Alexander Helios

Alexander Helios

Dynastic role: Son of Antony and Cleopatra
Life: 40 BCE – after 29 BCE
Archive group: Heirs and princes

Alexander Helios was the twin son of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. At the Donations of Alexandria he received royal titles over territories that remained largely aspirational; after Actium he was taken to Rome.

A child given a kingdom

Alexander Helios was born with his twin, Cleopatra Selene, to Antony and Cleopatra. During the Donations of Alexandria in 34 BCE he was assigned Armenia, Media, and lands farther east—claims that depended on Antony’s political programme rather than effective possession.

A captive in Rome

After the defeat of his parents, Alexander was displayed in Octavian’s triumph of 29 BCE and placed in the household of Octavia Minor. The date and circumstances of his death are not securely known.

Historical sources

Plutarch, Life of Antony 54; 87
The Donations of Alexandria and Octavia’s care of Antony’s children.

Cassius Dio, Roman History 49.41; 51.21
The dynastic settlement and Octavian’s triumph.

About the sources and further reading