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Primary sourceDocument39 BCE

Stela in Honor of the General Callimachos

39 BCE

A granite decree stela from Thebes showing Cleopatra and her son Caesarion as rulers honoring a local official after famine and plague.

A dated Egyptian decree showing Cleopatra's real governance, independent of Roman sources.

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Photograph of a large reddish-grey granite stela with a rounded top. The upper register has carved relief figures in Egyptian style, including standing figures and vertical hieroglyphic inscriptions. The lower part is covered with dense carved text. The left side is broken away.
Stela in honor of the general Callimachos, 39 BCE. Museo Egizio, Turin.

About this source

What it is

This is a granite stela from the Egyptian Hellenistic period, dated 39 BCE. It is now held in the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.

Why it matters

The stela shows Cleopatra and her son Caesarion as rulers honoring the general Callimachos for his service after a time of famine and plague. It is a rare dated document showing real provincial governance under Cleopatra, not just her image in Roman writings.

Look closer

  • What does it mean that this stela comes from Egypt itself, rather than from Rome?
  • Why might local officials be honored in this way, and what does that tell us about how Cleopatra ruled?
  • What is missing from this official record that other sources might tell us?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cleopatra on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Secondary source

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Secondary source

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