Donations of Alexandria - The Donations

The Donations

For the finale of the festivities, the whole city was summoned to the Gymnasium of Alexandria, where Antony and Cleopatra, dressed as Dionysus-Osiris and Isis-Aphrodite, sat on golden thrones. Caesarion was depicted as Horus, son of Isis. The children were similarly in the attire of their new kingdoms. Antony affirmed Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, Cyprus, Libya and central Syria.

The Donations themselves included:

• Alexander Helios was named king of Armenia, Media and Parthia;
• his twin Cleopatra Selene II got Cyrenaica and Libya;
• the young Ptolemy Philadelphus was awarded Syria and Cilicia;
• Cleopatra was proclaimed Queen of Kings and Queen of Egypt, to rule with Caesarion (Ptolemy XV Caesar, son of Julius Caesar)
• Caesarion was proclaimed as the son of the deified Julius Caesar (son of god), King of Kings and King of Egypt; Caesarion was declared legitimate heir of Julius Caesar, although Caesar himself had adopted Augustus in his will and left him majority of his fortune.