Ptolemy of Mauretania - Reign As King

Reign As King

When Ptolemy returned to Mauretania, Juba II made Ptolemy his co-ruler and successor. Coinage has survived from Juba II’s co-rule with his son. On coinage, on one side there is a central bust of Juba II with his title in Latin ‘King Juba’. On the other side there is a central bust of Ptolemy and the inscription stating in Latin ‘King Ptolemy son of Juba’. Juba II died in 23 and was placed along side with Cleopatra Selene II in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. Then Ptolemy became the sole ruler of Mauretania.

During his co-rule with Juba II into his sole rule Ptolemy like his father appeared to be a patron of art, learning, literature and sports. In Athens Greece, statues were erected to Juba II and Ptolemy in a gymnasium in Athens and a statue was erected in Ptolemy’s honor in reference to his taste in literature. Ptolemy dedicated statues of himself on the Acropolis. The Athenians honored Ptolemy and his family with inscriptions dedicated to them and this reveals that the Athenians had respect towards the Roman Client Monarchs and their families which was common in the 1st century.

In the year 17 The local Berber tribes, the Numidian Tacfarinas and Garamantes, started to revolt against the Kingdom of Mauretania and Rome. The war had ravaged Africa and Berber forces included former slaves from Ptolemy’s household who had joined in the revolt. Ptolemy through his military campaigns was unsuccessful in ending the Berber revolt. The war reached the point where Ptolemy summoned the Roman Governor of Africa, Publius Cornelius Dolobella and his army to assist Ptolemy in ending the revolt. The war finally ended in 24. Although Ptolemy’s army and the Romans won, both parties suffered considerable losses of infantry and cavalry.

The Roman Senate impressed by Ptolemy’s loyal conduct, had sent a Roman Senator to visit Ptolemy. The Roman Senator recognized Ptolemy’s loyal conduct and awarded him an ivory scepter, an embroidered triumphal robe and the senator greeted Ptolemy as king, ally and friend. This recognition was a tradition which recognizes and rewards the allies to Rome.

Ptolemy through his military campaigns, had proven his capability and loyal as an ally and Client King to Rome. He was a popular monarch with the Berbers and had travelled extensively throughout the Roman Empire, including Alexandria, Egypt and Ostia, Italy.

In Caesaria, prayers were offered for the health of Ptolemy at the Temple of Saturn frugifer dues. Mauretania was a region that was abundant in agriculture and the God Saturn was the God of agriculture. Saturn became a prominent God in Mauretania and his cult became an important cult in the kingdom. A temple and a sanctuary cult were dedicated to Saturn in Caesaria by 30 and throughout Mauretania various temples were dedicated to Saturn.

Ptolemy’s parents descended from backgrounds that had strong endemic traditions in claiming their descent from Hercules (see Heracleidae). His mother originated from a country, that there were various imperial cults dedicated to the Pharaohs and their relatives and there is a possibility that his father’s Royal Numidian ancestors may have had imperial cults dedicated to them.

A surviving inscription in Mauretania hints that either Juba II or Ptolemy established an imperial cult honoring Hiempsal II, a previous Numidian King and paternal grandfather of Juba II. According to inscription evidence, Ptolemy may have established a Royal Mauretanian Cult honoring himself and his late parents (see Berber mythology). One inscription is dedicated to his genius and another inscription expressed wishes for his good health.

Evidence suggesting that Ptolemy could have deified Juba II after his death, is from the writings of the Christian author of the 3rd century Marcus Minucius Felix. In Felix’s Octavius, the writer records a dialogue between a Christian and a pagan from Cirta. This dialogue was part of a Christian argument that divinity is impossible for mortals. Felix lists humans who were said to have become divine: Saturn, Jupiter, Romulus and Juba. Further literary evidence, suggesting the deification of Juba II even Ptolemy, is from the brief euhemerist exercise entitled On the Vanity of Idols by the Christian Saint of the 3rd century, Cyprian. In his exercise in deflating the gods, Cyprian observed and stated that the Mauretanians were manifestly worshiping their kings and did not conceal their name by any disguise. According to the surviving evidence there is a strong probability that Juba II and Ptolemy, after they had died they were deified by the Berbers.

Coinage from Ptolemy’s sole reign is very different from the coins from the time Ptolemy co-ruled with Juba II. His royal title on coinage is in Latin ‘King Ptolemy’ and there is no surviving coinage that shows his royal title in Greek. On his coinage there is no Ancient Egyptian imagery. The coinage from his sole reign displays a variety of themes. Ptolemy personified himself as an Elephant on coins. Elephant personification is an ancient coinage tradition in which his late parents did when they ruled Mauretania. The Elephant has symbolic functions: an icon representing Africa and an iconic monetary characteristic from the Hellenistic period which displays influence and power. Another animal, Ptolemy uses on coins is a Lion leaping which is a symbol of animal kingship and is another symbol representing Africa.

Other coins display Roman themes. A rare revealing gold coin dated from the year 39 celebrates Ptolemy’s descent, his rule and his loyalty to Rome. On one side of the coin, there is a central bust of Juba II and is inscribed in Latin ‘King Juba son of Juba’. Juba II is personified like a Greek Egyptian Pharaoh from the Ptolemaic dynasty. The other side of the coin is an eagle with its wings displayed on a thunderbolt and Ptolemy’s initials are inscribed in Latin. Through his father’s central bust and inscription, Ptolemy is celebrating and showing the continuation of his family and rule, while honoring his paternal ancestry. The personification of his father as a Ptolemaic Pharaoh, Ptolemy is celebrating his Greek Egyptian descent and possibly his links to Alexander the Great. Ptolemy through the eagle is celebrating the Roman Peace, honoring the rule of the Roman Empire, while he is showing his allegiance and loyalty to Ancient Rome. Another coin dating from the year 40 celebrates his Roman Senatorial decree. The coin shows on one side, a curule chair upon which is a wreath and a scepter leaning against it. On the other side of the coin, Ptolemy is wearing a fillet on his head.

Ptolemy seemed to have had expensive tastes and enjoyed luxury items. He owned a custom made Wine Citrus Wood Table. Mauretania had many citrus trees and produced many citrus wood tables. Any item made from Citrus Wood was sought after by aristocrats and monarchs. Citrus wood was a sought after item because for its color and the complexity of its grain in its surface. The grain pattern can be wavy or hooked. The wood was treated with wax and wheat to protect the coating of the wood’s bark and it was very sensitive to clean and maintain.

Ptolemy married a woman named Julia Urania, who came from obscure origins. She is only known through a funeral inscription found at Caesaria through her freedwoman Julia Bodina. Bodina ascribed Julia Urania as ‘Queen Julia Urania’. There is a possibility that Julia Urania was a member of the Royal family of Emesa (modern Homs Syria). Ptolemy married Julia Urania at an unknown date during the 1st century. She bore Ptolemy in about 38, a daughter called Drusilla.