Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar
also simply known as
Caesarion
(June 23, 47 BC ? August, 30 BC) was the son of
Cleopatra VII
. He ruled
Egypt
as a child with his mother Cleopatra until 30 BC. He was
murdered
by Octavian, who would later become the Roman emperor Augustus.
Caesarion is probably the son of
Julius Caesar
. If so, he is the only known son of Caesar.
Caesarion was the last king (
pharaoh
) of the
Ptolemaic dynasty
of Egypt.
Caesarion was born in
Egypt
on 23 June 47 BC. His mother,
Cleopatra
, said that he was the son of Roman leader
Julius Caesar
. Even though he looked and acted like Caesar,
[1]
Caesar
did not officially say that he was his son.
[2]
[3]
One of Caesar’s friends, Gaius Oppius, wrote a small book trying to show that Caesar could not have been Caesarion’s father. But it is possible that
Caesar
let Caesarion use his name.
[4]
Caesarion spent the first two years of his life, from 46 to 44 BC, in Rome. He and his mother,
Cleopatra
, were guests at
Juilius Caesar’s
villa (Horti Caesaris). Cleopatra wanted her son to become the leader of both the
Roman Republic
and
Egypt
after his father, Caesar. When Caesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC, Cleopatra and Caesarion went back to Egypt. At the age of three,
Cleopatra
made Caesarion the ruler of Egypt with her on September 2, 44 BC.
[5]
Cleopatra compared her relationship to her son with that of the Egyptian goddess
Isis
and her child
Horus
.
[6]
From 44 BC until 36 BC, there are no informations about Caesarion. Two years later, in 34 BC, he appeared at two events called the Donations of Antioch and the Donations of Alexandria. These events were organized by
Cleopatra
and
Mark Antony
to give lands that were controlled by Rome and Parthia to Caesarion and his siblings: Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus.
[7]
In the year 34 BC,
Mark Antony
gave more land and titles in the east to Caesarion and his own three children with
Cleopatra
. Caesarion was called a god,
the son of a god
, and "King of Kings." This was a really big title that was never given by romans to their
allies
. Some people thought this was a threat to the greatness of the Roman people.
[8]
Antony also said that Caesarion was really
Julius Caesar's
son and should be the next ruler. This made Octavian (who became ruler because he was Julius Caesar's grandnephew and adopted son) very angry. These things caused a big fight between Antony and
Octavian
.
Octavian
used how angry people were about these things to get support for fighting against
Cleopatra
and
Mark Antony
.
[9]
After Cleopatra and
Mark Antony
lost the
Battle of Actium
in 31 BC, Cleopatra wanted Caesarion to be the only ruler without her. She may have planned to leave with Antony.
Octavian
invaded Egypt and looked for Caesarion in 30 BC.
Cleopatra
might have sent Caesarion to a place called Berenice for safety, possibly so that he can escape to
India
. Plutarch said that Caesarion went to India, but he also said that Caesarion was tricked into returning to Egypt because
Octavian
told him that he'd let him rule
Egypt
.
[11]
When Caesarion went back to Egypt, Octavian killed him around 30 BC.
There aren't many pictures of Caesarion left. A part of a statue was found in
Alexandria
in 1997, and People think that this statue belongs to Caesarion. There are two pictures of him as an adult. Pictures of Caesarion as a baby can be seen on some coins that
Cleopatra
made when he was still young.
[16]
Caesarion had a full list of Egyptian titles and names in the
Egyptian language
:
[17]
- Iwapanetjer entynehem
? "Heir of the god who saves"
- Setepenptah
? "Chosen of
Ptah
"
- Irmaatenre
? "Carrying out the rule of
Ra
"
[b]
or "Sun of righteousness"
- Sekhemankhamun
? "The living representation of
Amun
"
[c]
- ↑
The Ptolemaic Kingdom was ended by the Roman Empire in 30 BC and the pharaoh position stopped. However, because of the pharaoh important in Ancient Egyptian religion, the Egyptians made
Augustus
and all
Roman emperors
as pharaohs so that the pharaoh position remains
- ↑
This title means that caesarion is a one who follows the rules of
Ra
- ↑
In simple words, “the living representation of Amun” refers to a real life representation of Amun. This could be in the shape of a person or an object that is considered to represent Amun
- ↑
Sergeant, Philip.
Cleopatra of Egypt, Antiquity's Queen of Romance
. p. 94.
- ↑
Brooks, Polly.
Cleopatra: goddess of Egypt, enemy of Rome
. p. 64.
- ↑
Cleopatra 1996 by Green Robert p.24
- ↑
Duane W. Roller, Cleopatra: A Biography, Oxford University Press US, 2010, pp. 70?73
- ↑
King, Arienne.
"Caesarion"
.
World History Encyclopedia
. Retrieved
2023-12-06
.
- ↑
Tyldesley, Joyce A, Joyce (2008).
Cleopatra : last queen of Egypt
. New York, NY : Basic Books. p. 64.
- ↑
Rolf Strootman (2010). "Queen of Kings: Cleopatra VII and the Donations of Alexandria". In M. Facella; T. Kaizer (eds.).
Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East
. Occidens et Oriens. Vol. 19. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 139?158.
- ↑
Meyer Reinhold (2002).
Studies in Classical History and Society
. US: Oxford University Press. p. 58.
- ↑
Burstein, Stanley Mayer (2007).
The Reign of Cleopatra
. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 29.
- ↑
Roller, Duane W. (2010).
Cleopatra: A Biography
. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 178?179.
ISBN
9780195365535
.
- ↑
Gray-Fow, Michael (April 2014).
"What to Do With Caesarion"
.
Greece & Rome
. Second Series.
61
(1): 62.
doi
:
10.1017/S0017383513000235
.
JSTOR
43297487
.
S2CID
154911628
.
- ↑
The wall-painting of Venus Genetrix is similar in appearance to the now-lost statue of Cleopatra erected by Julius Caesar in the
Temple of Venus Genetrix
, within the
Forum of Caesar
. The owner of the House at Pompeii of Marcus Fabius Rufus, walled off the room with this painting, most likely in immediate reaction to the execution of Caesarion on orders of
Augustus
in 30 BC, when artistic depictions of Caesarion would have been considered
a sensitive issue
for the ruling regime.
- ↑
Roller, Duane W. (2010).
Cleopatra: A Biography
. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 175.
ISBN
978-0195365535
.
- ↑
Walker, Susan (2008).
"Cleopatra in Pompeii?"
.
Papers of the British School at Rome
.
76
: 35?46, 345?348.
doi
:
10.1017/S0068246200000404
.
S2CID
62829223
.
- ↑
Fletcher, Joann
(2008),
Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend
, New York: Harper, pp.
219, image plates and caption between 246?247
,
ISBN
978-0-06-058558-7
- ↑
Sear.
Greek Coins and Their Values
. Vol. II.
- ↑
Clayton, Peter (October 1, 1994).
Chronicle of the Pharaohs
. p.
213
.
ISBN
0500050740
.