On August 12, 30 B.C. Egyptian queen Cleopatra commits suicide in a mausoleum in Alexandria. For more than two decades as Egypt’s last independent pharaoh, she engaged in merciless struggles with her siblings, battled the future emperor of Rome, and engaged in military alliances and passionate affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
She is remembered as one of the most brilliant and seductive figures of antiquity. But many details of her life are either unknown or obscured by myth.
Here are some surprising facts about the Queen of the Nile. Her full name is Cleopatra Thea Philopator and Philopatris. This translates to Goddess Cleopatra, favorite of her father and lover of her people. The name Cleopatra means “father’s pride”.
1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian
Cleopatra was born in Egypt, but her family origins can be traced back to the Greek region of Macedonia and Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. Ptolemy took over the rule of Egypt after Alexander’s death in 323 BC. and began a dynasty of rulers that ruled for almost three centuries. Although not ethnically Egyptian, Cleopatra embraced many of her country’s ancient customs and was the first member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to learn Egyptian.
2. She was the product of incest
Like many royal dynasties, the Ptolemies often intermarried to maintain the purity of their bloodline.
Most likely, Cleopatra’s parents were brother and sister.
In accordance with this custom, Cleopatra married the two younger brothers, each of whom served as her ceremonial husband and co-regent at different times of her reign.
3. Cleopatra may not have been the great beauty she is thought to be
Roman propaganda portrayed Cleopatra as a mad temptress who used sex as a political weapon. But perhaps she was more famous for her intellect than her looks. She spoke several languages, she was the only one of the Ptolemaic dynasty who spoke Egyptian(!). She studied mathematics, philosophy, public speaking and astronomy. There is also evidence that she was not as strikingly beautiful as once believed. /Feature photo: Reconstruction of her image/. Coins bearing her face show her with masculine features and a large nose. Although some historians argue that she deliberately portrayed herself with masculine features to demonstrate strength. For his part, the ancient writer Plutarch claimed that Cleopatra’s beauty was “not incomparable.” And it’s actually her melodious voice and her “irresistible charm” that make her so desirable.
4. She had a hand in the deaths of two of her brothers and one of her sisters
Power struggles and assassination plots were just as serious a tradition under the Ptolemies as were marriages between relatives, Cleopatra and her siblings being no different. Her first brother-husband Ptolemy XIII chased her out of Egypt after she tried to seize power alone. Cleopatra regains her throne after allying herself with Julius Caesar, and Ptolemy is drowned in the Nile after being defeated in battle.
After the war, Cleopatra married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV,
but she is believed to have killed him after he attempted to make her son ruler of Egypt. In 41 B.C. she executed her sister Arsinoe, whom she considered a rival for the throne.
5. The Egyptian queen was living in Rome at the time of Julius Caesar’s assassination
Cleopatra joined Julius Caesar in Rome in 46 BC, and her presence stirred the spirits of the city. Caesar does not hide that she is his mistress, she even comes with their illegitimate child Caesarion, and many Romans are scandalized that he erects a statue of her in the temple of Venus. Cleopatra was forced to flee Rome when in 44 BC. Caesar is stabbed to death in the Senate. However, she leaves a serious mark on the city. Her exotic hairstyle and pearl jewelry became a fashion trend that conquered many Roman women.
6. Cleopatra may not have died from a snake bite
The Egyptian ruler and Mark Antony committed suicide in 30 BC when Octavian’s troops pursued them to Alexandria. While Antony stabs himself in the stomach, Cleopatra’s method is not entirely clear. Legend has it that she killed herself after letting a snake bite her – most likely an Egyptian cobra – but Plutarch admits that “no one knows what really happened”. It is known that she hid a deadly poison in one of her combs, and it is possible that she pricked herself with a pin previously dipped in venom – snake or other.
#Cleopatra #dont
