Cleopatra II of Egypt

Cleopatra II
Queen of Egypt
Reign	c. 170-164 BC with Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII (First Reign) 164-145 BC with Ptolemy VI (Second Reign) 145-c. 139 BC with Ptolemy VIII 139-132 BC with Ptolemy VIII and daughter Cleopatra III 132-127 BC solo (Ptolemaic)
Predecessor	Ptolemy VI (First Reign) Ptolemy VIII (Second and Third Reign)
Successor	Ptolemy VIII (First Reign) Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III (Second Reign) Ptolemy IX and Cleopatra III
Royal titulary
Consort	Ptolemy VI of Egypt, Ptolemy VIII of Egypt
Children	With Ptolemy VI of Egypt: Ptolemy Eupator Ptolemy Cleopatra Thea Berenice Cleopatra III of Egypt With Ptolemy VIII of Egypt: Ptolemy Memphites
Father	Ptolemy V Epiphanes
Mother	Cleopatra I of Egypt
Born	c. 185 BC
Died	116 BC

Cleopatra II (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα; c. 185 BC – 116 BC) was a queen (and briefly sole ruler) of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Family

Cleopatra II was the daughter of Ptolemy V and likely Cleopatra I. She was the sister of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Tryphon. She would eventually marry both of her brothers.^[1][2]

Her first marriage was with her brother Ptolemy VI in ca. 175 BC. They had at least four children:^[1][2]

• Ptolemy Eupator, born in 166 BC. Became co-regent with his father for a short time, but died at a young age in c. 152 BC.
• Cleopatra Thea born in c. 164 BC. She married Alexander Balas, Demetrius II Nicator and Antiochus VII Sidetes. Murdered by her son in c. 120 BC.
• Berenice, a daughter. Born between 163 and 160 BC. Died young in c. 150 BC.
• Cleopatra III, born between 160 and 155 BC. Married to her uncle Ptolemy VIII.
• Ptolemy (D), born c. 152 BC. Murdered in 130 BC by Ptolemy VIII

Cleopatra II married her brother Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Physcon in c. 145 BC. They had at least one son:^[1][2]

• Ptolemy Memphites. Born between 144 and 142 BC. Murdered by his own father in 130 BC. Ptolemy Memphites may be identical to Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator, but this identification is not universally accepted.

Life

This head of an Egyptian Ptolemaic queen likely depicts Cleopatra II. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

Following the death of her mother (176 BC), she was married to her brother Ptolemy VI Philometor in c. 175 BC. Cleopatra II, Ptolemy VI and their brother, Ptolemy VIII, were co-rulers of Egypt from c. 171 BC to 164 BC.^[1]

In c. 169 BC, Antiochus IV of Syria invaded Egypt. Ptolemy VI Philometor joined Antiochus IV outside Alexandria. Ptolemy VI was crowned in Memphis and ruled with Cleopatra II. In 164 BC Cleopatra II and her husband were temporarily deposed by their brother Ptolemy VIII, but were restored to power in 163 BC.^[3]

Cleopatra II married her other brother, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II in 145 BC. In 142 BC Ptolemy VIII took Cleopatra's younger daughter, his niece, Cleopatra III, as wife.

Cleopatra II led a rebellion against Ptolemy VIII in 131 BC, and drove him and Cleopatra III out of Egypt.^[1] At this time Ptolemy VIII murdered both his stepson Ptolemy and his own son Ptolemy Memphites. Ptolemy VIII is said to have had his son dismembered and his head, hands and feet sent to Cleopatra II in Alexandria as a birthday present.^[4]

Cleopatra II ruled Egypt from 130 BC to 127 BC when she was forced to flee to Syria, where she joined her daughter Cleopatra Thea and her son-in-law Demetrius II Nicator.

Wall relief of Cleopatra III, Cleopatra II and Ptolemy VIII before Horus

A public reconciliation of Cleopatra and Ptolemy VIII was declared in 124 BC. After this she ruled jointly with her brother and daughter until 116 BC when Ptolemy died, leaving the kingdom to Cleopatra III. Cleopatra II herself died shortly after.^[1]

Ancestry

References