Finding the Lost Mother of Cleopatra VII – Cleopatra V Tryphaena of Egypt

There is no inscription or papyrus to confirm who the mother of Cleopatra VII was, but the information that exists about her and the world of the Ptolemaic period suggest that it was Queen Cleopatra V Tryphaena. Otherwise, the girl who grew up a half orphan, wouldn't have had a chance to create such an incredible life.

Cleopatra V Tryphaena vanished around the same time as when the future last queen of Egypt was born. She continues to be one of the most mysterious queens of the Ptolemaic Period. She may have lived in Alexandria. The oldest known papyri mentioning her comes from 79 BC. That was the year when she married Ptolemy XII, king of Egypt.

In some books, she appears as Cleopatra V, and in others she is Cleopatra VI. The difficulty connected with the number of the queen comes from the popularity of this name in the Ptolemaic Period. In this article Cleopatra Tryphaena is called Cleopatra V.

Mother of the Last Queen of Egypt

It is also unknown how long Cleopatra V lived, however it is certain that she lived in the palace of the king, in Alexandria for 10 years. She married Ptolemy a few months after he became the ruler of Egypt. He was 35 years old and wasn't the best candidate to become king. His predecessor, Ptolemy XI was removed from the throne and lynched by the Egyptian people, who punished him for murdering a very popular and beloved queen – his co-regent and stepmother Berenice III. After his death, there was only one available male descendent of the Ptolemaic dynasty.