Drusilla of Mauretania (born 38)
Encyclopedia
This article is about Drusilla of Mauretania (born 38) for her paternal aunt of the same name; see Drusilla of Mauretania (born 5).
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.
, Greek
, Roman
and possibly of Assyrian ancestry
. She was the daughter and only child born to the Roman Client Monarchs Ptolemy of Mauretania
and his wife, Julia Urania
.
Her mother Julia Urania may have been a member of the Royal family of Emesa
, a Syrian
Roman Client Kingdom, while her father Ptolemy of Mauretania was a son of the Roman Client Monarchs Juba II
and Cleopatra Selene II. Her father’s maternal grandparents were Ptolemaic Greek
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
. Drusilla was the great granddaughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony.
Algeria
), the capital of the Roman Client Kingdom of Mauretania in the Roman Empire
. She named in honor of her father’s second maternal cousin Julia Drusilla
, one of the sisters of the Roman Emperor
Caligula
who died around the time of her birth and is also the namesake of her paternal aunt Drusilla.
Her father was executed while visiting Rome
in 40. Mauretania was annexed by Rome and later became two Roman province
s. Drusilla was probably raised in the Imperial Family
in Rome. Around 53, the Roman Emperor Claudius
arranged for her to marry Marcus Antonius Felix
, a Greek Freedman
who was the Roman Governor of Judea
. Between the years 54 til 56, Felix divorced Drusilla as he fell in love and married the Herodian Princess
Drusilla.
Drusilla held the Latin
honorary title of Regina. The Roman Historian Suetonius
, only uses the word Regina to describe a ruling Queen or the wife of a King. She is one of the three Queens which Suetonius ascribes to Felix. Her title may have been just purely honorary and possibly reveals Felix’s influence and status in the Imperial Court; his royal descent as according to the Roman Historian Tacitus
, Felix and his brother Marcus Antonius Pallas
had descended from the Greek Kings of Arcadia
and the position that Claudius appointed him to at the time of his first marriage. At the time of her first marriage, Drusilla was the only daughter of a King of a former Kingdom. Her title may also reveal the identity of her second husband.
, who ruled from 54 until his death in 73. Sohaemus was the Priest of the Syrian Sun God, known in Aramaic
as El-Gebal. Through marriage she became a Roman Client Queen of the Emesani Kingdom and a Queen consort
to Sohaemus. Drusilla and Sohaemus had a son Gaius Julius Alexio
also known as Alexio II, who later succeeded his father as Emesene Priest King. A possible descendant of Drusilla was the Syrian Queen of the 3rd century
, Zenobia
of Palmyra
.
Drusilla of Mauretania was a Princess 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...
, 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 the great grandchild of Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony.
Ancestry & Family
Drusilla was a monarch of BerberBerber 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...
, Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, 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....
and possibly of Assyrian ancestry
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
. She was the daughter and only child born to the Roman Client Monarchs Ptolemy of Mauretania
Ptolemy of Mauretania
Ptolemy of Mauretania was a prince and the last Roman client King of Mauretania.-Family and early life:Ptolemy was the son of King Juba II and Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania. He had a younger sister called Drusilla of Mauretania...
and his wife, 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:...
.
Her mother Julia Urania may have been 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...
, a Syrian
History of Syria
The history of Syria:*Prehistory and Ancient Near East: see Pre-history of the Southern Levant, Fertile Crescent, Ebla, Mitanni*Antiquity: see Syro-Hittite states, Greater Syria, Roman Syria...
Roman Client Kingdom, while her father Ptolemy of Mauretania was a son of the Roman Client Monarchs 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...
and Cleopatra Selene II. Her father’s maternal grandparents were Ptolemaic Greek
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...
Queen Cleopatra VII of 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...
and 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...
. Drusilla was the great granddaughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony.
Early Life & First Marriage
Drusilla was most probably born in Caesaria (modern CherchellCherchell
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...
), the capital of the Roman Client Kingdom of Mauretania 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....
. She named in honor of her father’s second maternal cousin Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla was the only child and daughter of Roman Emperor Gaius and of his fourth and last wife Milonia Caesonia....
, one of the sisters of 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...
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...
who died around the time of her birth and is also the namesake of her paternal aunt Drusilla.
Her father was executed while visiting 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...
in 40. Mauretania was annexed by Rome and later became two Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
s. Drusilla was probably raised in the Imperial Family
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,...
in Rome. Around 53, the Roman 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...
arranged for her to marry Marcus Antonius Felix
Antonius Felix
Marcus Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of Iudaea Province 52-58, in succession to Ventidius Cumanus.- Life :...
, a Greek Freedman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
who was the Roman Governor of Judea
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...
. Between the years 54 til 56, Felix divorced Drusilla as he fell in love and married the Herodian Princess
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...
Drusilla.
Drusilla held the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
honorary title of Regina. The Roman Historian Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, only uses the word Regina to describe a ruling Queen or the wife of a King. She is one of the three Queens which Suetonius ascribes to Felix. Her title may have been just purely honorary and possibly reveals Felix’s influence and status in the Imperial Court; his royal descent as according to the Roman Historian Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, Felix and his brother Marcus Antonius Pallas
Pallas (freedman)
Marcus Antonius Pallas was a prominent Greek freedman and secretary during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. His younger brother was Marcus Antonius Felix, a procurator of Iudaea Province...
had descended from the Greek Kings of Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
and the position that Claudius appointed him to at the time of his first marriage. At the time of her first marriage, Drusilla was the only daughter of a King of a former Kingdom. Her title may also reveal the identity of her second husband.
Second Marriage
In 56 Drusilla married as her second husband; her distant relative the Emesene Priest King, SohaemusSohaemus of Emesa
Gaius Julius Sohaemus, also known as Sohaemus of Emesa and Sohaemus of Sophene , was a prince and a Roman Client Priest King from Syria who lived in the 1st century....
, who ruled from 54 until his death in 73. Sohaemus was the Priest of the Syrian Sun God, known in Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
as El-Gebal. Through marriage she became a Roman Client Queen of the Emesani Kingdom and a Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
to Sohaemus. Drusilla and Sohaemus had a son Gaius Julius Alexio
Gaius Julius Alexio
Gaius Julius Alexio also known as Alexio II was a Syrian Prince and Roman Client Priest King of Emesa.Alexio was a monarch of Assyrian, Greek, Armenian, Medes, Berber and Roman ancestry. He was the child born to the monarchs Sohaemus of Emesa and Drusilla of Mauretania. The father of Alexio,...
also known as Alexio II, who later succeeded his father as Emesene Priest King. A possible descendant of Drusilla was the Syrian Queen of the 3rd century
3rd century
The 3rd century was the period from 201 to 300 in the Christian/Common Era.In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, marking the beginning of Late Antiquity. In Persia, the Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sassanid Empire....
, Zenobia
Zenobia
Zenobia was a 3rd-century Queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Roman Syria. She led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire. The second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire following Odaenathus' death in 267...
of Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
.