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Glaphyra (; ) was an princess from Cappadocia,Kasher, King Herod: a persecuted persecutor: a case study in psychohistory and psychobiography, p.298 and a Queen of Mauretania by her second marriage to King Juba II of Mauretania. She was related to the Herodian dynasty by her first and third marriage, to Alexander, son of Herod and Herod Archelaus, respectively. Jewish Women: a comprehensive historical encyclopedia Jewish Women's Archive – Herodian Women
Glaphyra's mother, the first wife of Archelaus, was an Armenian princess whose name is unknown and who died by 8 BC.Syme, Anatolica: studies in Strabo p.150 She may have been a daughter of King Artavasdes II of Armenia, son of Tigranes the Great and Cleopatra of Pontus, a daughter of Mithridates VI from his first wife his sister Laodice. If so, Glaphyra's parents may have been distant relatives.
She was born and raised in Cappadocia. In 25 BC, the Emperor Augustus gave Archelaus extra territories to govern, including the port of Elaiussa Sebaste, which Archelaus renamed in honor of Augustus.Dueck, Strabo's cultural geography: the making of a kolossourgia, p.205 The royal family settled there, and Archelaus built a royal residence and a palace on the island in the harbor.Rigsby, Asylia: territorial inviolability in the Hellenistic world, p.464 Glaphyra held the high-ranking title of 'king's daughter', which is reflective of her descent and high birth. She was an attractive and dynamic woman, reputed charming, desirable and a force to be reckoned with.Salisbury, Women in the ancient world, p.137
Either in 18 or 17 BC, in Herod's court in Jerusalem, Glaphyra married Alexander.Millar, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135), p.321 Archelaus provided Glaphyra with a dowry, which Herod later returned to her.Temporini, Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung, p.1164 The union of Alexander and Glaphyra is described as happy.Moen, Marriage and Divorce in the Herodian Family: A Case Study of Diversity in Late Second Temple Judaism, pp.172, 228 Glaphyra became a Jew upon her marriage and she did adopt Judaism even though no mention of conversion was made in the account of her first marriage.Moen, Marriage and Divorce in the Herodian Family: A Case Study of Diversity in Late Second Temple Judaism, p.235 Glaphyra and Alexander had three children: two sons, Tigranes and Alexander, and an unnamed daughter. Eisenman's "New Testament Code", Chapter 4 The names of Glaphyra and Alexander's children reflect their cultural ancestry and royal descent.
At the court of Jerusalem, Glaphyra made a nuisance of herself by genealogical pretentiousness, citing her paternal descent from the kings of Macedonia, and her maternal descent from the rulers of Persia. She taunted Salome and Herod's wives about their low birth. Glaphyra sneered at Salome's daughter Berenice, regarding her 'with indignation', though they were of equal rank. Her attitude caused Berenice's husband, prince Aristobulus IV to describe Berenice as a commoner, a 'woman of the people'. Salome in turn spread a rumor that Herod was "smitten with love for Glaphyra and that his passion was difficult to assuage". This angered Glaphyra's husband Alexander and alienated him from his father.Gillman, Herodias: at home in that fox's den p.2 The women in Herod's court grew to hate Glaphyra and Alexander. Glaphyra's unpopularity led to rumors about Alexander and Aristobulus IV. Herod came to believe that they were plotting against him.
With Augustus' permission, Herod executed Alexander and Aristobulus in 7 BC. Herod also questioned Glaphyra to confirm her loyalty to him. Herod then sent Glaphyra back to Cappadocia, but kept custody of her children. The return of Glaphyra didn't rupture the friendly relations between the two client kingdoms.
In 2 BC-2 AD, the Roman ally king Juba II of Mauretania toured the Eastern Mediterranean with Augustus' grandson Gaius Caesar. During this trip Juba II met Glaphyra. Ptolemaic Genealogy, Cleopatra Selene II, point8 They were married prior to 6 AD. Juba II's previous consort, Cleopatra Selene II, presumably died prior to 6 AD. (Some coins of Cleopatra Selene II have been dated to 17 AD, suggesting she was still alive then; though it is unlikely that the Romanized Juba II would have made a polygamous marriage, his father was polygamous.)
Glaphyra thus became Queen of Mauretania. Her marriage to Juba II was apparently brief: there is no trace of her name in North African inscriptions. However, an inscription referring to her was made in Athens.Millar, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135), p.355
Glaphyra and Herod Archelaus were married while Herod Archelaus was Ethnarch. The marriage of a widow to her former brother-in-law violated Jewish laws of levirate marriage. It was considered immoral by the Jews and caused a major religious scandal in Judaea.
The marriage of Glaphyra and Herod Archelaus did not have a happy ending. Shortly after the wedding, Glaphyra allegedly dreamed that her first husband stood at her side and reproached her for not being faithful to him. She had not only made a second marriage but had even come back and married her brother-in-law. In the dream, Alexander said to Glaphyra he would now reclaim her as his own. She told her friends of the dream and died two days later.
About the time of Glaphyra's death, Augustus removed Herod Archelaus as Ethnarch because of his cruelty, and banished him to Vienne in Gaul. It is uncertain if Glaphyra died before or during his exile.Gillman Herodias: at home in that fox's den p.47 Her death reputedly gratified the women of the Judaean court.Temporini, Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung p.1166
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