Cleopatra V of Egypt
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Cleopatra V Tryphaena of Egypt (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα, died c. 69/68 BC or c. 57 BC) was a Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt.
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[edit] Descent and marriage
Cleopatra V was an illegitimate daughter of Ptolemy IX. By 79 BC, she had married Ptolemy XII, king of Egypt. Ptolemy XII was also an illegitimate child of Ptolemy IX, but it is unclear if he and Cleopatra V were full siblings or if they had different mothers.[1]
[edit] Death and identity
It is unclear how long Cleopatra V lived, and with which mentions of Cleopatra Tryphaena in the historical record she should be identified (the numbering used to distinguish the Ptolemies is a modern invention). There is some indication that she may have died in 69 or 68 BC, because her name begins to disappear from monuments and papyri, and there is an inscription of Ptolemy XII from 68 BC that does not mention her, when it would be expected to do so if she were still alive. If this is the case, then the Cleopatra Tryphaena mentioned as co-ruler of Egypt in 58 and 57 BC, and dying around 57 BC, must be her daughter, numbered by some historians as Cleopatra VI Tryphaena (this is also what Porphyry reports).[2]
On the other hand, there is a dedication on the Temple of Edfu from 57 BC that inscribes Cleopatra Tryphaena's name alongside Ptolemy XII's, which would have meant his wife rather than daughter, and would be unlikely had Ptolemy XII's wife died 12 years earlier, even with the slow speed of news travel. Thus other historians consider the purported Cleopatra VI Tryphaena to be identical with Cleopatra V, and have her living to c. 57 BC. This also comports better with the account of Strabo, who reports Ptolemy XII to have had only three daughters; since we can reliably identify Berenice IV, Cleopatra VII, and Arsinoe IV as his daughters, this leaves no room for a Cleopatra VI.[2]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- John Whitehorne (1994). Cleopatras. Routledge. ISBN 0415058066.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Ptolemy XII |
Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt with Ptolemy XII and Berenice IV |
Succeeded by Berenice IV |
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