Research Article

Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos

Volume: 6 December 15, 2020
  • Christopher P. Jones
TR EN

Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos

Abstract

An altar copied by Jeanne and Louis Robert in Teos in 1955 bears the names of three deified Ptolemaic queens and of a living queen Cleopatra. In his editio princeps the present author suggested that the living queen was Cleopatra VII, the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. This identification is now supported by a further altar discovered during excavations at Teos in 2013. The new altar, similar to the former in form and subject, was erected by L. Munatius Apollonius for several deified Ptolemaic kings and a living king Ptolemy. The dedicant’s Roman citizenship is likely to go back to L. Munatius Plancus, a close supporter of Antony, who governed Asia in the late forties BC. Therefore the living king Ptolemy mentioned in the new altar can only be Ptolemy XV Caesarion, son of Cleopatra VII from a possible liaison with Caesar, and co-ruler of Egypt since 37/36 BC. Both altars were probably erected c. 33/32 BC, when Cleopatra and Caesarion visited Ionia alongside Antony before the battle of Actium. The author offers an edition of both dedications and deals with the relationship of L. Munatius Plancus to Antony and Cleopatra.

Keywords

Thanks

I am grateful to Prof. Mustafa Kadıoğlu, Director of the Teos excavations, for permission to publish both pho-tographs of both inscriptions to be discussed here, to Prof. Mustafa Adak for generously allowing me to use the materials he has collected on the inscriptions and for manifold help and advice, and to Glen Bowersock as always for his comments.

References

  1. Adak 2014 M. Adak, Epigrafik Araştırmalar in: M. Kadıoğlu et al., 2012–2013 Teos Kazı Çalışmaları (3.– 4. Sezon), AST 36.3, 2014, 443–447.
  2. Bingen 1995 J. Bingen, Les Ordonnances royales C. Ord. Ptol. 75–76 (Héracléopolis, 41 avant J.-C.), Chronique d’Égypte 70, 1995, 206–222.
  3. Bingen 1999a J. Bingen, Cléopâtre VII Philopatris, Chronique d’Égypte 74, 1999, 118–123.
  4. Bingen 1999b J. Bingen, La Politique dynastique de Cléopâtre VII, CRAI 1999, 49–66.
  5. Bingen 2007 J. Bingen, ed. R. Bagnall, Hellenistic Egypt: Monarchy, Society, Economy, Cul-ture, Berkeley 2007.
  6. Bürcklein 1879 A. Bürcklein, Quellen zur Chronologie der römisch-parthischen Feldzüge, diss. Leipzig, Berlin 1879.
  7. Corp. Ord. Ptol. M.-Th. Lenger, ed., Corpus des Ordonnances des Ptolémées, Académie Royale de Belgique, Mémoires de la Classe des Lettres, Collection in-8o, 2e Série, LXIV, 2, Brus-sels 1980.
  8. Crawford 2001 Μ. Η. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage 2, 2 vols., London and New York 2001.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Linguistics

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Christopher P. Jones This is me
0000-0002-7422-0132
United States

Publication Date

December 15, 2020

Submission Date

February 17, 2020

Acceptance Date

March 22, 2020

Published in Issue

Year 2020 Volume: 6

APA
P. Jones, C. (2020). Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos. PHILIA, 6, 85-92. https://doi.org/10.36991/PHILIA.202007
AMA
1.P. Jones C. Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos. PHILIA. 2020;6:85-92. doi:10.36991/PHILIA.202007
Chicago
P. Jones, Christopher. 2020. “Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos”. PHILIA 6 (December): 85-92. https://doi.org/10.36991/PHILIA.202007.
EndNote
P. Jones C (December 1, 2020) Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos. PHILIA 6 85–92.
IEEE
[1]C. P. Jones, “Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos”, PHILIA, vol. 6, pp. 85–92, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.36991/PHILIA.202007.
ISNAD
P. Jones, Christopher. “Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos”. PHILIA 6 (December 1, 2020): 85-92. https://doi.org/10.36991/PHILIA.202007.
JAMA
1.P. Jones C. Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos. PHILIA. 2020;6:85–92.
MLA
P. Jones, Christopher. “Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos”. PHILIA, vol. 6, Dec. 2020, pp. 85-92, doi:10.36991/PHILIA.202007.
Vancouver
1.Christopher P. Jones. Altars of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at Teos. PHILIA. 2020 Dec. 1;6:85-92. doi:10.36991/PHILIA.202007