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Day 16 - Cleopatra
Mar. 16th, 2018 10:44 amCleopatra
Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemy rulers in Egypt. She was a direct descendent of Ptolemy I, alexander the Great’s general who became pharaoh after the death of Alexander. The ruling family of Egypt was Macedonian and Greek was the spoken language.
She was born in 69 BC. Her parents were siblings and little is known of her mother. She co-ruled Egypt with her father and then her brother-husband. This was during the time of the rise of the Roman Empire. She and her brother(who was backed by Roman general, Gabiniani) struggled for the throne and he deposed her.
Julius Caesar came to Egypt after Ptolemy XIII killed Pompey, an enemy of Caesar, in front of his wife and children. This enraged Caesar and he seized Alexandria and set himself as arbiter between the two rulers.
The legend says that Cleopatra had herself rolled up in a rug and delivered to Caesar’s lodging, the only way she knew she could meet with him. He was, apparently quite taken with the young queen and took her as his mistress. She bore a son 9 months after they met and named him Caesarion. Her broether drowned in the Nile and her younger brother became Ptolemy XIV.
She journeyed with Caesar to Rome, where she caused quite a scandal and was there when he died on March 15, 44 BC. She returned to Egypt, killed her younger brother and named her son co-ruler.
IN the following civil wars in Rome, Cleopatra finally met and became lover of Mark Antony. She bore him several children. When Octavian attacked Egypt, Antony was defeated and committed suicide followed by Cleopatra, who supposed died from a asp bite.
Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.
She was very intelligent – speaking 12 languages and being knowledgeable about mathematics and astronomy. Though we think of her as a great beauty, her coins show a manly looking woman. Perhaps these were to make her look stronger as Pharaoh.
Many movies and books have covered the legendary life of Cleopatra, including the extravagantly expensive 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
This bust of her is from the 1st Century BC and is in the Altes Museum in Berlin.
A coin from Antioch from 36BC with Cleopatra and Antony.
Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemy rulers in Egypt. She was a direct descendent of Ptolemy I, alexander the Great’s general who became pharaoh after the death of Alexander. The ruling family of Egypt was Macedonian and Greek was the spoken language.
She was born in 69 BC. Her parents were siblings and little is known of her mother. She co-ruled Egypt with her father and then her brother-husband. This was during the time of the rise of the Roman Empire. She and her brother(who was backed by Roman general, Gabiniani) struggled for the throne and he deposed her.
Julius Caesar came to Egypt after Ptolemy XIII killed Pompey, an enemy of Caesar, in front of his wife and children. This enraged Caesar and he seized Alexandria and set himself as arbiter between the two rulers.
The legend says that Cleopatra had herself rolled up in a rug and delivered to Caesar’s lodging, the only way she knew she could meet with him. He was, apparently quite taken with the young queen and took her as his mistress. She bore a son 9 months after they met and named him Caesarion. Her broether drowned in the Nile and her younger brother became Ptolemy XIV.
She journeyed with Caesar to Rome, where she caused quite a scandal and was there when he died on March 15, 44 BC. She returned to Egypt, killed her younger brother and named her son co-ruler.
IN the following civil wars in Rome, Cleopatra finally met and became lover of Mark Antony. She bore him several children. When Octavian attacked Egypt, Antony was defeated and committed suicide followed by Cleopatra, who supposed died from a asp bite.
Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.
She was very intelligent – speaking 12 languages and being knowledgeable about mathematics and astronomy. Though we think of her as a great beauty, her coins show a manly looking woman. Perhaps these were to make her look stronger as Pharaoh.
Many movies and books have covered the legendary life of Cleopatra, including the extravagantly expensive 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
This bust of her is from the 1st Century BC and is in the Altes Museum in Berlin.
A coin from Antioch from 36BC with Cleopatra and Antony.