Ptolemy of Mauretania
Encyclopedia
Ptolemy of Mauretania was a prince and the last Roman client King of Mauretania
.
and Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania
. He had a younger sister called Drusilla of Mauretania. His father Juba II
was the son of King Juba I of Numidia
, who was descended from the Berber people
of North Africa
and was an ally to the Roman Triumvir Pompey
. His mother Cleopatra Selene II was the daughter of the Ptolemaic
Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
. Ptolemy was of Berber, Greek
and Roman
ancestry. Ptolemy and his sister Drusilla were the only grandchildren of Juba I of Numidia
and Cleopatra VII of Egypt and were among the younger grandchildren to Mark Antony
. Through his maternal grandfather, Ptolemy was distantly related to Julius Caesar
and the Julio-Claudian dynasty
. Ptolemy was a first cousin to Germanicus
and the Roman Emperor
Claudius
and a second cousin to the Emperor Caligula
, the Empress Agrippina the Younger
, the Empress Valeria Messalina and the Emperor Nero
.
Ptolemy was most probably born in Caesaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania
(modern Cherchell
, Algeria
) in the Roman Empire
. He was named in honor of his mother’s ancestors, in particular the Ptolemaic dynasty
. He was also named in honor of the memory of Cleopatra VII, the birthplace of his mother and the birthplace of her relatives. In choosing her son's name, Cleopatra Selene II created a distinct Greek-Egyptian tone and emphasized her role as the monarch who would continue the Ptolemaic dynasty. She by-passed the ancestral names of her husband. By naming her son Ptolemy instead of a Berber ancestral name, she offers an example rare in ancient history, especially in the case of a son who is the primary male heir, of reaching into the mother's family instead of the father's for a name. This emphasized the idea that his mother was the heiress of the Ptolemies and the leader of a Ptolemaic government in exile.
Through his parents, Ptolemy had Roman citizenship
, and they sent him to Rome
to be educated. His mother died in 6 A.D. and was placed in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania
, built by his parents. In Rome, Ptolemy received a good Roman education and became Romanized
. He was part of the remarkable court of his maternal aunt Antonia Minor
, an influential aristocrat who presided over a circle of various princes and princesses which assisted in the political preservation of the Roman Empire’s borders and affairs of the client states. Antonia Minor, the youngest daughter of Mark Antony and the youngest niece of Emperor Augustus
, was a half-sister of Ptolemy's late mother, also a daughter of Mark Antony. Antonia Minor's mother was Octavia Minor
, Mark Antony's fourth wife and the second sister of Octavian (later Augustus). Ptolemy lived in Rome until the age of 21, when he returned to the court of his aging father in Mauretania.
During his co-rule with Juba II into his sole rule Ptolemy like his father appeared to be a patron of art, learning, literature and sports. In Athens
Greece
, statues were erected to Juba II and Ptolemy in a gymnasium in Athens and a statue was erected in Ptolemy’s honor in reference to his taste in literature. Ptolemy dedicated statues of himself on the Acropolis. The Athenians honored Ptolemy and his family with inscriptions dedicated to them and this reveals that the Athenians had respect towards the Roman Client Monarchs and their families which was common in the 1st century.
The local Berber tribes in 17, the Numidian Tacfarinas and Garamantes started to revolt against the Kingdom of Mauretania and Rome. The war had ravaged Africa and Berbers, including former slaves from Ptolemy’s household had joined in the revolt. Ptolemy through his military campaigns was unsuccessful to end the Berber revolt. The war had reached the point that Ptolemy summoned the Roman Governor of Africa, Publius Cornelius Dolobella and his army to assist Ptolemy to end the revolt. The war finally ended in 24. Although Ptolemy’s army and the Romans won, both sides suffered considerable losses of infantry and cavalry.
The Roman Senate
impressed by Ptolemy’s loyal conduct, had sent a Roman Senator to visit Ptolemy. The Roman Senator recognized Ptolemy’s loyal conduct and awarded him an ivory scepter, an embroidered triumphal robe and the senator greeted Ptolemy as king, ally and friend. This recognition was a tradition which recognizes and rewards the allies to Rome.
Ptolemy through his military campaigns, had proven his capability and loyal as an ally and Client King to Rome. He was a popular monarch with the Berbers and had travelled extensively throughout the Roman Empire, including Alexandria
Egypt
and Ostia
Italy
.
In Caesaria, prayers were offered for the health of Ptolemy at the Temple of Saturn frugifer dues
. Mauretania was a region that was abundant in agriculture and the God Saturn was the God of agriculture. Saturn became a prominent God in Mauretania and his cult became an important cult in the kingdom. A temple and a sanctuary cult were dedicated to Saturn in Caesaria by 30 and throughout Mauretania various temples were dedicated to Saturn.
Ptolemy’s parents descended from backgrounds that had strong endemic traditions in claiming their descent from Hercules
(see Heracleidae
). His mother originated from a country, that there were various imperial cults dedicated to the Pharaohs and their relatives and there is a possibility that his father’s Royal Numidian ancestors may had imperial cults dedicated to them.
In a surviving inscription in Mauretania hints that either Juba II or Ptolemy established an imperial cult honoring Hiempsal II
, a previous Numidian King and paternal grandfather of Juba II. According to inscriptional evidence, Ptolemy may have established a Royal Mauretanian Cult honoring himself and his late parents (see Berber mythology
). One inscription is dedicated to his genius and another inscription expressed wishes for his good health.
Evidence suggesting that Ptolemy could have deified Juba II after his death, is from the writings of the Christian author of the 3rd century Marcus Minucius Felix. There could have been a cult dedicated to Juba II. In Felix’s Octavius, the writer records a dialogue between a Christian and a pagan from Cirta
. This dialogue was a part of a Christian argument that divinity is impossible for mortals. Felix lists humans who were said to have become divine: Saturn, Jupiter, Romulus and Juba. Further literary evidence, suggesting the deification of Juba II even Ptolemy, is from the brief euhemerist
exercise entitled On the Vanity of Idols by the Christian Saint of the 3rd century, Cyprian
. In his exercise in deflating the gods, Cyprian observed and stated that the Mauretanians were manifestly worshipping their kings and did not conceal their name by any disguise. According to the surviving evidence there is a strong probability that Juba II and Ptolemy, after they had died they were deified by the Berbers.
Coinage from Ptolemy’s sole reign is very different from the coins from the time Ptolemy co-ruled with Juba II. His royal title on coinage is in Latin ‘King Ptolemy’ and there is no surviving coinage that shows his royal title in Greek. On his coinage there is no Ancient Egypt
ian imagery. The coinage from his sole reign displays a variety of themes. Ptolemy personified himself as an Elephant on coins. Elephant personification is an ancient coinage tradition in which his late parents did when they ruled Mauretania. The Elephant has symbolic functions: an icon representing Africa and an iconic monetary characteristic from the Hellenistic period
which displays influence and power. Another animal, Ptolemy uses on coins is a Lion leaping which is a symbol of animal kingship and is another symbol representing Africa.
Other coins display Roman themes. A rare revealing gold coin dated from the year 39 celebrates Ptolemy’s descent, his rule and his loyalty to Rome. On one side of the coin, there is a central bust of Juba II and is inscribed in Latin ‘King Juba son of Juba’. Juba II is personified like a Greek Egyptian Pharaoh
from the Ptolemaic dynasty. The other side of the coin is an eagle with its wings displayed on a thunderbolt and Ptolemy’s initials are inscribed in Latin. Through his father’s central bust and inscription, Ptolemy is celebrating and showing the continuation of his family and rule, while honoring his paternal ancestry. The personification of his father as a Ptolemaic Pharaoh, Ptolemy is celebrating his Greek Egyptian descent and possibly his links to Alexander the Great. Ptolemy through the eagle is celebrating the Roman Peace, honoring the rule of the Roman Empire, while he is showing his allegiance and loyalty to Ancient Rome. Another coin dating from the year 40 celebrates his Roman Senatorial decree. The coin shows on one side, a curule chair upon which is a wreath and a scepter leaning against it. On the other side of the coin, Ptolemy is wearing a fillet on his head.
Ptolemy seemed to have had expensive tastes and enjoyed luxury items. He owned a custom made Wine Citrus Wood Table. Mauretania had many citrus trees and produced many citrus wood tables. Any item made from Citrus Wood was sought after by aristocrats and monarchs. Citrus wood was a sought after item because for its color and the complexity of its grain in its surface. The grain pattern can be wavy or hooked. The wood was treated with wax and wheat to protect the coating of the wood’s bark and it was very sensitive to clean and maintain.
Ptolemy married a woman called Julia Urania
, who came from obscure origins. She is only known through a funeral inscription found at Caesaria through her freedwoman Julia Bodina
. Bodina ascribed Julia Urania as ‘Queen Julia Urania’. There is a possibility that Julia Urania was a member of the Royal family of Emesa
(modern Homs
Syria
). Ptolemy married Julia Urania at an unknown date during the 1st century. She bore Ptolemy in about 38, a daughter called Drusilla
.
and welcomed him with appropriate honours. As Ptolemy entered an amphitheater during a gladiatorial show, Ptolemy wore a purple cloak that attracted admiration. Out of jealousy, Caligula ordered Ptolemy’s execution.
After Ptolemy’s murder in Rome
, his former household slave Aedemon
, from outrage and out of loyalty to his former master, wanted to take revenge against Caligula and started the revolt of Mauretania with the Berbers against Rome. The Berber revolt was a violent one and the rebels were skilled fighters against the Roman Army. The Roman Generals Gnaeus Hosidius Geta
and Gaius Suetonius Paulinus
were needed to end the revolt. When the revolt ended in 44, Claudius assessed the kingdom and its future. He decided to divide Mauretania into two provinces which were Mauretania Tingitana
and Mauretania Caesariensis
.
Much prior to Ptolemy’s death, Caligula had sent him a peculiar message stating: “Do nothing at all, neither good or bad, to the bearer.” Claudius tried a Roman Senator called Gaius Rabirius Postumus for treason who before tried unsuccessfully to recover money from Ptolemy.
, I Claudius and Claudius the God.
Throughout Morocco
and Algeria
statues have survived that belonged to Ptolemy. There is a nude statue of him, dated from the 1st century which is on display at the Rabat
Museum, Morocco
. His sculpted images are of a youthful appearance and particularly those first portraits created during the reign of Juba II virtually show his relations to the Julio-Claudian dynasty
. This is evident by the arrangement of the comma shaped locks over the forehead. There is a seven inch fine bronze Roman imperial bust of Ptolemy about age 15 which c. 5-20 was auctioned by the US Auction Group, Sotheby in New York
. The imperial bust was auctioned on Friday 10 December 2004; it was estimated between US$300,000 – US$500,000 but was sold for US$960,000.
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...
.
Family and early life
Ptolemy was the son of King Juba IIJuba 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...
and Queen Cleopatra Selene II 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...
. He had a younger sister called Drusilla of Mauretania. His father 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...
was the son of King Juba I of Numidia
Juba I of Numidia
Juba I of Numidia was a King of Numidia. He was the son and successor to King of Numidia Hiempsal II.- Family :...
, who was descended from the Berber people
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and was an ally to the Roman Triumvir Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
. His mother Cleopatra Selene II was the daughter of the Ptolemaic
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. Ptolemy was of Berber, Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
ancestry. Ptolemy and his sister Drusilla were the only grandchildren of Juba I of Numidia
Juba I of Numidia
Juba I of Numidia was a King of Numidia. He was the son and successor to King of Numidia Hiempsal II.- Family :...
and Cleopatra VII of Egypt and were among the younger grandchildren to Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. Through his maternal grandfather, Ptolemy was distantly related to Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
. Ptolemy was a first cousin to Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
and the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
and a second cousin to the Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, the Empress Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, the Empress Valeria Messalina and the Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
.
Ptolemy was most probably born in Caesaria, the capital of the Kingdom 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...
(modern Cherchell
Cherchell
Cherchell is a seaport town in the Province of Tipaza, Algeria, 55 miles west of Algiers. It is the district seat of Cherchell District. As of 1998, it had a population of 24,400.-Ancient history:...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
) in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. He was named in honor of his mother’s ancestors, in particular the Ptolemaic dynasty
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
. He was also named in honor of the memory of Cleopatra VII, the birthplace of his mother and the birthplace of her relatives. In choosing her son's name, Cleopatra Selene II created a distinct Greek-Egyptian tone and emphasized her role as the monarch who would continue the Ptolemaic dynasty. She by-passed the ancestral names of her husband. By naming her son Ptolemy instead of a Berber ancestral name, she offers an example rare in ancient history, especially in the case of a son who is the primary male heir, of reaching into the mother's family instead of the father's for a name. This emphasized the idea that his mother was the heiress of the Ptolemies and the leader of a Ptolemaic government in exile.
Through his parents, Ptolemy had Roman citizenship
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
, and they sent him to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to be educated. His mother died in 6 A.D. and was placed in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania
The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania is a funerary monument on the road between Cherchell and Algiers, in Algeria. The Mausoleum is the tomb where the Roman clients Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II, king and queen of Mauretania, are buried.-History:...
, built by his parents. In Rome, Ptolemy received a good Roman education and became Romanized
Romanization (cultural)
Romanization or latinization indicate different historical processes, such as acculturation, integration and assimilation of newly incorporated and peripheral populations by the Roman Republic and the later Roman Empire...
. He was part of the remarkable court of his maternal aunt Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
, an influential aristocrat who presided over a circle of various princes and princesses which assisted in the political preservation of the Roman Empire’s borders and affairs of the client states. Antonia Minor, the youngest daughter of Mark Antony and the youngest niece of 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...
, was a half-sister of Ptolemy's late mother, also a daughter of Mark Antony. Antonia Minor's mother was Octavia Minor
Octavia Minor
Octavia the Younger , also known as Octavia Minor or simply Octavia, was the sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus , half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and fourth wife of Mark Antony...
, Mark Antony's fourth wife and the second sister of Octavian (later Augustus). Ptolemy lived in Rome until the age of 21, when he returned to the court of his aging father in Mauretania.
Reign as king
When Ptolemy returned to Mauretania, Juba II made Ptolemy his co-ruler and successor. Coinage has survived from Juba II’s co-rule with his son. On coinage, on one side there is a central bust of Juba II with his title in Latin ‘King Juba’. On the other side there is a central bust of Ptolemy and the inscription stating in Latin ‘King Ptolemy son of Juba’. Juba II died in 23 and was placed along side with Cleopatra Selene II in Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. Then Ptolemy became the sole ruler of Mauretania.During his co-rule with Juba II into his sole rule Ptolemy like his father appeared to be a patron of art, learning, literature and sports. 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...
Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, statues were erected to Juba II and Ptolemy in a gymnasium in Athens and a statue was erected in Ptolemy’s honor in reference to his taste in literature. Ptolemy dedicated statues of himself on the Acropolis. The Athenians honored Ptolemy and his family with inscriptions dedicated to them and this reveals that the Athenians had respect towards the Roman Client Monarchs and their families which was common in the 1st century.
The local Berber tribes in 17, the Numidian Tacfarinas and Garamantes started to revolt against the Kingdom of Mauretania and Rome. The war had ravaged Africa and Berbers, including former slaves from Ptolemy’s household had joined in the revolt. Ptolemy through his military campaigns was unsuccessful to end the Berber revolt. The war had reached the point that Ptolemy summoned the Roman Governor of Africa, Publius Cornelius Dolobella and his army to assist Ptolemy to end the revolt. The war finally ended in 24. Although Ptolemy’s army and the Romans won, both sides suffered considerable losses of infantry and cavalry.
The Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
impressed by Ptolemy’s loyal conduct, had sent a Roman Senator to visit Ptolemy. The Roman Senator recognized Ptolemy’s loyal conduct and awarded him an ivory scepter, an embroidered triumphal robe and the senator greeted Ptolemy as king, ally and friend. This recognition was a tradition which recognizes and rewards the allies to Rome.
Ptolemy through his military campaigns, had proven his capability and loyal as an ally and Client King to Rome. He was a popular monarch with the Berbers and had travelled extensively throughout the Roman Empire, including Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Ostia
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In Caesaria, prayers were offered for the health of Ptolemy at the Temple of Saturn frugifer dues
Saturn (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Saturn was a major god presiding over agriculture and the harvest time. His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of abundance and peace by many Roman authors. In medieval times he was known as the Roman god of agriculture, justice and strength. He held a sickle in...
. Mauretania was a region that was abundant in agriculture and the God Saturn was the God of agriculture. Saturn became a prominent God in Mauretania and his cult became an important cult in the kingdom. A temple and a sanctuary cult were dedicated to Saturn in Caesaria by 30 and throughout Mauretania various temples were dedicated to Saturn.
Ptolemy’s parents descended from backgrounds that had strong endemic traditions in claiming their descent from Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
(see Heracleidae
Heracleidae
In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles , especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira Other Heracleidae included Macaria, Lamos, Manto, Bianor, Tlepolemus, and Telephus...
). His mother originated from a country, that there were various imperial cults dedicated to the Pharaohs and their relatives and there is a possibility that his father’s Royal Numidian ancestors may had imperial cults dedicated to them.
In a surviving inscription in Mauretania hints that either Juba II or Ptolemy established an imperial cult honoring Hiempsal II
Hiempsal II
Hiempsal II was a king of Numidia. He was the son of Gauda, half-brother of Jugurtha, and was the father of Juba I.In 88 BC, after the triumph of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, when Gaius Marius and his son fled from Rome to Africa, Hiempsal received them with apparent friendliness, his real intention...
, a previous Numidian King and paternal grandfather of Juba II. According to inscriptional evidence, Ptolemy may have established a Royal Mauretanian Cult honoring himself and his late parents (see Berber mythology
Berber mythology
The traditional Berber mythology is the ancient and native set of beliefs and deities developed by the Berber people in their historical land of North Africa...
). One inscription is dedicated to his genius and another inscription expressed wishes for his good health.
Evidence suggesting that Ptolemy could have deified Juba II after his death, is from the writings of the Christian author of the 3rd century Marcus Minucius Felix. There could have been a cult dedicated to Juba II. In Felix’s Octavius, the writer records a dialogue between a Christian and a pagan from Cirta
Cirta
Cirta was the capital city of the ancient Kingdom of Numidia in northern Africa . Its strategically important port city was Russicada...
. This dialogue was a part of a Christian argument that divinity is impossible for mortals. Felix lists humans who were said to have become divine: Saturn, Jupiter, Romulus and Juba. Further literary evidence, suggesting the deification of Juba II even Ptolemy, is from the brief euhemerist
Euhemerus
Euhemerus was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with Messina in Sicily as the most probable location, while others champion Chios, or Tegea.-Life:...
exercise entitled On the Vanity of Idols by the Christian Saint of the 3rd century, Cyprian
Cyprian
Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
. In his exercise in deflating the gods, Cyprian observed and stated that the Mauretanians were manifestly worshipping their kings and did not conceal their name by any disguise. According to the surviving evidence there is a strong probability that Juba II and Ptolemy, after they had died they were deified by the Berbers.
Coinage from Ptolemy’s sole reign is very different from the coins from the time Ptolemy co-ruled with Juba II. His royal title on coinage is in Latin ‘King Ptolemy’ and there is no surviving coinage that shows his royal title in Greek. On his coinage there is no Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian imagery. The coinage from his sole reign displays a variety of themes. Ptolemy personified himself as an Elephant on coins. Elephant personification is an ancient coinage tradition in which his late parents did when they ruled Mauretania. The Elephant has symbolic functions: an icon representing Africa and an iconic monetary characteristic from the Hellenistic period
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
which displays influence and power. Another animal, Ptolemy uses on coins is a Lion leaping which is a symbol of animal kingship and is another symbol representing Africa.
Other coins display Roman themes. A rare revealing gold coin dated from the year 39 celebrates Ptolemy’s descent, his rule and his loyalty to Rome. On one side of the coin, there is a central bust of Juba II and is inscribed in Latin ‘King Juba son of Juba’. Juba II is personified like a Greek Egyptian Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
from the Ptolemaic dynasty. The other side of the coin is an eagle with its wings displayed on a thunderbolt and Ptolemy’s initials are inscribed in Latin. Through his father’s central bust and inscription, Ptolemy is celebrating and showing the continuation of his family and rule, while honoring his paternal ancestry. The personification of his father as a Ptolemaic Pharaoh, Ptolemy is celebrating his Greek Egyptian descent and possibly his links to Alexander the Great. Ptolemy through the eagle is celebrating the Roman Peace, honoring the rule of the Roman Empire, while he is showing his allegiance and loyalty to Ancient Rome. Another coin dating from the year 40 celebrates his Roman Senatorial decree. The coin shows on one side, a curule chair upon which is a wreath and a scepter leaning against it. On the other side of the coin, Ptolemy is wearing a fillet on his head.
Ptolemy seemed to have had expensive tastes and enjoyed luxury items. He owned a custom made Wine Citrus Wood Table. Mauretania had many citrus trees and produced many citrus wood tables. Any item made from Citrus Wood was sought after by aristocrats and monarchs. Citrus wood was a sought after item because for its color and the complexity of its grain in its surface. The grain pattern can be wavy or hooked. The wood was treated with wax and wheat to protect the coating of the wood’s bark and it was very sensitive to clean and maintain.
Ptolemy married a woman called Julia Urania
Julia Urania
Julia Urania was a Roman Client Queen of Mauretania. She married the Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania, who was a son of the former Mauretanian Client Monarchs Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II.Her grandson was Gaius Julius Alexio.-Biography:...
, who came from obscure origins. She is only known through a funeral inscription found at Caesaria through her freedwoman Julia Bodina
Julia Bodina
Julia Bodina was a Roman Freedwoman from Mauretania North Africa. She was a former slave in the household of the Roman Client Queen Julia Urania and Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania....
. Bodina ascribed Julia Urania as ‘Queen Julia Urania’. There is a possibility that Julia Urania was a member of the Royal family of Emesa
Royal family of Emesa
The royal family of Emesa, also known as the Emesani Dynasty or the Sempsigerami of Emesa , sometimes known as The Sampsiceramids were a ruling Roman client dynasty of priest-kings in Emesa, Syria Province...
(modern Homs
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
). Ptolemy married Julia Urania at an unknown date during the 1st century. She bore Ptolemy in about 38, a daughter called Drusilla
Drusilla of Mauretania (born 38)
This article is about Drusilla of Mauretania for her paternal aunt of the same name; see Drusilla of Mauretania .Drusilla of Mauretania was a Princess of Mauretania, North Africa and was the great grandchild of Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony.-Ancestry...
.
Death
The Kingdom of Mauretania was one of the wealthiest Roman Client Kingdoms, and after 24 Ptolemy continued to reign without interruption. In late 40, Caligula invited Ptolemy to RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and welcomed him with appropriate honours. As Ptolemy entered an amphitheater during a gladiatorial show, Ptolemy wore a purple cloak that attracted admiration. Out of jealousy, Caligula ordered Ptolemy’s execution.
After Ptolemy’s murder in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, his former household slave Aedemon
Aedemon
Aedemon was a Freedman from the Roman Africa Province who lived in the 1st century. Aedemon was a loyal former household slave to the client King Ptolemy of Mauretania, who was the son of King Juba II and the Ptolemaic Greek Princess Cleopatra Selene II....
, from outrage and out of loyalty to his former master, wanted to take revenge against Caligula and started the revolt of Mauretania with the Berbers against Rome. The Berber revolt was a violent one and the rebels were skilled fighters against the Roman Army. The Roman Generals Gnaeus Hosidius Geta
Gnaeus Hosidius Geta
Gaius or Gnaeus Hosidius Geta was a Roman Senator and General who lived in the 1st century. Geta was a praetor some time before 42...
and Gaius Suetonius Paulinus
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, also spelled Paullinus, was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated the rebellion of Boudica.-Career:...
were needed to end the revolt. When the revolt ended in 44, Claudius assessed the kingdom and its future. He decided to divide Mauretania into two provinces which were Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The province extended from the northern peninsula, opposite Gibraltar, to Chellah and Volubilis to the south, and as far east as the Oued Laou river. Its...
and Mauretania Caesariensis
Mauretania Caesariensis
Mauretania Caesariensis was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa. It was the easternmost of the North African Roman provinces, mainly in present Algeria, with its capital at Caesarea , now Cherchell.-Historical background:In the first century AD, Roman...
.
Much prior to Ptolemy’s death, Caligula had sent him a peculiar message stating: “Do nothing at all, neither good or bad, to the bearer.” Claudius tried a Roman Senator called Gaius Rabirius Postumus for treason who before tried unsuccessfully to recover money from Ptolemy.
Literature and art
Ptolemy is a minor character in the novels by Robert GravesRobert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
, I Claudius and Claudius the God.
Throughout Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
statues have survived that belonged to Ptolemy. There is a nude statue of him, dated from the 1st century which is on display at the Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
Museum, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. His sculpted images are of a youthful appearance and particularly those first portraits created during the reign of Juba II virtually show his relations to the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
. This is evident by the arrangement of the comma shaped locks over the forehead. There is a seven inch fine bronze Roman imperial bust of Ptolemy about age 15 which c. 5-20 was auctioned by the US Auction Group, Sotheby in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The imperial bust was auctioned on Friday 10 December 2004; it was estimated between US$300,000 – US$500,000 but was sold for US$960,000.