A change of husband: Cleopatra Thea, stability and dynamism of Hellenistic royal couples (150-129 BCE)

Cleopatra Theà was the Seleukid Basilissa from 150 until her death in 121 during the reign of four kings (Alexander Balas, Demetrius II, Antiochus VII, Antiochus VIII) and three usurpers (Diodotos Tryphon, Seleucus V, Alexander Zabinas). Thanks to Cleopatra’s agency the Seleukid dynasty was able to transition through three political crises, and, in 125, to unify the kingdom of Syria once again and for the last time. Ptolemaic princess by birth, she entered the Seleucid dynasty marring three among all of the male rulers and leaders contending for the throne at the end of 2nd century, and was member of three Seleucid royal couples. All of the unions, that with Balas, as well as those with the Seleucid brothers Demetrius II and Antiochus VII, sprang from the need to achieve political and military stability in the Seleucid kingdom; nevertheless they showed diverse features relative to the power dynamics of the couple, the role of the male and female monarchs in home and foreign management of the Basileia, and of the promotional image of the couple. Calibrating the accounts of post-Hellenistic ancient authors, such as Diodorus, Flavius Josephus, Porphyry, Appian and Justin, against the documentary evidence, both epigraphic and numismatic, this paper reconsiders the evidence of the three Seleukid couples related to Cleopatra Theà. Exploring questions about the gender roles of the couples and their static nature, the legal status of the royal couple, and the impact of the solidity of the couple on the functioning of the kingdom, the study compares the three aforementioned 2nd century instances. It aims to shed light on the functioning and representation of the late Hellenistic royal couple, and on its relation with shifting external political factors: by ultimately examining the complex political identity of the royal couple beyond the family dimension, the study considers how it influenced and was influenced by the policy of the Seleucid Empire.