[1] He was betrothed to Berenice, daughter of Herodian King Agrippa I, but died shortly afterwards and had no children with her.
Marcus was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt.
Marcus was born as the second son to Alexander the Alabarch, a wealthy Jewish aristocrat.
Marcus came from a family who were noble, honourable and wealthy.
It was either his paternal grandfather or paternal great grandfather who was granted Roman citizenship from Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar.