Ptolemy XV Caesar (; , ; 47 BC – late August 30 BC), nicknamed Caesarion (, , "Little Caesar"), was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, reigning with his mother Cleopatra VII from 44 BC to 30 BC. He nominally reigned as sole pharaoh for a few days after his mother's death, although Alexandria had already fallen and Caesarion remained in hiding until his execution by Octavian, who would become the first Roman emperor as "Augustus".

Caesarion was the eldest son of Cleopatra, and was the only known biological son of Julius Caesar, after whom he was named. He was the last sovereign member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, ending more than 3000 years of traditional kingship.

Early life

Ptolemy Caesar was born in Egypt in mid to late 47 BC. His mother Cleopatra gave him the royal names Theos Philopator Philometor (lit. 'father-loving, mother-loving God') and insisted that he was the son of Roman politician and dictator Julius Caesar. Although he was said to have inherited Caesar's looks and manner, Caesar did not officially acknowledge him. All accusations of bastardy against Caesarion were cast from a Roman perspective; their intention was not to portray Caesarion as inappropriate for the throne of Egypt, but rather to deny that he was Caesar's heir by Roman law. One of Caesar's supporters, Gaius Oppius, even wrote a pamphlet which attempted to prove that Caesar could not have fathered Caesarion. Nevertheless, Caesar may have allowed Caesarion to use his name. The matter became contentious when Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, came into conflict with Cleopatra. although he was pharaoh in name only, with Cleopatra keeping actual authority. Cleopatra compared her relationship to her son with that of the Egyptian goddess Isis and her divine child Horus.

There is no historical record of Caesarion between 44 BC until the Donations of Antioch in 36 BC. Two years later he also appears at the Donations of Alexandria. Cleopatra and Antony staged both "Donations" to donate lands dominated by Rome and Parthia to Cleopatra's children: Caesarion, the twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus (the last three were his maternal half-siblings fathered by Mark Antony). Octavian gave public approval to the Donations of Antioch in 36 BC, which have been described as an Antonian strategy to rule the East making use of Cleopatra's unique royal Seleucid lineage in the regions donated.

Pharaoh

In 34 BC, Antony granted further eastern lands and titles to Caesarion and his own three children with Cleopatra in the Donations of Alexandria. Caesarion was proclaimed to be a god, [[Divi filius|a son of [a] god]], and "King of Kings". This grandiose title was "unprecedented in the management of Roman client-king relationships" and could be seen as "threatening the 'greatness' of the Roman people".

Death

thumb|upright=1.6|Roman painting from [[Pompeii, early 1st century AD, most likely depicting Cleopatra VII, wearing her royal diadem, taking poison in an act of suicide, while Caesarion, also wearing a royal diadem, stands behind her]]

After the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31&nbsp;BC, Cleopatra seems to have groomed Caesarion to take over as "sole ruler without his mother". Plutarch does say that Caesarion was sent to India, but also that he was lured back by false promises of the kingdom of Egypt: <blockquote>Caesarion, who was said to be Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar, was sent by his mother, with much treasure, into India, by way of Ethiopia. There Rhodon, another tutor like Theodorus, persuaded him to go back, on the ground that [Octavian] Caesar invited him to take the kingdom.</blockquote>

Octavian captured the city of Alexandria on 1 August 30&nbsp;BC, the date that marks the official annexation of Egypt to the Roman Republic. 11 days later on 12 August 30 BC, Mark Antony and Cleopatra died, traditionally said to be by suicide.

Though Octavian may have temporarily considered permitting Caesarion to succeed his mother and rule Egypt (though now a smaller and weaker kingdom), he is supposed to have had Caesarion executed at age 17 in Alexandria in late August, possibly on 29 August 30 BC (the beginning of the Egyptian new year). According to Plutarch, he followed the advice of his companion Arius Didymus, who said "Too many Caesars is not good" (a pun on a line in Homer). Surviving information on the death of Caesarion is scarce.

File:Statue of Horus in Edfu Temple.jpg|One of two statues of the falcon god Horus behind a smaller depiction of Caesarion at the Temple of Edfu in Edfu, Upper Egypt

File:RPC-3901 Cleopatra VII with baby Ptolemy XV Caesarion son of Julius Caesar on coin of Cyprus 47BC displayed in the British Museum.jpg|A coin depicting Cleopatra VII with her son Caesarion as an infant, British Museum.

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Few images of Caesarion survive. He is thought to be depicted in a partial statue found in the harbour of Alexandria in 1997 and is also portrayed twice in relief, as an adult pharaoh, with his mother on the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. His infant image appears on some bronze coins of Cleopatra.

Egyptian names

In addition to his Greek name and nicknames, Caesarion also had a full set of royal names in the Egyptian language:

  • Iwapanetjer entynehem – "Heir of the god who saves"
  • Setepenptah – "Chosen of Ptah"
  • Irmaatenre – "Carrying out the rule of Ra" or "Sun of righteousness"
  • Sekhemankhamun – "Living image of Amun"

See also

  • Caesareum of Alexandria
  • Julia gens
  • Reign of Cleopatra
  • List of unsolved murders (before the 20th century)
  • Kaisarion (poem)

Notes

References

  • Ptolemy XV Caesarion () – entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith