Cleopatra's Daughter
From Roman Prisoner to African Queen

Name: Cleopatra's Daughter
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Jane Draycott
ISBN: 9798212385794

Author: Jane Draycott

Narrator: Joan Walker

Unabridged: 7 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 05/23/2023

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Historical Biography

Synopsis

The first biography of one of the most fascinating yet long-neglected rulers of the ancient world: Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra.Years ago, archaeologists excavating near Pompeii unearthed a hoard of Roman treasures, among them a bowl depicting a woman with thick, curly hair and sporting an elephant-scalp headdress. For decades, theories circulated about her identity―until, at last, she was ascertained to be Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Roman Triumvir Marc Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII. Using this discovery as her starting point and creating a narrative from mere fragments in the archaeological record, historian Jane Draycott reconstructs the exceptional life of this woman who, although born into royalty and raised in her mother’s court, was held captive by Augustus Caesar and his sister, Octavia, after her parents’ demise. Yet as Draycott shows, Cleopatra Selene was destined to emerge as an influential ruler in her own right, as queen, alongside King Juba II, of Mauretania, an ancient African kingdom. A long-overdue historical corrective, Cleopatra’s Daughter reclaims a mighty regent―and her infamous family―for posterity.

About Jane Draycott

Jane Draycott is a lecturer in ancient history at the University of Glasgow. A Roman historian and archaeologist, she has excavated sites ranging from Bronze Age villages to World War I trenches. She lives in Scotland.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Moan on January 30, 2023

Draycott does a great job of simplifying the Ancient Roman & Egyptian world in "Cleopatra's Daughter". Despite the book's title indicating a study of Cleopatra's Daughter, Cleopatra Selene, this work encompasses much more than just that. We get a wonderful rundown of Cleopatra Selene's parents - the......more

Goodreads review by Clif on July 30, 2023

This is a nonfiction accounting of everything known about Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. As it turns out the historians of the time wrote little about her and consequently there is little historical or archaeological evidence of her. Thus this book is filled mostly......more

Goodreads review by Melisende on July 01, 2023

I really enjoyed this book on one of history's more neglected personalities. Overshadowed by her more famous mother, Cleopatra Selene lived in most interesting times - a period when Egypt, a mighty empire in its own right, came into conflict with another stronger nation whose imperical aspirations w......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on March 22, 2024

This really was a feast for the senses, piecing together both the archaeological and historical in a fascinating display of grandeur and mystery. A really wonderful book. Draycott provides us with sufficient material to paint the person Cleopatra Selene was, though sadly very little is left of her o......more

Goodreads review by Jordy on February 18, 2024

Goed boek over een historisch figuur die tot nu toe onderbelicht is gebleven binnen vooral de Westerse wereld. De auteur legt op een bevlogen manier uit waarom Geschiedenis niet per se hoeft te gaan over dramatische gebeurtenissen, maar dat het vooral een verzameling aan persoonlijke verhalen is. Dra......more

Quotes

“[As] Joan Walker narrates…the overall effect of a favorite professor chatting informally with students makes what could be a dry text enjoyable and approachable.” AudioFile

“Packed with fascinating information, sometimes droll, about Roman and Egyptian culture, Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship, and their daughter’s possible descendants.” New York Times Book Review

“[An] immensely readable account of a great queen, Egyptian and Roman, who wielded power at a time when women were largely marginalized.” New Statesman

“Selene is a figure for our times…a woman who wielded power in a male-dominated world, a wife who crossed racial boundaries in her marriage, an exile who found success in two adoptive homelands.” Wall Street Journal

“Well-researched and full of interesting facts and details that history buffs will find satisfying and exciting. San Francisco Book Review

“Anyone who wants to learn more about [an] underappreciated female ruler should read this book.” All about History

“An engaging portrait of Cleopatra Selene and her turbulent times.” Booklist

“Draycott sheds intriguing light on race and ethnicity in the Roman empire…This peek into the ancient past enthralls.” Publishers Weekly

“Presents a useful portrait by which she can ‘be judged on her own merits as an individual rather than as an idea or an archetype.’” Kirkus Reviews

“Here, Cleopatra Selene finally attains her rightful place in history.” Barry Strauss, author of The War that Made the Roman Empire

Awards

#1 Amazon bestseller
New York Times Book Review pick