Cleopatra Thea Epiphanes Syra (; c. 204 – 176 BC), well known as Cleopatra I or Cleopatra Syra, was a princess of the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...

, Queen of

Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to: Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty * Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter *Ptolemaic Kingdom Pertaining ...

by marriage to Ptolemy V of Egypt from 193 BC, and regent of Egypt during the minority of their son, Ptolemy VI, from her husband's death in 180 BC until her own death in 176 BC. She is sometimes viewed as co-ruler to her husband and son, however evidence is conflicting.

Life

Cleopatra I was the daughter of Antiochus III the Great, King of the

, and Queen Laodice III.

Queen

In 197 BC,

Antiochus III Antiochus III the Great (; , ; 3 July 187 BC) was the sixth ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 223 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the rest of West Asia towards the end of the 3rd century BC. Rising to th ...

had captured a number of cities in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

previously under the control of the

Ptolemaic Kingdom The Ptolemaic Kingdom (; , ) or Ptolemaic Empire was an ancient Greek polity based in Ancient Egypt, Egypt during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 305 BC by the Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general Ptolemy I Soter, a Diadochi, ...

of Egypt. The Romans supported the Egyptian interests, when they negotiated with the Seleucid king in Lysimachia in 196 BC. In response, Antiochus III indicated his willingness to make peace with Ptolemy V and to have his daughter Cleopatra I marry Ptolemy V. They were betrothed in 195 BC and their marriage took place in 193 BC in Raphia. At that time Ptolemy V was about 16 years and Cleopatra I about 10 years old. Later on, Egypt's Ptolemaic kings were to argue that Cleopatra I had received

Coele-Syria Coele-Syria () was a region of Syria in classical antiquity. The term originally referred to the "hollow" Beqaa Valley between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges, but sometimes it was applied to a broader area of the region of Sy ...

as her dowry and, therefore, this territory again belonged to Egypt. It is not clear if this was the case. However, in practice, Coele-Syria remained a Seleucid possession after the Battle of Panium in 198 BC. In

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Cleopatra I was referred to as ''the Syrian''. As part of the Ptolemaic cult she was honoured with her husband as ''Theoi Epiphaneis''. In line with ancient Egyptian tradition of

sibling marriage This article lists well-known individuals who had romantic or marital ties with their sibling(s) at any point in history. It does not include coupled siblings in works of fiction, although those from mythology and religion are included. Termino ...

, she was also named sister (, ''adelphḗ'') of Ptolemy V. A synod of priests held at Memphis in 185 BC granted Cleopatra all the honours that had been given to Ptolemy V in 196 BC (inscribed on the bilingual Greek- Egyptian

Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...

). Cleopatra also held title of vizier as one of only two known Ptolemaic queens to did so (the first one being Berenice II of Egypt).

Queen Regent

Ptolemy V died unexpectedly in September 180 BC, at the age of only 30. Cleopatra I's son, Ptolemy VI, who was only six years old, was immediately crowned king, with Cleopatra as his regent. She was the first Ptolemaic queen to rule without her husband. In documents from this period, Cleopatra is named ''Thea Epiphanes'' and her name appears before Ptolemy.

Coins A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

were minted under the joint authority of her and her son. Just before his death, Ptolemy V had been planning a new war against the Seleucid kingdom, but Cleopatra immediately ended the war preparations and pursued a peaceful policy, because of her own Seleucid roots and because a war would have threatened her hold on power. Cleopatra probably died in late 178 or early 177 BC, though some scholars place her death in late 176 BC. On her deathbed, Cleopatra appointed Eulaeus and Lenaeus, two of her close associates as regents. Eulaeus, a eunuch, had been the Ptolemy's tutor. Lenaeus was a Syrian slave who had probably come to Egypt as part of Cleopatra's retinue when she got married. The pair were unable or unwilling to prevent the deterioration of relations with the Seleucid kingdom which culminated in the disastrous

Sixth Syrian War The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Diadochi, successor states to Alexander the Great's empire, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then c ...

Issue

Cleopatra and Ptolemy V had three children:Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * Stähelin, Kleopatra 14). In: ''

Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft The Pauly encyclopedias or the Pauly-Wissowa family of encyclopedias, are a set of related encyclopedias on Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman classical studies, topics and scholarship. The first of these, or (1839–1852), was begun by compiler A ...

'', vol. XI 1, 1921, col. 738–740. * Werner Huß, ''Ägypten in hellenistischer Zeit'' (''Egypt in the Hellenistic Period''). Munich 2001, p. 499; 514f.; 535; 537–540. * Günther Hölbl, ''Geschichte des Ptolemäerreichs'' (''History of the Ptolemaic Empire''). Darmstadt 1994, p. 125; 127f.; 147f.; 153. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleopatra 01 Syra 2nd-century BC pharaohs 2nd-century BC queens regnant 2nd-century BC women regents Queens consort of the Ptolemaic dynasty 2nd-century BC Egyptian people 200s BC births 170s BC deaths Seleucid princesses Female pharaohs 2nd-century BC Egyptian women 2nd-century BC regents Daughters of kings Regents of Egypt Female regents in Africa