Editing Caesarion (section)

==Early life==
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| image1 = Dendera Cesarion.jpg
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| image2 = Limestone stela of a high priest of god Ptah. It bears the cartouches of Cleopatra and Caesarion. From Egypt. Ptolemaic Period. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg
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| footer = Left: reliefs of Cleopatra and Caesarion at the [[Dendera Temple complex|Temple of Dendera]]<br>Right: a limestone stela of the [[High Priest of Ptah]] bearing the [[cartouch]]es of Cleopatra and Caesarion, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, the [[Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology]], London
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Ptolemy Caesar was born in [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]] in mid to late 47&nbsp;BC.<ref>Bennett, Chris. "Ptolemy XV Caesarion". Tyndale House. Retrieved 21.01.2025.</ref><ref>Tyldesley, Joyce (2009). Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt. Profile Books. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-1861979018.</ref> His mother [[Cleopatra]] gave him the royal names Theos Philopator Philometor{{Efn|{{langx|el|Θεὸς Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλομήτωρ}}}} (lit. 'father-loving, mother-loving God') and insisted that he was the son of [[Political institutions of ancient Rome|Roman politician]] and [[Roman dictator|dictator]] [[Julius Caesar]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hornblower |first1=Simon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary |last2=Spawforth |first2=Antony |last3=Eidinow |first3=Esther |year=2012 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-954556-8 |page=1236 |language=en}}</ref> While he was said to have inherited Caesar's looks and manner,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sergeant |first=Philip |url=https://archive.org/details/cleopatraofegypt00sergiala/page/93/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater |title=Cleopatra of Egypt, Antiquity's Queen of Romance |year=2024 |page=94 |language=En}}</ref> Caesar did not officially acknowledge him.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooks |first=Polly |url=https://archive.org/details/cleopatragoddess0000broo/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=Juilius |title=Cleopatra: goddess of Egypt, enemy of Rome |year= 1995 |page=64}}</ref><ref>''Cleopatra'' 1996 by Green Robert p. 24 {{ISBN?}}</ref> All accusations of bastardy against Caesarion were cast from a Roman perspective; their intention was not to portray Caesarion as inappropriate for the throne of Egypt, but rather to deny that he was Julius' heir by Roman law.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ogden |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-rDEAAAQBAJ&dq=caesarion+&pg=PA102 |title=Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death: The Hellenistic Dynasties |date=2023 |publisher=Classical Press of Wales |isbn=978-1-914535-40-6 |page=102 |language=en}}</ref> One of Caesar's supporters, [[Gaius Oppius]], even wrote a pamphlet which attempted to prove that Caesar could not have fathered Caesarion. Nevertheless, Caesar may have allowed Caesarion to use his name.<ref name = "roller">Duane W. Roller, ''Cleopatra: A Biography'', Oxford University Press US, 2010, pp.&nbsp;70–73 {{ISBN?}}</ref> The matter became contentious when Caesar's adopted son, [[Octavian]], came into conflict with Cleopatra.<ref name="Gray-Fow2014"/>

Caesarion spent two of his infant years, from 46 to 44&nbsp;BC, in [[Rome]], where he and his mother were Caesar's guests at his villa, [[Horti Caesaris]]. Cleopatra hoped that her son would eventually succeed his father as the head of the [[Roman Republic]], as well as of Egypt. After [[Caesar's assassination]] on 15 March 44&nbsp;BC, Cleopatra and Caesarion returned to Egypt. Caesarion was named co-ruler by his mother on 2 September 44&nbsp;BC at the age of three,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Caesarion |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/caesarion/ |last=King |first=Arienne |access-date=29 August 2020 |encyclopedia=[[World History Encyclopedia]] }}</ref> although he was pharaoh in name only, with Cleopatra keeping actual authority. Cleopatra compared her relationship to her son with that of the Egyptian goddess [[Isis]] and her divine child [[Horus]].<ref name="roller" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tyldesley, Joyce A |first=Joyce |url=https://archive.org/details/cleopatralastque0000tyld |title=Cleopatra: last queen of Egypt |publisher=New York: Basic Books |year=2008 |page=64 |language=En}}</ref>

There is no historical record of Caesarion between 44&nbsp;BC until the Donations of Antioch in 36&nbsp;BC. Two years later he also appears at the [[Donations of Alexandria]]. Cleopatra and Antony staged both "Donations" to donate lands dominated by Rome and [[Parthia]] to Cleopatra's children: Caesarion, the twins [[Alexander Helios]] and [[Cleopatra Selene II]], and [[Ptolemy Philadelphus (son of Cleopatra)|Ptolemy Philadelphus]] (the last three were his maternal half-siblings fathered by [[Mark Antony]]). Octavian gave public approval to the Donations of Antioch in 36&nbsp;BC, which have been described as an Antonian strategy to rule the East making use of Cleopatra's unique royal [[Seleucid]] lineage in the regions donated.<ref>{{cite book |author=Rolf Strootman |article=Queen of Kings: Cleopatra&nbsp;VII and the Donations of Alexandria |pages=139–158 |editor1=M. Facella |editor2=T. Kaizer |year=2010 |title=Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East |series=Occidens et Oriens |volume=19 |location=Stuttgart|publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag}}</ref>