Cleopatra biography research

The famous scene of Cleopatra emerging from an unrolled rug, popularized by playwright George Bernard Shaw, is based on an ancient account but tweaked for dramatic effect. The anecdote is one example of many contrasts between this famous queen’s image and her life as we know it today. In truth, Cleopatra enlisted the services of a trusted servant to carry her, bundled in dirty laundry, past palace guards and into Julius Caesar’s presence.

Cleopatra must have been petite to be so concealed and carried. The popular belief that she was an exceptional beauty is a narrative based on ancient sources. Cleopatra VII was identified with the Egyptian goddess, Isis, who is equated with Aphrodite and Venus. During her sojourn in Rome, Caesar dedicated a golden statue of the queen in the temple of Venus. The comparison implies Cleopatra VII must have resembled the classical goddesses of love. But unlike the image portrayed most noticeably by actress Elizabeth Taylor in the famous 1963 film, Cleopatra, I envision Cleopatra VII as a wiry, small-boned woman – a picture supported by numismatic images and at least one posthumous Pompeian wall painting.

Following the death of her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, Cleopatra ascended to the throne in 51 BCE with one of her younger brothers as co-regent. The 18-year-old queen found herself embroiled in court intrigue and soon was ousted from Alexandria, the capital of her realm. She gained support from the Roman ruler, Caesar, and the pair defeated her brothers and their supporting coteries. From that moment until her death by suicide almost 20 years later, Cleopatra VII ruled her kingdom with little sedition or revolt, although she had to contend with the expansion and power of Rome.

The queen’s command of language and magnetic personality attracted all those in her presence. Cleopatra VII was literate in ancient Egyptian and conversed with Aethiopians, Troglodyt

Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, altering the political panorama of the eastern Mediterranean and the ancient Near East for the centuries to come. One of Alexander’s generals, Ptolemy Lagos, identified Egypt as one of the richest areas of Alexander’s empire. He first served as regent for Alexander’s half-brother, Philip, and his son, Alexander IV, but soon took over the throne himself, inaugurating a new dynasty that would endure the next three centuries. All the subsequent kings in the dynasty bore the name Ptolemy after Ptolemy Lagos, distinguishing themselves with different epithets.

As notable as the Ptolemaic kings were the queens of the period. The queen whose memory has persisted as the most notorious character of this period after Alexander himself is Cleopatra VII. The daughter of Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra ruled as the last monarch of the dynasty before Egypt became a province of the Roman empire. The power of Egypt had dwindled from its peak at the beginning of the dynasty by the time Ptolemy XII assumed the throne. Rome had been meddling in the Egyptian affairs since the second century BCE, intimately involved in both internal and external issues of the Ptolemaic dynasty. After the death of Ptolemy XII, Julius Caesar and Gaius Pompey assumed the dynastic problems between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII into their own quarrels. When Ptolemy XIII assassinated Pompey, Caesar sided with Cleopatra. Ptolemy XIII was defeated and killed.

Cleopatra then married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, who only lived for a few more years. At this time, she was already involved romantically with Caesar, with whom she had a son, Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Caesar was murdered in Rome in 44 BCE, jeopardizing Cleopatra’s position in the international arena. She allied herself with Mark Antony and supported him in his military campaigns. They had three children, and Egypt enjoyed peace for nearly a decade. T

Born c69 BC, Cleopatra was the third of a possible six children, all of whom shared a common father, Ptolemy XII.

The Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian-Greek royal family that had ties to Alexander the Great, had ruled Egypt since 305 BC. Traditionally male rulers took the name Ptolemy, while Ptolemaic Queens were usually named Cleopatra, Arsinoë or Berenice.

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How did Cleopatra become queen?

For Cleopatra, life as a royal daughter was one of luxury. The Egyptian capital Alexandria, the seat of Ptolemaic power, was a thriving cultural centre, attracting scholars, artists and philosophers from all over the world. It was also home to the great Pharos of Alexandria – the 137-metre-tall lighthouse that towered over the city and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Cleopatra’s first taste of power came at the tender age of 14, when she was made co-regent with her father, following his restoration to the throne after three years in exile, albeit with limited powers. Ptolemy XII’s return to the throne had cost Cleopatra’s elder sister, Berenice – who had seized power in his absence – her life.

There may have been a further elder sister, Cleopatra VI Tryphaena, but she too had died by this point. All of this meant that it was 18-year-old Cleopatra who became co-regent with her brother, Ptolemy XIII (aged ten), when her father died in March 51 BC.

In true pharaonic tradition, which aimed to keep the royal bloodline as pure as possible, Cleopatra married her younger brother and co-ruler, but it soon became clear that she had no intention of sharing power with him. Within months, Ptolemy XIII’s name had been dropped from official documents and Cleopatra’s face appeared alone on coins.

(69-30)

Who Was Cleopatra?

Cleopatra VII was part of the Macedonian dynasty that took over rule of Egypt in the late 4th century B.C. During her reign, she forged political alliances and became romantically involved with Roman military leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, until her death in 30 B.C. One of antiquity's most famous rulers, Cleopatra's life inspired William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra and numerous film dramatizations, most famously a 1963 feature starring Elizabeth Taylor.

Early Life and Macedonian Lineage

The last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was born around 69 B.C. The line of rule was established in 323 B.C., following the death of Alexander the Great.

The era began when Alexander's general, Ptolemy, took over as ruler of Egypt, becoming King Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. Over the next three centuries, his descendants would follow in his path. At its height, Ptolemaic Egypt was one of the world's great powers.

Cleopatra's father was King Ptolemy XII. Little is known about Cleopatra's mother, but some speculation presumes she may have been her father's sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. Debate also surrounds Cleopatra's ethnicity, as some suggest she may have, in part, been descended from Black Africans.

Queen of Egypt

In 51 B.C., Ptolemy XII died, leaving the throne to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, the 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII. It is likely that the two siblings married, as was customary at the time. Over the next few years Egypt struggled to face down a number of issues, from an unhealthy economy to floods to famine.

Political turmoil also shaped this period. Soon after they assumed power, complications arose between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. Eventually Cleopatra fled to Syria, where she assembled an army to defeat her rival in order to declare the throne for herself. In 48 B.C., she returned to Egypt with her military might and faced her brother at Pelusium, located