Caesarion Who was he?

1. Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian Ptolemy Caesar Cleopatra Antony Octavian CaesarionWho was he?

2. Caesarion The question of Caesarion’sfather 2. The value to Cleopatra of promoting Caesarion for her own position and Egypt’s role in the East 3. The threat to Octavian in Caesarion, son of Caesar (or not?)

3. What do the primary sources say about Caesarion? What do you learn about Caesarion from reading Dio Cassius, a contemporary writer? contemporary = living at the same time As you read, note: The question of Caesarion’s father The value to Cleopatra of promoting Caesarion for her own position and Egypt’s role in the East The threat to Octavian in Caesarion, son of Caesar (or not?)

4. Dio Cassius, Roman History 50, chapter 2 1 The Roman people had been robbed of their democratic form of government, but had not become a monarchy in the strict sense of the term; Antony and Caesar still controlled affairs on an equal footing, having divided by lot most of the functions of government between them, and though nominally they considered all the rest as belonging to them in common, in reality they were trying to appropriate it to themselves, according as either of them was able to seize any advantage over the other. 2 But afterwards, when Sextus had now perished, the Armenian king had been captured, the forces that had warred upon Caesar were quiet, and the Parthians were stirring up no trouble, these two turned openly against each other and the people were actually reduced to slavery. The causes for the war and the pretexts they had for it were as follows. 3 Antony charged Caesar with having removed Lepidus from his office, and with having taken possession of his territory and of the troops of both him and Sextus, which ought to have been their common property; and he demanded the half of these as well as the half of the soldiers that had been levied in the parts of Italy which belonged to both of them. 4 Caesar's charge against Antony was that he was holding Egypt and other countries without having drawn them by lot, had killed Sextus (whom he himself had willingly spared, he said), and by deceiving, arresting, and putting in chains the Armenian king had cause much ill repute to attach to the Roman people. 5 He, too, demanded half of the spoils, and above all he reproached him with Cleopatra and the children of hers which Antony had acknowledged as his own, the gifts bestowed upon them, and particularly because he was calling the boy Caesarion and was bringing him into the family of Caesar. Cleopatra in Rome Dio Cassius, Roman History 43, chapter 27 1 All these and the other undertakings which he was planning for the common weal he accomplished not on his own authority nor by his own counsel, but communicated everything in every instance to the leaders of the senate, and sometimes even to that entire body. And to this practice most of all was due the fact that, even after he passed some rather harsh measures, he still succeeded in pleasing them. 2 For these acts, then, he received praise; but when he induced some of the tribunes to restore many of those who had been exiled after due trial, and allowed those who had been convicted of bribery in canvassing for office to live in Italy, and furthermore enrolled once more in the senate some who were unworthy of it, many murmurings of all sorts arose against him. 3 But he incurred the greatest censure from all because of his passion for Cleopatra — not now the passion he had displayed in Egypt (for that was a matter of hearsay), but that which was displayed in Rome itself. For she had come to the city with her husband and settled in Caesar's own house, so that he too derived an ill repute on account of both of them. He was not at all concerned, however, about this, but actually enrolled them among the friends and allies of the Roman people.

5. Dio Cassius, Roman History Book 51, chapter 6 Now among the other preparations made for speedy warfare, they enrolled among the youths of military age, Cleopatra her son Caesarion and Antony his son Antyllus, who had been born to him by Fulvia and was then with him. Their purpose was to arouse the enthusiasm of the Egyptians, who would feel that they had at last a man for their king, and to cause the rest to continue the struggle with these boys as their leaders, in case anything untoward should happen to the parents. 2 Now as for the lads, this proved one of the causes of their undoing; for Caesar spared neither of them, claiming that they were men and were clothed with a sort of leadership. But to return to Antony and Cleopatra, they were indeed making their preparations with a view to waging war in Egypt both on sea and on land, 3 and to this end they were calling to their aid the neighbouring tribes and the kings who were friendly to them; but they were also making ready, none the less, to sail to Spain if the need should arise, and to stir up a revolt there by their vast resources of money and by other means, or even to change the base of their operations to Red Sea. 4 And in order that while engaged in these plans they might escape observation for the longest possible time or even deceive Caesar in some way or actually slay him by treachery, they despatched emissaries who carried peace proposals to him and bribes of money to his followers. 5 Meanwhile Cleopatra, on her part, unknown to Antony, sent to him a golden sceptre and a golden crown together with the royal throne, signifying that through them she offered him the kingdom as well; for she hoped that even if he did hate Antony, he would yet take pity on her at least. 6 Caesar accepted her gifts as a good omen, but made no answer to Antony; to Cleopatra, however, although he publicly sent threatening messages, including the announcement that, if she would give up her armed forces and renounce her sovereignty, he would consider what ought to be done in her case, he secretly sent word that, if she would kill Antony, he would grant her pardon and leave her realm inviolate.

6. Dio Cassius, Roman History Book 51, chapter 15 15 1 Thus Antony and Cleopatra, who had caused many evils to the Egyptians and many to the Romans, made war and met their death in the manner I have described; and they were both embalmed in the same fashion and buried in the same tomb. Their qualities of character and the fortunes of their lives were as follows. 2 Antony had no superior in comprehending his duty, yet he committed many acts of folly. He sometimes distinguished himself for bravery, yet often failed through cowardice. He was characterised equally by greatness of soul and by servility of mind. He would plunder the property of others and would squander his own. 3 He showed compassion to many without cause and punished even more without justice. Consequently, though he rose from utter weakness to great power, and from the depths of poverty to great riches, he derived no profit from either circumstance, but after hoping to gain single-handed the empire of the Romans, he took his own life. 4 Cleopatra was of insatiable passion and insatiable avarice; she was swayed often by laudable ambition, but often by overweening effrontery. By love she gained the title of Queen of the Egyptians, and when she hoped by the same means to win also that of Queen of the Romans, she failed of this and lost the other besides. She captivated the two greatest Romans of her day, and because of the third she destroyed herself. 5 Such were these two and such was their end. Of their children, Antyllus was slain immediately, though he was betrothed to the daughter of Caesar and had taken refuge in his father's shrine, which Cleopatra had built; and Caesarion while fleeing to Ethiopia was overtaken on the road and murdered. Deathof Caesarion A relief showing Cleopatra VII and Caesarion (Ptolemy XV) at temple of Dendera.