Glaphyra ( el, Γλαφύρα; around 35 BC – around 7 AD) was an

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

n princess from

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

,Kasher, ''King Herod: a persecuted persecutor: a case study in psychohistory and psychobiography'', p.298 and a Queen of

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

by her second marriage to King

Juba II Juba II or Juba of Mauretania (Latin: ''Gaius Iulius Iuba''; grc, Ἰóβας, Ἰóβα or ;Roller, Duane W. (2003) ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene'' "Routledge (UK)". pp. 1–3. . c. 48 BC – AD 23) was the son of Juba I and client ...

of Mauretania. She was related to the

Herodian Dynasty The Herodian dynasty was a royal dynasty of Idumaean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and later the Herodian Tetrarchy as a vassal state of the Roman Empire. The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great, who assumed the ...

by her first and third marriage, to

Alexander, son of Herod Alexander, son of Herod was born about 35 BC; died about 7 BC. His mother was the Hasmonean princess Mariamne. The unfortunate fate which persistently pursued the Hasmonean house overtook this prince also. As heir presumptive to the throne by r ...

and

Herod Archelaus Herod Archelaus (, ''Hērōidēs Archelaos''; 23 BC – ) was ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, including the cities Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years (). He was the son of Herod the Great and Mal ...

respectively.''Jewish Women: a comprehensive historical encyclopedia'' Jewish Women’s Archive – Herodian Women

Family and early life

Glaphyra was a royal princess of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n descent. Her father was the Roman ally king

Archelaus of Cappadocia Archelaus ( el, Ἀρχέλαος; fl. 1st century BC and 1st century, died 17 AD) was a Roman client prince and the last king of Cappadocia. Family and early life Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman. His full name was ''Archelaus Sisin ...

, and her only natural sibling was her younger brother Archelaus of Cilicia. Her paternal grandfather was a Roman ally and priest-king Archelaus of the temple state of

Comana, Cappadocia Comana was a city of Cappadocia ( el, τὰ Κόμανα τῆς Καππαδοκίας) and later Cataonia ( la, Comana Cataoniae; frequently called Comana Chryse or Aurea, i.e. "the golden", to distinguish it from Comana in Pontus). The Hittit ...

, while her paternal grandmother, for whom she was named, was the ''

hetaera Hetaira (plural hetairai (), also hetaera (plural hetaerae ), ( grc, ἑταίρα, "companion", pl. , la, hetaera, pl. ) was a type of prostitute in ancient Greece, who served as an artist, entertainer and conversationalist in addition to pro ...

Glaphyra Glaphyra ( el, Γλαφύρα; around 35 BC – around 7 AD) was an Anatolian princess from Cappadocia,Kasher, ''King Herod: a persecuted persecutor: a case study in psychohistory and psychobiography'', p.298 and a Queen of Mauretania by her seco ...

. The priest-kings of Comana were descended from Archelaus, the favorite high-ranking general of

Mithridates VI of Pontus Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

, who may have married a daughter of Mithridates VI.Mayor, ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'' pp.114, 138 Glaphyra's mother, the first wife of Archelaus, was an Armenian Princess whose name is unknown and who died by 8 BC.Syme, ''Anatolica: studies in Strabo'' p.150 She may have been a daughter of King

Artavasdes II of Armenia Artavasdes II ( grc, ΑΡΤΑΒΑΖΔΟΥ ''Artabázēs'') was king of Armenia from 55 BC to 34 BC. A member of the Artaxiad Dynasty, he was the son and successor of Tigranes the Great (). His mother was Cleopatra of Pontus, thus making his mater ...

, son of

Tigranes the Great Tigranes II, more commonly known as Tigranes the Great ( hy, Տիգրան Մեծ, ''Tigran Mets''; grc, Τιγράνης ὁ Μέγας ''Tigránes ho Mégas''; la, Tigranes Magnus) (140 – 55 BC) was King of Armenia under whom the ...

and

Cleopatra of Pontus Cleopatra of Pontus (110 BC – after 58 BC) was a Pontian princess and a queen consort of Armenia. She was one of the daughters of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice. Cleopatra is sometimes known as Cleopatra the Elder, to dist ...

, a daughter of Mithridates VI from his first wife his sister Laodice. If so, Glaphyra's parents may have been distant relatives. She was born and raised in Cappadocia. In 25 BC, the Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

gave Archelaus extra territories to govern, including the port of

Elaiussa Sebaste Elaiussa Sebaste or Elaeousa Sebaste ( el, Ελαιούσα Σεβαστή) was an ancient Roman town located from Mersin in the direction of Silifke in Cilicia on the southern coast of Anatolia (in the modern-day town of Ayaş (there is a like-n ...

, which Archelaus renamed in honor of Augustus. The royal family settled there, and Archelaus built a royal residence and a palace on the island in the harbor. Glaphyra held the high ranking title of ‘king’s daughter’, which is reflective of her descent and high birth. She was an attractive and dynamic woman, reputed charming, desirable, and a force to be reckoned with.Salisbury, ''Women in the ancient world'', p.137

First marriage

Augustus encouraged intermarriage among the families of Roman ally kings. King

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...

of Judaea usually married his children to relatives or to his subjects. However, Herod wanted his son

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

to marry a foreign princess. Herod negotiated a marriage alliance with Archelaus. Either in 18 or 17 BC, in Herod's court in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Glaphyra married Alexander. Archelaus provided Glaphyra with a dowry, which Herod later returned to her. The union of Alexander and Glaphyra is described as happy. Glaphyra became a Jew upon her marriage and she did adopt

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

even though no mention of conversion was made in the account of her first marriage. Glaphyra bore Alexander three children: two sons,

Tigranes Tigranes (, grc, Τιγράνης) is the Greek transliteration of the Old Iranian name ''*Tigrāna''. This was the name of a number of historical figures, primarily kings of Armenia. The name of Tigranes, which was theophoric in nature, was u ...

and

, and an unnamed daughter. The names of Glaphyra and Alexander's children reflect their cultural ancestry and royal descent. At the court of Jerusalem, Glaphyra made a nuisance of herself by genealogical pretentiousness, citing her paternal descent from the kings of Macedonia, and her maternal descent from the rulers of Persia. She taunted

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

and Herod's wives about their low birth. Glaphyra sneered at Salome's daughter

Berenice Berenice ( grc, Βερενίκη, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the Attic Greek name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. ...

, regarding her ‘with indignation’, though they were of equal rank. Her attitude caused Berenice's husband, prince

Aristobulus IV Aristobulus IV (31–7 BC) was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice, daughter of Costobarus and Salome I. He was the son of Herod the Great and his second wife, Mariamne I, the last of the Hasmonean ...

to describe Berenice as a commoner, a ‘woman of the people’. Salome in turn spread a rumor that Herod was "smitten with love for Glaphyra and that his passion was difficult to assuage". This angered Glaphyra's husband Alexander and alienated him from his father.Gillman, ''Herodias: at home in that fox’s den'' p.2 The women in Herod's court grew to hate Glaphyra and Alexander. Glaphyra's unpopularity led to rumors about Alexander and Aristobulus IV. Herod came to believe that they were plotting against him. With Augustus’ permission, Herod executed Alexander and Aristobulus in 7 BC. Herod also questioned Glaphyra to confirm her loyalty to him. Herod then sent Glaphyra back to Cappadocia, but kept custody of her children. The return of Glaphyra didn't rupture the friendly relations between the two client kingdoms.

Life after Alexander and second marriage

Herod died in 4 BC in

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...

. After the death of Herod, Glaphyra's children came to live in Cappadocia with her. They renounced Judaism and embraced their Greek heritage, including the religion, but their family connections with the Herodian Dynasty were not wholly broken. In 2 BC-2 AD, the Roman ally king

toured the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

with Augustus’ grandson

Gaius Caesar Gaius Caesar (; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was the grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gai ...

. During this trip Juba II met Glaphyra.Ptolemaic Genealogy, Cleopatra Selene II, point8
They were married prior to 6 AD. Juba II's previous consort,

Cleopatra Selene II Cleopatra Selene II (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Σελήνη; summer 40 BC – BC; the numeration is modern) was a Ptolemaic princess, Queen of Numidia (briefly in 25 BC) and Mauretania (25 BC – 5 BC) and Queen of Cyrenaica (34 BC – 30 BC). S ...

, presumably died prior to 6 AD. (Some coins of Cleopatra Selene II have been dated to 17 AD, suggesting she was still alive then; though it is unlikely that the Romanized Juba II would have made a polygamous marriage, his father ''was'' polygamous.) Glaphyra thus became Queen of Mauretania. Her marriage to Juba II was apparently brief: there is no trace of her name in North African inscriptions. However, an inscription referring to her was made in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. :Ή βουλή καί � δ�μος ��σίλισσαν �λαφύρανβασιλέω �Άρχελάου θυγ �τέρα βασιλέως Ίόβ �γυναίκ � άρε�ής έν ��α. :The Boule and

Demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

Queen Glaphyra daughter of King Archelaus and wife of King Juba on account of virtue.

Third marriage

During her second marriage, she became reacquainted with

(half-brother of her first husband, and now the Roman

Ethnarch Ethnarch (pronounced , also ethnarches, el, ) is a term that refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or homogeneous kingdom. The word is derived from the Greek words ('' ethnos'', "tribe/nation") and (''archon'', "l ...

Samaria Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first- ...

Judaea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous south ...

, and

Edom Edom (; Edomite: ; he, אֱדוֹם , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom in Transjordan, located between Moab to the northeast, the Arabah to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the south and east.N ...

). He was the son of

and his fourth wife

Malthace Malthace ( el, Μαλθάκη, Malthákē) was a Samaritan woman who lived in the latter half of the 1st century BC. She was one of the wives of Herod the Great and the mother by Herod of Herod Antipas, Archelaus, and a daughter, Olympias. Sh ...

. They fell in love with each other and determined to marry. For them to marry, Glaphyra divorced Juba II and Herod Archelaus divorced his first wife, his cousin

Mariamne Mariamne is a name frequently used in the Herodian royal house. In Greek it is spelled Μαριάμη (Mariame) by Josephus; in some editions of his work the second ''m'' is doubled (Mariamme). In later copies of those editions the spelling was ...

.Gillman, ''Herodias: at home in that fox’s den'' p.46 Glaphyra and Herod Archelaus were married while Herod Archelaus was Ethnarch. The marriage of a widow to her former brother-in-law violated Jewish laws of

levirate marriage Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which exogamous marriage (i.e. marriage out ...

. It was considered immoral by the Jews and caused a major religious scandal in Judaea. The marriage of Glaphyra and Herod Archelaus unfortunately didn't have a happy ending. Shortly after the wedding, Glaphyra allegedly dreamed that her first husband stood at her side and reproached her for not being faithful to him. She had not only made a second marriage but had even come back and married her brother-in-law. In the dream, Alexander said to Glaphyra he would now reclaim her as his own. She told her friends of the dream and died two days later. About the time of Glaphyra's death, Augustus removed Herod Archelaus as Ethnarch because of his cruelty, and banished him to

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. It is uncertain if Glaphyra died before or during his exile. Her death reputedly gratified the women of the Judaean court.Temporini, ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung'' p.1166

References

Sources

Ancient History Articles
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012091837/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0272.html , date=2012-10-12
Jewish Women a comprehensive historical encyclopedia: Jewish Women’s Archive – Herodian Women

Eisenman's "New Testament Code", Chapter 4

''Marriage and Divorce in the Herodian Family: A Case Study of Diversity in Late Second Temple Judaism'' Ingrid Johanne Moen, Department of Religion, Duke University
* Millar, Fergus; Schürer, Emil; Vermes, Geza. ''The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135)'', Continuum International Publishing Group, 1973 * Temporini, H.; Haase, W. ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung'', Walter de Gruyter, 1980 * Syme, R.; Birley, A. R. ''Anatolica: studies in Strabo'', Oxford University Press, 1995 * Rigsby, K. J. ''Asylia: territorial inviolability in the Hellenistic world'', University of California Press, 1996 * Salisbury, J. E. ''Women in the ancient world'', ABC-CLIO, 2001 * Sandler, S. ''Ground warfare: an international encyclopedia'', Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, 2002 * Gillman. F. M. ''Herodias: at home in that fox’s den'', Liturgical Press, 2003 * Dueck, D.; Lindsay, H.; Pothecary, S. ''Strabo’s cultural geography: the making of a kolossourgia'', Cambridge University Press, 2005 * Kasher, A.; Witztum, E. ''King Herod: a persecuted persecutor: a case study in psychohistory and psychobiography'', Walter de Gruyter, 2007 * Mayor, A. ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'', Princeton University Press, 2009 1st-century BC women 1st-century women Herodian dynasty AD 7 deaths Anatolian Greeks Cappadocia (Roman province) People from Roman Anatolia Ancient Cappadocia Ancient princesses 30s BC births Ancient Jewish women Ancient queens consort