Donations of Alexandria

E36810

The Donations of Alexandria were a political ceremony in 34 BCE in which Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII distributed eastern territories and royal titles to their children, dramatically asserting their power and provoking Roman hostility that helped lead to the final conflict with Octavian.


Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
political ceremony
aimedTo assert Antony and Cleopatra’s power in the eastern Mediterranean
reorganize eastern territories under Antony’s influence
associatedWith cult of Dionysus-Osiris and Isis-Aphrodite imagery
awardedTerritory Coele-Syria
Crete
Cyprus
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica to Cleopatra Selene II
Libya
Palestine
Phoenicia
Syrian and Anatolian regions to Ptolemy Philadelphus
eastern territories to Alexander Helios
parts of Armenia
parts of Cilicia
parts of Media
parts of Syria
ceremonialForm public spectacle in the Gymnasium of Alexandria
date 34 BCE
declared Cleopatra VII as queen of kings
Ptolemy XV Caesarion as king of kings
Ptolemy XV Caesarion as legitimate son of Julius Caesar
followedBy Battle of Actium
Roman declaration of war on Cleopatra VII
grantedTitleTo Alexander Helios
Cleopatra Selene II
Ptolemy Philadelphus
Ptolemy XV Caesarion
heldIn Ptolemaic Egypt
involved Alexander Helios
Cleopatra Selene II
Cleopatra VII
Mark Antony
Ptolemy Philadelphus
Ptolemy XV Caesarion
languageOfCeremony Greek
perceivedAs attempt to create a Hellenistic-style eastern empire
place Alexandria
politicalContext Final War of the Roman Republic
rivalry between Mark Antony and Octavian
presidedBy Cleopatra VII
Mark Antony
recordedBy Dio Cassius
Plutarch
resultedIn contributed to outbreak of war between Antony and Octavian
increased hostility in Rome toward Mark Antony
propaganda advantage for Octavian
usedBy Octavian as evidence of Antony’s disloyalty to Rome

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Battle of Actium
relatedEvent

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