Glaphyra
Encyclopedia
Glaphyra was an Anatolia
n Princess from Cappadocia
and through marriage was related to the Herodian Dynasty
.
, Armenian and Persian descent. Her father was the Roman ally king Archelaus of Cappadocia
, 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 , while her paternal grandmother, for whom she was named, was the hetaera
Glaphyra
. The priest-kings of Comana were descended from Archelaus
, the favorite high-ranking general of Mithridates VI of Pontus
, who may have married a daughter of Mithradates.
Glaphyra's mother, the first wife of Archelaus, was an Armenian Princess whose name is unknown and who died by 8 BCE. She may have been a daughter of King Artavasdes II of Armenia
, son of Tigranes the Great
and Cleopatra of Pontus
, a daughter of Mithridates VI. If so, Glaphyra’s parents may have been distant relatives.
She was born and raised in Cappadocia. In 25 BCE, the Emperor Augustus
gave Archelaus extra territories to govern, including the port of Elaiussa Sebaste
, 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.
of Judaea usually married his children to relatives or to his subjects. However, Herod wanted his son Alexander
to marry a foreign princess. Herod negotiated a marriage alliance with Archelaus.
Either in 18 BCE or 17 BCE, in Herod’s court in Jerusalem, 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
even though no mention of conversion was made in the account of her first marriage. Glaphyra bore Alexander three children: two sons, Tigranes
and Alexander
, 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 and Herod’s wives about their low birth. Glaphyra sneered at Salome's daughter Berenice
, regarding her ‘with indignation’, though they were of equal rank. Her attitude caused Berenice's husband, prince Aristobulus IV
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. 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 BCE. 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.
In 2 BCE-2 CE, the Roman ally king Juba II
of Mauretania
toured the Eastern Mediterranean
with Augustus’ grandson Gaius Caesar
. During this trip Juba met Glaphyra. They fell in love, and were married in 7 CE. Juba's previous consort, Cleopatra Selene II, presumably died in 6 CE. (Some coins of Cleopatra Selene have been dated to 17 CE, suggesting she was still alive then; though it is unlikely that the Romanized Juba would have made a polygamous marriage, his father was polygamous.)
Glaphyra thus became Queen of Mauretania. Her marriage to Juba was apparently brief: there is no trace of her name in North African inscriptions. However, an honorific inscription to her was made in Athens
.
(half-brother of her first husband, and now the Roman Ethnarch
of Samaria
, Judaea
, and Edom
). He was the son of Herod the Great and his third wife Malthace
. They fell in love with each other and determined to marry. For them to marry, Glaphyra divorced Juba and Herod Archelaus divorced his first wife, his cousin Mariamne
.
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. 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
in Gaul
. It is uncertain if Glaphyra died before or during his exile. Her death reputedly gratified the women of the Judaean court.
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n Princess from Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
and through marriage was related to the Herodian Dynasty
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
.
Family and early life
Glaphyra was a royal princess of GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Armenian and Persian descent. Her father was the Roman ally king Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
, her only natural sibling was her younger brother Archelaus of Cilicia
Archelaus of Cilicia
Archelaus was a Cappadocian Prince from Anatolia and was as a Roman Client King of Cilicia Trachea and Eastern Lycaonia. He is sometimes known as Archelaus Minor and Archelaus II to distinguished him from his father Archelaus of Cappadocia.Archelaus was a Monarch of Greek, Armenian and Persian...
. Her paternal grandfather was a Roman ally and priest-king Archelaus
Archelaus (father of Archelaus of Cappadocia)
Archelaus was a High priest of the temple-state of Comana, Cappadocia.Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. He was the son and namesake of the Roman Client Ruler and High Priest of Comana, Cappadocia, Archelaus by an unnamed Greek woman...
of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia , while her paternal grandmother, for whom she was named, was the hetaera
Hetaera
In ancient Greece, hetaerae were courtesans, that is to say, highly educated, sophisticated companions...
Glaphyra
Glaphyra (hetaera)
Glaphyra was a Hetaera that lived in the 1st century BC.Glaphyra was a Greek woman from Cappadocia from obscure origins. Glaphyra was famed and celebrated in antiquity for her beauty, charm as well as she had a reputation for being seductive...
. The priest-kings of Comana were descended from Archelaus
Archelaus (general)
Archelaus was a leading military general of the King Mithridates VI of Pontus. Archelaus was the greatest general that had served under Mithridates VI and was also his favorite general....
, the favorite high-ranking general of Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
, who may have married a daughter of Mithradates.
Glaphyra's mother, the first wife of Archelaus, was an Armenian Princess whose name is unknown and who died by 8 BCE. She may have been a daughter of King Artavasdes II of Armenia
Artavasdes II of Armenia
King Artavasdes II ruled Armenia from 53 to 34 BC. He succeeded his father, Tigranes the Great. Artavasdes was an ally of Rome, but when Orodes II of Parthia invaded Armenia following his victory over the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, he was forced to...
, son of Tigranes the Great
Tigranes the Great
Tigranes the Great was emperor of Armenia under whom the country became, for a short time, the strongest state east of the Roman Republic. He was a member of the Artaxiad Royal House...
and Cleopatra of Pontus
Cleopatra of Pontus
Cleopatra of Pontus was a Pontian Princess, who was one of the daughters of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice. Cleopatra is sometimes known as Cleopatra the Elder, to distinguish her from her sister of the same name and was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus...
, a daughter of Mithridates VI. If so, Glaphyra’s parents may have been distant relatives.
She was born and raised in Cappadocia. In 25 BCE, the Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
gave Archelaus extra territories to govern, including the port of Elaiussa Sebaste
Elaiussa Sebaste
Elaiussa Sebaste or Elaeousa Sebaste was an ancient Roman town located from Mersin in the direction of Silifke in Cilicia on the southern coast of Anatolia . Elaiussa, meaning olive, was founded in the 2nd century B.C...
, 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.
First marriage
Augustus encouraged intermarriage among the families of Roman ally kings. King Herod the GreatHerod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
of Judaea usually married his children to relatives or to his subjects. However, Herod wanted his son Alexander
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 right of descent on his mother's side, he was sent to...
to marry a foreign princess. Herod negotiated a marriage alliance with Archelaus.
Either in 18 BCE or 17 BCE, in Herod’s court in Jerusalem, 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
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
even though no mention of conversion was made in the account of her first marriage. Glaphyra bore Alexander three children: two sons, Tigranes
Tigranes V of Armenia
Tigranes V, also known as Tigran V was a Herodian Prince and served as a Roman Client King of Armenia from the years 6 to 12.-Family & Life in the Herodian Court:...
and Alexander
Alexander (grandson of Herod the Great)
Alexander, also known by his Roman name Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince.Alexander was the second born son of Alexander and Glaphyra. His oldest brother was called Tigranes and had a younger unnamed sister. His father Alexander was a Judean Prince, of Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite...
, 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
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, and her maternal descent from the rulers of Persia
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
. She taunted Salome and Herod’s wives about their low birth. Glaphyra sneered at Salome's daughter Berenice
Berenice (daughter of Salome)
Berenice was the daughter of Salome I, sister of Herod the Great. She married her cousin Aristobulus who was executed by his father in 6 BC; she was accused of complicity in his murder...
, regarding her ‘with indignation’, though they were of equal rank. Her attitude caused Berenice's husband, prince Aristobulus IV
Aristobulus IV
Aristobulus IV was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice, daughter of Costobar and Salome...
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. 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 BCE. 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 BCE, After the death of Herod, and 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 BCE-2 CE, the Roman ally king Juba II
Juba II
Juba II or Juba II of Numidia was a king of Numidia and then later moved to Mauretania. His first wife was Cleopatra Selene II, daughter to Greek Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman triumvir Mark Antony.-Early life:Juba II was a prince of Berber descent from North Africa...
of Mauretania
Mauretania
Mauretania is a part of the historical Ancient Libyan land in North Africa. It corresponds to present day Morocco and a part of western Algeria...
toured the Eastern Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
with Augustus’ grandson Gaius Caesar
Gaius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar , most commonly known as Gaius Caesar or Caius Caesar, was the oldest son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder...
. During this trip Juba met Glaphyra. They fell in love, and were married in 7 CE. Juba's previous consort, Cleopatra Selene II, presumably died in 6 CE. (Some coins of Cleopatra Selene have been dated to 17 CE, suggesting she was still alive then; though it is unlikely that the Romanized Juba would have made a polygamous marriage, his father was polygamous.)
Glaphyra thus became Queen of Mauretania. Her marriage to Juba was apparently brief: there is no trace of her name in North African inscriptions. However, an honorific inscription to her was made in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
- Ή βουλή καί [ό δ]ήμος [Β]ασίλισσαν [Γλυφύραν] βασιλέω[ς] Άρχέλάου θυρ[ατέρα], βασιλέως Ίοβ[ά] γυναίκ[α άρε]τής έν[ε]κα.
- The BouleBoule (Ancient Greece)In cities of ancient Greece, the boule meaning to will ) was a council of citizens appointed to run daily affairs of the city...
and DemosDemosDemos may refer to:* Demos, a rhetorical term for the population of an ancient Greek state** Deme or Demoi, the term for an ancient subdivision of Attica, Greece...
honors Queen Glaphyra daughter of King Archelaus and wife of King Juba on the account of her virtue.
Third marriage
During her second marriage, she became reacquainted with Herod ArchelausHerod Archelaus
Herod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
(half-brother of her first husband, and now the Roman Ethnarch
Ethnarch
Ethnarch, pronounced , the anglicized form of ethnarches refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or homogeneous kingdom. The word is derived from the Greek words and ....
of Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
, Judaea
Judaea (Roman province)
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
, and Edom
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
). He was the son of Herod the Great and his third wife Malthace
Malthace
Malthace 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....
. They fell in love with each other and determined to marry. For them to marry, Glaphyra divorced Juba and Herod Archelaus divorced his first wife, his cousin Mariamne
Mariamne III
Mariamne III was a daughter of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. She had three brothers, Herod of Chalcis, Herod Agrippa I, and Aristobulus V, and one sister, Herodias...
.
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. 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, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. It is uncertain if Glaphyra died before or during his exile. Her death reputedly gratified the women of the Judaean court.
Sources
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- Jewish Women a comprehensive historical encyclopedia: Jewish Women’s Archive – Herodian Women
- Ptolemaic Genealogy, Berenice IV
- Ptolemaic Genealogy, Cleopatra Selene II
- 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
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