Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen
Grade 5–8—Villainess or goddess, a great queen or a selfish and overly ambitious woman—readers get to decide. They will be drawn into this biography by a description of a legendary magnificent banquet given by Mark Antony for Cleopatra. The lively narrative maintains interest from her birth in 69 BCE to her death in 31 BCE. Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII became rulers of Egypt in 51 BCE. Her reign, however, was characterized by conspiracy and intrigue. Her alliance with Julius Caesar solidified her position as queen but brought ill feelings toward her from the Romans. The birth of their son, Caesarion, angered the Romans further. Again, either for expediency or love, Cleopatra found her next ally in Mark Antony. As before, this union had disastrous results. Embroiled in a civil war, Mark Antony faced opposition from his own people and from Rome's allies. The struggle ended with his suicide and Cleopatra's in 31 BCE. Sidebars, color photographs, and reproductions appear throughout. As the author states, "A record of Cleopatra's reign written during her lifetime does not exist…. If her role had not been so important to Rome…we would not know anything about her at all." This book leaves readers fascinated and eager to learn more about her time in history.—Lana Miles, Jackson Elementary School, Rosenberg, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.