Alexander Helios

Alexander Helios (Greek: ; late

40 BC unknown, but possibly between 29 and 25
BC)[1] was a Ptolemaic prince and was the eldest son
of the Macedonian queen Cleopatra VII of Ptolemaic
Egypt by Roman triumvir Mark Antony. Alexanders
fraternal twin sister was Cleopatra Selene II. The twins
were of Macedonian Greek and Roman heritage, Cleopatra named her son after her collateral ancestor, Alexander
the Great. His second name in Ancient Greek means
Sun"; this was the counterpart of his twin sisters second name Selene (), meaning Moon.[2]

The fate of Alexander Helios is unknown. Plutarch,

Cassius Dio and Suetonius state that Octavian killed
Antonys son Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Cleopatras
son with Julius Caesar, Caesarion.[8] The only further
mention of Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphus
comes from Cassius Dio, who states that when their sister
Cleopatra Selene II married King Juba II, Octavian (then
named Augustus) spared the lives of Alexander Helios
and Ptolemy Philadelphus as a favor to the couple.[9]

2 In ction
1

Life

Alexander Helios is a character in Michael Livingston's

2015 historical fantasy novel The Shards of Heaven.

Alexander Helios was born and educated in Alexandria.

He was the second of Cleopatras three sons, Caesarion
3 Ancestry
being the oldest. In late 34 BC, at the Donations of
Alexandria, he was given the title of King of Kings. His
parents also made him ruler of Armenia, Media, Parthia Ancestors of Alexander Helios
and any countries yet to be discovered between the Euphrates and Indus Rivers, despite the fact that most of
this territory stood outside of their control at that time.[3]
These areas were, in fact, already ruled by Artaxias II of 4 See also
Armenia (who had been elected King that same year after
Antony captured his father Artavasdes II), Artavasdes I of
List of people whose parent committed suicide
Media Atropatene and Phraates IV of Parthia. In 33 BC,
Alexander was engaged to his distant relative Iotapa,[4] a
Princess of Media Atropatene and daughter of Artavasdes 5 References
I. However, Mark Antony and Cleopatra were defeated
by Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The next
[1] D. W. Roller, The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene,
year, they committed suicide as Octavian and his army
2003, p. 77
invaded Egypt. Iotapa left Egypt to return to her father
and later married her maternal cousin King Mithridates [2] Mason, Charles Peter (1867). Alexander. In William
Smith. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and
III of Commagene, who was of Armenian and Greek
[5]
Mythology 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p.
descent.
112.

When Octavian conquered Egypt, he spared Alexander,

but took him, his sister and his brother Ptolemy Philadelphus from Egypt to Rome. Octavian celebrated his military triumph in Rome by parading the children in heavy
golden chains in the streets behind an egy of their
mother clutching an asp to her arm. It is unclear whether
Ptolemy Philadelphus survived the journey to Rome, as
Cassius Dio only mentions the twins in his History of
Rome.[6] Octavian gave the children to Octavia Minor,
his elder sister and a former wife of Mark Antony, to be
raised under her guardianship in Rome. They were generously received by Octavia, who educated them with her
own children.[7]

[3] Plutarch, Antony 54.6-9; Cassius Dio xlix. 41.1-3; Livy,

periochae 131
[4] http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Egypt/ptolemies/
affilates/aff_ptolemies.htm
[5] Cassius Dio xlix. 40.2; xlix. 44.1-4; li. 16.2; Plutarch,
Antony 53.12
[6] Cassius Dio li. 21.8
[7] Plutarch, Antony 87.1; Suetonius, Augustus 17.5
[8] Plutarch, Antony 81.1 - 82.1; 87.1; Cassius Dio li. 15.5;
Suetonius, Augustus 17.5

6 SOURCES

[9] Cassius Dio li. 15.6; compare Plutarch, Antony 87.1-2

Sources
Plutarch - Antony
Alexander Helios.
Cleopatra Selene II & Juba II

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

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Alexander Helios Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Helios?oldid=702449453 Contributors: Andre Engels, Isis~enwiki,

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