The Last Known Descendant of Cleopatra: Ptolemy of Mauretania

The last known descendant of Cleopatra, the famous Queen of Egypt, was Ptolemy of Mauretania. He ruled as a client king under the Roman Empire and his assassination in AD 40 marked the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty's lineage in history.

Lineage and Historical Context

The lineage of the last known descendants of Cleopatra and Mark Antony includes their children, particularly their twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, as well as their son Ptolemy Philadelphus. Tracing these direct lineages through history is inherently challenging. There are no verifiable records of any surviving descendants from Cleopatra’s line until Drusilla of Mauretania became the focus of historical analysis.

The Last Attested Descendant: Drusilla of Mauretania

The last clearly attested descendant of Kleopatra VII, Thea Neōtera, appears to be her great-granddaughter, Drusilla of Mauretania. The scholarly evidence for this lineage is outlined as follows:

Kleopatra VII Thea Neōtera - Queen of Egypt (r. 51–30 BC), daughter of Cleopatra VII and Marcus Antonius. Kleopatra Selēnē - Queen of Cyrene (d. c. 5 BC), daughter of Kleopatra VII Selēnē and King Juba II of Mauretania. Ptolemaeus - King of Mauretania (d. 40 AD), son of Kleopatra Selēnē and King Juba II, and husband of Urania. Drusilla - Mauretanian princess (d. after 54 AD), daughter of Ptolemaeus and Urania, and wife of Marcus Antonius Felix (procurator of Judaea) and later Soaimos Sohaemus of Emesa.

Historians have provided some potential connections, but none are definitively documented or widely recognized. For instance, the chronology and the context around Tacitus' description, who identified Drusilla as the granddaughter of Antonius and Kleopatra VII, indicate that she is more likely to be their great-granddaughter.

Further Lineage and Possible Connections

The descendants of both Felix and Soaimos remain putative, and it is unclear if any of them were also descendants of Drusilla of Mauretania. Roman authors recorded that Zēnobia, the famous Queen of Palmyra and a would-be Roman empress, was a descendant of Kleopatra VII. If this information is reliable, it suggests the possibility that the blood of Drusilla of Mauretania continued to flow through the veins of eastern aristocrats during the 3rd century.

Conclusion

Ptolemy of Mauretania and the lineage traced through Drusilla of Mauretania are the heart of the known descendants of Cleopatra. The absence of any verifiable records of descendants beyond this point marks the end of a historical line that was once fraught with power, intrigue, and the legacy of one of the most famous figures in the ancient world.