The Rulers
Paternity
The paternity of the ruling kings, and of those queens who acceded directly to the throne without first being a queen consort, is well established from the direct statements of classical authors. In most cases, contemporary inscriptional or papyrological evidence exists that state the same paternity, typically through a statement (either in Greek or through the king's Egyptian titulary, as recorded in H. Gauthier, Livre des Rois d'Égypte (LdR)) that the king was the son of his named predecessor. In the case of Ptolemy XI, we have a similar statement made several years before his brief accession. The only case where there is any doubt of paternity is the dynastic founder himself, Ptolemy I Soter, called the son of Lagus. In this case it is clear that the doubt existed in ancient times, and quite likely that his paternity was genuinely uncertain.
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Father |
Literary Source |
Documentary Source |
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None |
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LdR IV 268 XXIIA |
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LdR IV 294 XXII |
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LdR IV 323 LVII |
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LdR IV 359 XLIV |
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LdR IV 386 LXXXVII |
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pdemTurin Botti 34-36 |
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LdR IV 402 XXXIX |
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None |
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None |
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None |
Maternity
The evidence for the maternity of the ruling kings is less complete than for their paternity. Most evidence is from classical sources, but this peters out after Ptolemy X.
The contemporary evidence, as with paternity, comes from various official decrees and the Egyptian titulary of the kings. While generally consistent with the classical sources there are some exceptions.
Taken literally, the contemporary evidence flatly contradicts the classical evidence for Ptolemy III by naming his mother as Arsinoe II, not Arsinoe I. This can be explained by adherence to an official dogma that Arsinoe II posthumously adopted the sons of Ptolemy II by Arsinoe I.
In the case of Ptolemy IX, the contemporary Egyptian evidence, if considered without regard to the classical authors, is somewhat ambiguous and has been interpreted to favour Cleopatra II rather than Cleopatra III as his mother.
Three papyri have been interpreted as naming Berenice III as the mother of the later Ptolemy XI. His mother is not named in classical sources, but Berenice III is called his stepmother. The situation is similar to Arsinoe II's official maternity of Ptolemy III.
A papyrus and an inscription name the mother of the eldest son of Ptolemy IX, identified here with the later Ptolemy XII, as Cleopatra Selene. Since there are also grounds to believe he was born before the marriage of Ptolemy IX to Cleopatra Selene, it is suggested here that his biological mother was Cleopatra IV and that he and his brother similarly became officially the sons of Cleopatra Selene.
For most rulers after Ptolemy X we have no indication of maternity in either the classical or the contemporary sources. There are two partial exceptions: Berenice IV, whose maternity is inferred from Strabo's statement that she was legitimate; and Ptolemy XII, who is here identified with the heir of Ptolemy IX named inscriptionally as the son of Cleopatra Selene.
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Mother |
Literary Source |
Mother |
Documentary Source |
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None |
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None |
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LdR IV 268 XXIIA |
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LdR IV 294 XXII |
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LdR IV 323 LVII |
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pdem Rylands 3.24 |
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LdR IV 386 LXXXVII |
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None |
pdemTurin Botti 34-36 |
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None |
SEG IX.5 |
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None |
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None |
None |
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None |
None |
The other assignments of maternity in the above chart are based on circumstantial reasoning, the details of which will be found at the appropriate point in the genealogy.
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