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Cleopatra Is Remembered As A Seductress Who Shook Rome, But Her Story Goes Beyond The Romances With Julius Caesar And Marco Antonio. Before She Became A Legend, She Was A Strategist Queen, Survivor Of Family Disputes And The Last Pharaoh Of Egypt
Cleopatra is one of the best-known figures of Antiquity, but also one of the most distorted.
Roman poets and chroniclers portrayed her as a seductive, self-serving, and dangerous woman.
For the historian Cassius Dio, a woman of “insatiable sexuality and unbridled greed.”
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These accounts influenced centuries of narrative about the queen of the Egypt. But who was Cleopatra, really?
Cleopatra was more than just a lover of great Roman leaders.
She was a strategist, a survivor, and the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt.
The Last Pharaoh Of Egypt
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was born around 70 or 69 BC in the city of Alexandria.
She was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII. Her mother remains unknown, sparking debates about the queen’s ethnicity, but her father was a descendant of the Macedonian Greeks who conquered Egypt.
With her father’s death in 51 BC, Cleopatra became co-regent alongside her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, whom she also married, following family tradition.
But the relationship between the two was not peaceful. Pressured by court advisors, the supporters of her brother exiled her.
Family Disputes And Rise To Power
Even before her ascension, Cleopatra faced internal disputes.
Her older sister, Berenice IV, attempted to seize power while their father was still alive.
In 55 BC, Berenice was killed. With that, Cleopatra returned to a prominent position and assumed the throne alongside her brother.
In exile, she did not give up on the throne. She sought an alliance with none other than Julius Caesar, the Roman general. Caesar’s support was crucial for Cleopatra to regain power and eliminate her brother’s threat.
The political relationship between the two also turned into a love union. Cleopatra gave birth to a son in 47 BC, identified as Caesar’s child: Cesarion.
Beauty, Influence, And Presence
It is not known exactly what Cleopatra’s face looked like. There are contradictory reports. Cassius Dio wrote that she was “a sight to behold” and had “incomparable beauty.” Plutarch disagreed, saying that beauty was not her strongest point, but that her charms and intelligence captivated anyone.
Ancient coins depict the queen with curly hair, a curved nose, and a prominent chin. But these images may have been altered to make her appear more Roman.
Relations With Rome
After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra became involved with another influential Roman: Mark Antony. The relationship also had political motivations but generated an intense emotional bond.
Together, they had three children: twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, and the youngest, Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony also united against a new rival: Octavian, Caesar’s political heir, who would later become Emperor Augustus.
The War With Rome
Octavian saw Cleopatra as a direct threat. She was the mother of Cesarion, Julius Caesar’s biological child, who could challenge Octavian’s power.
In 31 BC, the decisive Battle of Actium took place. Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s forces were defeated.
In the following year, already without strength, Mark Antony committed suicide after believing Cleopatra had died. Upon discovering she was still alive, he tried to reunite with her and died in her arms.
Death And Symbolism
Cleopatra took refuge in a mausoleum she had built within her palace in Alexandria.
Surrounded by enemies and fearing being taken to Rome as a war trophy, she decided to end her journey voluntarily.
The most famous version is that she let a poisonous snake — an asp — bite her on the breast. But many modern scholars believe she ingested poison.
The snake, a symbol associated with royalty in Egypt, may have been used for its symbolic value, despite being an uncertain and painful method.
Other historians even raise the hypothesis that Cleopatra was murdered in a silent act by Octavian.
The Fate Of The Children
After Cleopatra’s death, Cesarion was executed by Octavian’s troops. Her other children were taken to Rome.
Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus were presented as prisoners during Octavian’s military parade, wearing golden chains.
Shortly thereafter, they were handed over to the custody of Octavia, Octavian’s sister and Mark Antony’s ex-wife. Ptolemy Philadelphus likely died in childhood. The whereabouts of Alexander Helios are unknown.
Cleopatra Selene II, however, followed a new path. She married Juba II, King of Mauretania, and became queen in that region of North Africa.
Mystery About The Tomb
The location of Cleopatra’s tomb has never been found. Plutarch reported that she and Mark Antony were buried together in a “splendid and royal” manner, probably in the center of Alexandria. However, this location has been lost.
Many researchers believe the tomb was destroyed by natural disasters or the advance of the coastline.
Today, part of the ancient city of Alexandria is submerged. Despite archaeological searches, the tomb remains one of history’s great mysteries.
More Than A Seductress
The popular image of Cleopatra, built by poets, novelists, and playwrights like William Shakespeare, reinforces the stereotype of the femme fatale.
But the trajectory of the queen of Egypt shows another face: a resilient leader who faced internal rivals, negotiated with foreign powers, ruled in a male-dominated world, and fought to the end for her throne and her children.
Between political alliances and lost battles, Cleopatra resisted as best she could.
Her story has crossed millennia not only for its tragic end but for her strength in the face of the pressures of an expanding empire.
Despite Roman versions attempting to downplay her role, Cleopatra remains remembered as one of the most fascinating figures of Antiquity.
Her life and death still spark debates, searches, and reinterpretations, more than two thousand years after her reign.
And the mystery of her tomb continues to challenge archaeologists and historians around the world.
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