Cleopatra Grandchildren: Drusilla of Mauretania the Elder, Ptolemy of Mauretania
After Cleopatra committed suicide, her three surviving children—Cleopatra Selene II, Alexander Helios, and Ptolemy Philadelphos—were taken to Rome under the guardianship of Octavian’s younger sister Octavia, a former spouse of their father. Cleopatra Selene II was wed to Juba II, the son of Juba I, whose North African kingdom of Numidia had been transformed into a Roman province by Julius Caesar in 46 BC as a result of Juba I’s support for Pompey. After getting married in 25 BC, Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II became the new rulers of Mauretania. They renamed the former Carthaginian city of Iol to Caesarea Mauretaniae as their new capital (modern Cherchell, Algeria). The two Mauretanian children of Cleopatra Selene II who are the subject of this article are Drusilla of Mauretania the Elder and Ptolemy of Mauretania.
Cleopatra Grandchildren: Drusilla of Mauretania the Elder, Ptolemy of Mauretania
Drusilla of Mauretania the Elder
It’s possible that the Drusilla of Mauretania is the Drusilla that Tacitus describes as the granddaughter of Antonius and Cleopatra. If this were the case, she would have been a princess of Mauretania, the youngest child of Queen Cleopatra Selene II and King Juba II, and a sibling of King Ptolemy of Mauretania. Her exact birthdate is unknown, however it is estimated to be around 8 BCE.
Other than Ptolemy, she is not known to have any siblings that are of legal age. King Juba I of Numidia’s son, Juba II, was her father (a king of Numidia of Berber descent from North Africa, who was an ally of Roman General Pompey). Cleopatra Selene II, her mother, was a descendant of Egyptian Ptolemaic Greek queen Cleopatra VII by her marriage to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. Drusilla was descended from Berbers, Greeks, and Romans.
Ptolemy of Mauretania
The final Roman client king and ruler of Mauretania was Ptolemy of Mauretania (13 x 9 BC–AD 40). He was the last known descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty through his mother, Cleopatra Selene II, and was the son of Juba II, the king of Numidia, and a member of the Berber Massyles tribe. Although his exact birthdate is unknown, it must have happened before his mother’s passing, which is thought to have happened around 5 BC. An inscription from Athens attests to the existence of his sister, who may have been younger, though her name has not survived. Her name might have been Drusilla of Mauretania. He was the grand son of Cleopatra VII.
Ptolemy remained at Rome up until the age of 21, at which point he returned to Mauretania to serve at the court of his ailing father. Juba II appointed Ptolemy as his co-ruler and successor after Ptolemy returned to Mauretania. Coinage from Juba II’s joint rule with his son has survived. One side of the coin features a center bust of Juba II with the Latin inscription “King Juba.” The inscription reads in Latin, “King Ptolemy son of Juba,” and there is a center bust of Ptolemy on the opposite side. When Juba II passed away in 23 he was buried next to Cleopatra Selene II in the Mauretanian Royal Mausoleum. Then Mauretania was ruled only by Ptolemy.
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