.

Living in New York at the time of reading, it was so cool to see Cleopatra's Obelisk behind the Met and the statues of Alexander Helios and Cleopatra in the museum itself. These are all mentioned in the book.

Minor point: the run-on sentences and pages-long genealogy discussions drove me crazy, but fortunately they did not take away much from the substance of the book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Known to most (if at all) as a mere footnote in the lives of her vastly more famous parents, Cleopatra Selene, only daughter of Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony, was an intriguing historical figure in her own right. This biography seeks to put this almost forgotten queen into the spotlight, collating all the knowledge to be found about her in ancient sources and archaeological discoveries into as complete a portrait as is possible. Unfortunately, not enough information survives from her adult life as Queen of Mauretania to gain more than a few scant glimpses into her rule and legacy, but what there is shows her as a intelligent, fascinating woman and more than capable ruler.

[Jonathon McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, frustrating (especially in the later parts) when the author would make liberal use of “probably” “most likely” and then spin a yarn… an attractive story, about Cleopatra Selene’s goals or motivations, but to my eyes unsubstantiated. But when she was giving context— about the place of Egypt in Roman eyes, about the world in which Cleopatra Selene was operating, it was stronger. In many ways, it’s like all ancient biographies, in that the term biography might not be appropriate? But it was a fun, relatively light, read.

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an informative, interesting read! As with any biography on an ancient person (especially an ancient woman), it’s hard to compile enough sources to fill a whole book solely on their lives. I appreciate the author inferring what she could from the existing sources, but inevitably learned more about the people around Cleopatra Selene than the titular person herself. I might just stick to reading articles about ancient persons going forward because a book length always feels dragged out to me.

[Bern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel disappointed by this book, if I'm a little honest. I'd heard very good things about it, and I always love a good biography of a lesser known woman in history. We need more of those, all the time. However despite a really wonderful start - the first two chapters were incredibly well written - the book slowly devolved into what felt a little bit like well-researched (very well researched, I want to give Dr. Draycott her dues) mush.

Why is this? Two major reasons: structure, and style.

Structure is really the biggest issue. Information that should have been in chapter one (for example, the debates surrounding Cleopatra VII's racial identity, which it seems was intended to be a cornerstone fo the biography based on the Introduction, and we'll get back to the Introduction), was instead in the final chapter. Information about whether or not Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphios died or lived quiet lives in exile, which should have been either in the chapter When in Rome... or in the Aftermath of Actium (sic?) were instead in the penultimate chapter.

These are the two most egregious examples, but really this problem was reoccurring, and only got worse later and later in the chapters. I'm not saying it's necessarily bad to have your subject die with 30 pages left of a 250 paged biography, but, yeah I think the conclusion was sort of all over the place. I realize that Dr. Draycott did this to highlight the two questions of Cleopatra Selene's legacy and identity. I just don't think it worked. I think having this as a question for readers throughout the book would have been much better.

Another aspect of structure was - and this might sound weird in biography but I think it's important - pacing. This biography puts a great deal of stress on Cleopatra Selene's childhood and the world surrounding it (a good thing!!!). Dr. Draycott even fills in the gaps in Cleopatra Selene's specific biography with broader knowledge of the period. This is great. This is wonderful. This is what I signed up for. But then she just kind of... stops doing that. Cleopatra Selene's time with the Imperial family of Rome feels very rushed, and her marriage and reign even moreso. This is especially frustrating when Dr. Draycott mentions things like the vast amount of writing Juba - Selene's husband - did. And yet besides botany, we are given not one glance into it. Maybe the botany is the only bit that survived, but then that should be explicitly mentioned! This made for a very, very frustrating back half of the biography.

Cleopatra Selene's role as queen is pretty much only explored in terms of her religious foundations, and her contact with other queens. Also that the capitol was highly cultured. But some of these threads feel vague, and more focus is made on 'these other women did this, and maybe Cleopatra Selene pulled from them' then it should have been. Again, it's okay if the record is very sparse. But Dr. Draycott showed in this exact same book beforehand how to mitigate that is a satisfying way. This is going to sound mean of me, but the second half just sort of felt like Dr. Draycott was ready to be done with the biography and so sort of, gave up. Which is so deeply frustrating. I don't want to feel this way. Even thinking it seems mean. And yet, it still feels so very true.

There were also threads which just felt sort of dropped. The worst one being when in the Introduction Dr. Draycott mentions the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and seems to say the racism that the Duchess faced is relevant to Cleopatra Selene. And then she just sort of, doesn't do that. Besides saying that we can't tell what Cleopatra Selene's heritage is. But while we see why Cleopatra Selene may have been persecuted for the actions of her parents - with a focus on her mother - I think the connection to some kind of xenophobia is not properly made. I think a bigger focus perhaps on Cleopatra Selene's legacy in modern pop culture would have made this better? But alas, not.

Lastly, I want to mention style. Maybe it's because I am from a heavily academic family - including historians - and am thoroughly endowed in a specific kind of historical writing, but I found the use of "I" and of personal anecdotes grating. I'm sorry, but I find that sort of thing better for conferences and lectures than biographies. Or perhaps for introductions and conclusions, but not the main body. That and the way every chapter ended with "this will be explained in the next chapter!" or "the impact of this will be studied in the next chapter!" That sort of writing just feels very juvenile to me, as if the author seems to think there's a need to tell the audience that yes, the line of thought will be continued. This is more personal however, and is probably not something that people who don't read Kishlansky and Alpaugh and Hunt care about. I will here fully admit to being a terrible snob, and probably obnoxious and disliked on top of that.

I'm a little angry with myself for not liking this book as much as I wanted to. I really did want to. Maybe I'll come back to it with a kinder eye later. Maybe Dr. Draycott will write something else that I enjoy more. Maybe I'll finally be cured of my terrible judgyness. But until then we'll have to let sleeping dogs, and this book, lie.

[Bryan Bouton · Rating 5 out of 5]

appropriately deep and informative and the leaps of imagination (scientific speculation?) were more than plausible and seemed to fit nicely…broadening the narrative of the Roman/Egyptian-Macedonian dominant warrior-nations…

the best part; looking to the juxtaposition of reality v the fictionalization of the Caesarean legends…funny how art chooses the pieces upon which to focus…

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating subject that is - like many biographies of women in the ancient world - hindered by a lack of source material. This makes the meticulous research and ability to winkle out the scant evidence for Cleopatra Selene’s life even more impressive. Excuse me while I book a trip to Alexandria…

[Candace · Rating 2 out of 5]

There just isn’t that much source material, so there is a lot of speculation here. Somewhat esoteric.