Cleopatra's Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen [Paperback]

The first modern biography of one of the most influential yet long-neglected rulers of the ancient world: Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. [A] labor of love& Draycott gathers evidence from whatever sources she can find&and deploys her considerable erudition to paint a vivid picture of the historical context&. Draycott is open about her agenda: not only to tell Cleopatra Selenes story, but to remind us that competent female rulers existed in antiquity and that the traces of their lives deserve to be located and pieced together. [W]ell-informed and convincing . . . Selene is a figure for our times, as Ms. Draycott rightly points out: 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. [W]ell-researched and full of interesting facts and details that history buffs will find satisfying and exciting. In Archaeologist Draycott uses primary sources as well as art and historical artifacts to construct an engaging portrait of Cleopatra Selene and her turbulent times. [A] lush biography... Among other topics, Draycott sheds intriguing light on race and ethnicity in the Roman empire and the opportunities women had to wield power and influence. This peek into the ancient past enthralls. In this deep work of historical excavation, Draycott.... re-creates with keen contextual evidence the life and turbulent times of Cleopatras surviving daughter& A vivid portrayal of the difficult journey of an overlooked African queen.