Cleopatra of Mauretania
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Cleopatra of Mauretania or Cleopatra IX (Cleopatra in Greek: η Κλεοπàτρα) could have been a possible daughter of Greek Ptolemaic princess and later queen Cleopatra Selene II and African king Juba II.
The possible evidence of her existence is:
- In Athens, there are 3 inscriptions dedicated to the children of Juba. These descriptions name Juba, however there is one inscribed ‘daughter of King Juba’, whose name is not given. Ptolemy of Mauretania (Juba and Cleopatra's son) dedicated an inscription for himself.
- An Athenian epitaph, is dedicated to the memory of a daughter of a king of Libya. The name of the attendant is lost. Libya or Libyan in ancient Greek, is a loose description of any part or anybody from North Africa. The ancient Greek traveller Pausanias states that Juba was known in Athens as ‘Juba the Libyan‘.
- Cleopatra Selene was patriotic of her Egyptian and Greek heritage. Cleopatra wanted to retain and continue the Ptolemaic Legacy. She named her son Ptolemy (known as Ptolemy of Mauretania, 1 BC - 40) and if she had a first born daughter, Cleopatra would have given the child a Ptolemaic name. Her only known daughter with Juba was Drusilla of Mauretania (born 5), whom Cleopatra named in honor of the Roman Empress Livia Drusilla or her late son, the Roman general and politician Nero Claudius Drusus.
