The Timeline of the Life of Cleopatra USA The Timeline of the Life of Cleopatra Cleopatra was a queen of Egypt but she was not Egyptian. She was the last of the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt from the time of Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE to about 30 BCE. She was a talented and resourceful individual of great charm but ruthless when she felt she had to be. Cleopatra was the only one of her family that learned to speak the Egyptian (Coptic) language. She knew a half dozen to a dozen other languages. She was an educated intellectual and a capable administrator. Despite her abilities and effort she failed and her life was one of sadness rather than glamour. The Timeline 320 BCE: Alexander conquers Egypt effortlessly as a minor side-campaign in his conquest of the Persian Empire. 323 BCE: Alexander dies in Babylon upon his return from the conquest of what is now Afghanistan, the Indus River Valley and the areas in Central Asia north of Afghanistan. Upon his death his generals divide up Alexander's empire. Ptolemy gets Egypt. Cleopatra is a descendant of Ptolemy.

168 BCE: Rome establishes a protectorate of Egypt. 69 BCE: Cleopatra is born in Egypt. She is the seventh in the Ptolemy dynasty to bear the name Cleopatra, which means glory of the father. She is the second daughter of Ptolemy XII. She and the rest of the Ptolemys were of almost pure Macedonian Greek ancestry, possibly of some Iranian but no Egyptian ancestry. 58 BCE: Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra's father, is expelled from Egypt. 51 BCE: Ptolemy XII is returned to power by a Roman army. He dies later that year and the throne of Egypt goes, according to Ptolemy's wishes, to Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra. Ptolemy XIII is Cleopatra's ten-year old brother. Cleopatra is about 18 years old and had ruled for a short time as a co-regent with her father. In the Egyptian scheme of things Pharoahs marry a sister to ensure the rulership never leaves the royal family. Cleopatra and Ptolemy marry. There could not have been any affection between Cleopatra and her brother.

Cleopatra was determined to rule. 49 BCE: The guardians of Ptolemy XIII instigate a revolt against Cleopatra's rule and expel her from Alexandria. 48 BCE: Julius Caesar was engaged in a civil war with another Roman leader, Pompey. Pompey had been defeated in a battle and fled to Egypt. Caesar was pursuing him but Pompey was assassinated upon his arrival in Egypt before Caesar arrived in Egypt. Caesar was left with idle time. Cleopatra arranges to meet Caesar under intimate terms by having herself rolled up in a carpet that is delivered to Caesar's home quarters. When the carpet was unrolled a vivacious 21 year old Egyptian queen emerges. Caesar was about 52 at the time. Cleopatra captivated him but it was probably not her youth and beauty. Caesar could have had bevies and bevies of beautiful young women. Probably the audacity of Cleopatra's ploy amused him and it was a brilliant strategy. Had Cleopatra met Caesar through official state channels protocol would have interfered with her working her charms upon him. She was said to have a thousand ways of flattering.

A not unimportant factor in Cleopatra's attraction for Caesar was that she was rich, perhaps the richest woman in the world. Or, at least she would be once back in power in Egypt. Caesar was chronically and often disastrously in debt. 47 BCE: Cleopatra becomes Caesar's mistress and Caesar uses his army to defeat and destroy Cleopatra's rival for power in Egypt, her brother-husband Ptolemy XIII. Ptolemy XIII dies of drowning while trying to escape the field of battle. Caesar establishes Cleopatra and another younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, as the rulers of Egypt. Caesar returns to Rome. 46 BCE: Cleopatra gives birth to Caesar's child, a boy who is named Ptolemy Caesar and called Caesarion. In Rome, Caesar holds a triumphal celebration of his victories. These celebrations whenever ever possible included the parading of the defeated enemies. Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsenoe, was paraded in Caesar's triumphal celebration. 45 BCE: Cleopatra joins Caesar in Rome. Her brother/husband Ptolemy XIV accompanies her.

Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV are housed in a villa belonging to Caesar on the outskirts of Rome. Caesar orders that a gold-plated statue of Cleopatra be placed in the temple of Venus Genetrix. Caesar's clan, the Julians, were supposedly descended from Venus. Although Pompey had been defeated and was killed in Egypt the civil war did not end. Pompey's two sons had gained control of Cordoba in Spain and were preparing to continue the conflict. Caesar took an army to Spain to deal with this threat. After a series of retreats the Pompeys decided to do battle at Munda from some high ground. Caesar lured the Pompeys' forces down from the high ground. The battle was indecisive until a shift in troops by one of the Pompeys was misinterpreted as a retreat and their other troops began to retreat. This led to a decisive victory by Caesar's forces. 44 BCE: Caesar had achieved total victory over the armies of his rivals, he had been made dictator politically. His enemies in the Roman senate saw Caesar as acquiring all powers, even to the point of having himself declared a god.

They arranged his assassination in which some of previous friends participated as well as his enemies. A month after Caesar's assassination Cleopatra left Rome and returned to Egypt. Her brother Ptolemy XIV dies of poisoning, undoubtedly upon Cleopatra's orders. She wanted to make her son, Caesarion, co-regent with her as Ptolemy XV. 42 BCE: Caesar's enemies are defeated at the Battle of Philippi. Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) emerges as the leader of the forces which backed Caesar. Mark Antony decides for no obvious reason to attack the Parthian (Persian) Empire. He calls for Cleopatra to join him at Tarsus. Mark Antony needed Cleopatra's support financially and militarily for his invasion. He had met Cleopatra 13 years before when she was 14 years old. That had been an inconsequential meeting. Their meeting a Tarsus was anything but inconsequential. Cleopatra having lost the protection of the strongman Caesar needed another Roman leader to protect her. Mark Antony was so captivated by Cleopatra that he gave up his plans for the invasion of the Parthian Empire and went with Cleopatra back to her capital of Alexandria.

From the likenesses of Cleopatra on the coins of her realm she was not a great beauty so her attraction came from the charm of her personality and from her intellect. At Cleopatra's request Antony sent orders for the execution of Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsinoe, in Rome. Arsinoe was possible rival for the throne of Egypt. Arsinoe herself was helpless but her enemies in Egypt could have used her in a bid to depose Cleopatra. A very distant threat but Cleopatra was not one to take chances. 40 BCE: Mark Antony leaves Alexandria to go to Italy to conclude a treaty with Octavian, Julius Caesar's adopted son. Octavian was Mark Antony's major rival for the command of the Romans. An agreement was reached and part of the arrangement was that Mark Antony marry the sister of Octavian, Octavia. Cleopatra bears Antony's children. They were twins, a boy named Alexander Helios and a girl named Cleopatra Selene. Meanwhile back in Egypt another drama was unfolding. Herod was the king of Judea. He had accepted Roman overlordship and the Romans in turn had allowed him to continue to rule his kingdom. Herod was a competent ruler.

In 40 BCE he traveled through Egypt and Cleopatra tried to seduce him but Herod rejected her. Cleopatra was enraged and began to do whatever she could to harm Herod's interests. 37 BCE: Mark Antony decides that he and Octavian can never work together. He decides to resume the campaign against the Parthian Empire. Cleopatra joins him at Antioch and they get married. This was not only illegal under Roman Law it was a betrayal of Octavia, his legal wife and the sister of Octavian. This makes war between Octavian and Mark Antony inevitable. Mark Antony gives portions of the Roman territory in Syria and Lebanon to Cleopatra. He even gives Jericho, a portion of Herod's kingdom, to Cleopatra. This not only enrages Octavian, it infuriates most Romans and they back Octavian in the struggle between the two leaders. 36-35 BCE: The Parthian campaign results in only minor conquests, notably Armenia. Cleopatra bears Antony another son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. 34 BCE: Mark Antony celebrates a victory triumph in Alexandria for his gains from the Parthians.

At the celebration he awards Armenia to his and Cleopatra's oldest son, Alexander Helios. The area west of Armenia is awarded to the second son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. The daughter Selene is given Cyprus. Furthermore, at the celebration Caesarion is publically declared to be the son of Julius Caesar and thus the king of kings. The celebration of a triumph in Alexandria was a serious offense to Romans. Such celebration were only supposed to take place in Rome, the capital of the empire. Back in Rome, Octavian obtains Mark Antony's will from the temple of the Vestal Virgins. He publicizes its contents. Mark Antony's will made provision for turning parts of the Roman Empire over to Cleopatra. Worse yet Mark Antony's will called for moving the Empire's capital from Rome to Alexandria. The Roman citizens are outraged. 32-31 BCE: Mark Antony and Cleopatra live together in Greece. 31 BCE: At Actium Octavians naval forces engage those of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. At the height of the battle Cleopatra fearing capture takes her ships out of the battle.

Mark Antony's forces alone are not strong enough to match those of Octavian and Mark Antony's forces are defeated. His army surrenders to Octavian. Mark Antony escapes from the defeat and joins Cleopatra on her ship, but he is furious with her for having unnecessarily precipitated the defeat at Actium. After several days he relents and he and Cleopatra stay together in Alexandria. Mark Antony has revealed himself as a loser and Cleopatra needs someone else who can protect her. Octavian communicates to Cleopatra that if she kills Mark Antony that he might work out something with her. Cleopatra realizes that she is not powerful enough to expell Mark Antony from Egypt or to assassinate him. She conceives a fiendish plot. She has a message sent to Mark Antony saying that she had killed herself. Upon hearing that his loved one was dead he falls upon his sword. The injury does not kill him at once and he has himself taken to where Cleopatra's body is supposed to be. He finds her alive and tells her to make her peace with Octavian.

After Mark Antony's death Cleopatra realizes that Octavian can never treat her as anything but an enemy and that he will take her and her children to Rome to be paraded in a victory triumph. She sends Caesarion with trusted protectors to hide in the east of Egypt near the Red Sea. Cleopatra first intends to commit suicide by setting fire to the mausoleum where she has collected her treasures. Roman soldiers find entry to the mausoleum and thwart her plans. She is taken captive. Cleopatra then arranges for a poisonous snake, an asp, to be smuggled to her in a basket of figs. She then commits suicide by allowing the asp to bite her on her chest. She arranged for her and Mark Antony to be buried together. Octavian sent agents to hunt down Caesarion and kill him. Thus ended the sad life of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt at 39 years of age. She was the last of the Ptolemy dynasty. Cleopatra Epilogue. Octavian was given the title of Caesar Augustus.

The name of the sixth month in the Roman calendar is changed from Sextilis to August just as the fifth month's name had been changed to July. The fifth month had 31 days and the sixth 30 days. Octavian had the calendar changed so the month named after him had 31 days as well. He never took the title emperor although that was what he was in fact. Instead the was called First Citizen. Cleopatra Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator The Last Pharaoh 51–30 BC Birth Name: Cleopatra netjeret mer-it-es “Goddess Beloved of Her Father” Historical accounts of Cleopatra tell of a beautiful, highly educated woman who was schooled in physics, alchemy, and astronomy, and could speak many languages. Her voice, said the Greek biographer Plutarch, “was like an instrument of many strings, which could pass from one language to another.” Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent and not a native Egyptian. She was the second daughter of King Ptolemy XII and the last sovereign of her dynasty, which had been founded by Alexander’s general, Ptolemy, in 326 BC.

She came to power in 51 BC, at the age of seventeen, and was married to her eldest brother, Ptolemy XIII. He attempted to murder her and seize power for himself but she escaped safely into Syria and later returned with an army. Either Cleopatra or Ptolemy could gain a decisive advantage until the Romans entered the picture. Egypt was the largest supplier of grain to Rome and so that the grain supply was not disrupted it was vital that the country be politically stable. However, Cleopatra and Ptolemy’s struggle for power coincided with the Roman generals Pompey and Caesar’s own rivalry and, after his defeat at the battle of Pharsalus, Pompey fled to Egypt hoping to seek sanctuary. Julius Caesar Ptolemy miscalculated; he hoped to please Caesar by having Pompey beheaded, but Caesar was sickened by the dishonorable manner of Pompey death and sided with Cleopatra. Ptolemy then attacked the small Roman garrison on the Island of Pharos, intending to drive Caesar out of Egypt.

Caesar set fire to the Egyptian fleet in the harbor but the flames spread to the city and the great library, which held over a million unique books, the largest collection in the ancient world. It was destroyed, Ptolemy was drowned during the battle and Cleopatra became the undisputed ruler of Egypt. Caesar was the dictator of Rome, and although Egypt was rich, Rome was a world military power. This fact wasn’t lost on Cleopatra, so she pursued the great man. For his part, Caesar needed money and Egypt could supply his needs. So, out of both a strong personal attraction and mutual interest, the two became lovers. Together, they sailed up the Nile visiting the ancient monuments, and Caesar was fascinated by ancient Egypt whose history was, at that time, over two thousand four hundred years older than Rome’s. Eventually, Caesar returned to Rome leaving Cleopatra pregnant. She gave birth, in 46 BC, to a boy whom she called Caesarion and in 45 BC, she visited Rome. Her wealth and sophistication caused jealousy among the Roman nobility and the Senate became suspicious of Caesar’s intentions, believing that he wanted to make himself a king so they murdered him.

Cleopatra’s hopes of influence and power were dashed when Caesar was assassinated. She returned to Egypt where she concentrated on building up the economy and consolidating her power. Her first act was to have her younger brother poisoned so that she could elevate her son, Caesarion, in his place. In 42 BC, at the Battle of Philippi, Caesar’s assassins were routed and the Roman Empire was divided between Mark Antony and Caesar’s great-nephew Octavian. Octavian ruled in the West and Mark Antony took charge of the Eastern Empire where he planned an invasion of Persia. But he needed money for this venture and saw the wealth of Egypt as the key to success so he sent a message for Cleopatra to meet him at the city of Tarsus in Asia Minor. Mark Antony She was delighted because here was a second chance to achieve her ambition of making Egypt a great power again. She had known Mark Antony when he’d been a young staff officer in Egypt with Caesar and now, age of twenty eight, she was completely confident in her powers. She delayed her departure, took her time, then sailed into Tarsus in a great golden barge and entered the city in an extravagant show of style loaded with gifts.

Antony was so captivated by her that he decided to put off his Parthian campaign; he returned to Alexandria with Cleopatra, where he lived a life of pleasure until in 40 BC when he return to Italy, where he concluded an agreement with Octavian over power sharing. As part of this settlement he married Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Three years later Antony once again took up his postponed Parthian campaign and needed money so he returned to Cleopatra to get finance for the campaign, which ultimately ended in failure. Meanwhile, Octavian regarded Antony and his Egyptian power base as a threat to Rome’s dominance of the Mediterranean world and he waged a propaganda campaign against Antony. Antony made what was to prove a fatal step; he married Cleopatra. The union was an insult to his wife Octavia and her brother Octavian, but even worse, the marriage united all of Rome against him. During Antony’s absence, Cleopatra had made her own critical mistake in foreign policy towards Herod of Judaea. Herod and Antony were old friends but Cleopatra tried, unsuccessfully, to seduce Herod on his way through Egypt. Her vanity got the better of her and she never forgave him for the rejection.

She later persuaded Antony to give her large portions of Syria and Lebanon and even tried to get the rich balsam groves of Jericho, part of Herod’s own kingdom. However, Antony refused to give her Jericho, which only inflamed her hatred of Herod. She then interfered in Herod’s unhappy family affairs by conspiring against him with the women in his household. This act came back to haunt her; when she needed Herod’s help against Rome, he would not give it. In 34 AD, Antony celebrated a great triumph in Alexandria. The crowds saw Antony and Cleopatra seated on golden thrones with their own three children and Julius Caesar’s son, Caesarion. Antony proclaimed Caesarion to be Caesar’s son, thus diminishing Octavian’s status as Caesar’s adopted heir. Octavian responded by confiscating Antony’s will from the temple of the Vestal Virgins in Rome, to whom it had been entrusted. He then leaked its contents to the Roman people, who were outraged at Antony’s plans to bequeath his Roman possessions to this foreign woman and to transfer the capital from Rome to Alexandria.

Cleopatra at Dendara The Roman Senate finally declared war against Cleopatra and on September 2, 31 BC, at the naval Battle of Actium, Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra fled with her forces at the height of the battle. When it really mattered, her judgment was questionable and this fact, along with Antony’s reckless, drunken behavior, doomed them to failure against the cold, calculating Octavian. Cleopatra retreated to her mausoleum and had a message sent to Antony saying she was dead. He was so devastated he committed suicide by falling on his sword. Octavian eventually entered Egypt, and Cleopatra tried once again to captivate the most important Roman but Octavian was not moved. He wanted to embellish his triumph by having her and her children dragged through the streets of Rome in chains. Rather than suffer such humiliation she sent him a letter asking that she might be buried with Antony, and then committed suicide by allowing a snake to bite her.

Plutarch describes the scene, saying that she was found “stone dead, lying upon a bed of gold, set out in all her royal ornaments.” Cleopatra was thirty-nine when she died in 30 BC. She’d been a queen for twenty two years and was buried with her lover, Antony. Her high ambitions together with her arrogance ruined Egypt’s future prospects of independence. While she might have of achieved client status for Egypt within the Roman Empire, her utter failure condemned her country to becoming a mere province of Rome. And yet, this extraordinary woman is one of the most famous in history. Together with Caesar, Antony, and Octavian (who later became the Emperor Augustus), she played a crucial part in shaping the affairs of western civilization and the course of history. The Greek historian Dio Cassius said of Cleopatra, “She captivated the two greatest Romans of her day, and because of the third she destroyed herself.” Ancient Egyptian Anecdotes Cleopatra's Family Tree - Ancestry By Kimberly Powell Updated September 02, 2016. The Ptolemic Period included several queens in Egypt named Cleopatra, the most famous and influential being Queen Cleopatra VII.

Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII (Ptolemy Auletes) and Cleopatra V. During her lifetime, Cleopatra served as the last pharaoh of Egypt, spoke nine languages, married two of her own brothers (as was custom in the royal family), won a Civil War against her brother, Ptolemy XIII, was mistress to and fathered a son (Caesarion, Ptolemy XIV) with Julius Caesar, and met and married her love, Mark Antony. Cleopatra’s reign ended with her suicide, at the age of 39, after she and Antony were defeated by Octavian, Caesar’s heir, at the Battle of Actium. It is believed that she chose the bite from a Egyptian cobra snake (asp) as the means of her death to ensure her immortality as a goddess. Cleopatra Family Tree b: 69 BC in Egypt d: 30 BC in Egypt Cleopatra's father and mother both were children of the same father, one by a wife, one by a concubine. Therefore, her family tree has fewer branches, some of them unknown.

You will see the same names crop up frequently going back six generations. Cleopatra - Ancient History - HISTORY.com Google Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension to Throne Since no contemporary accounts exist of Cleopatra’s life, it is difficult to piece together her biography with much certainty. Much of what is known about her life comes from the work of Greco-Roman scholars, particularly Plutarch. Born in 70 or 69 B.C., Cleopatra was a daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes). Her mother was believed to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and possibly his half-sister). In 51 B.C., upon the apparently natural death of Auletes, the Egyptian throne passed to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII. Did You Know? In the days between Cleopatra's death and Octavian's formal annexation of Egypt, her 16-year-old son Caesarion was officially sole ruler. He had no way of taking power, however, and was captured and executed shortly after his mother's suicide.

Soon after the siblings’ ascension to the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers acted against Cleopatra, who was forced to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She raised an army of mercenaries and returned the following year to face her brother’s forces at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. Meanwhile, after allowing the Roman general Pompey to be murdered, Ptolemy XIII welcomed the arrival of Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar , to Alexandria. In order to help her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself into the royal palace to plead her case with him. Caesar and Cleopatra For his part, Caesar needed to fund his own return to power in Rome, and needed Egypt to repay the debts incurred by Auletes. After four months of war between Caesar’s outnumbered forces and those of Ptolemy XIII, Roman reinforcements arrived; Ptolemy was forced to flee Alexandria, and was believed to have drowned in the Nile River. Entering Alexandria as an unpopular conqueror, Caesar restored the throne to the equally unpopular Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIV (then 13 years old).

Caesar remained in Egypt with Cleopatra for a time, and around 47 B.C. she gave birth to a son, Ptolemy Caesar. He was believed to be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian people as Caesarion, or Little Caesar. Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra traveled with Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion to Rome to visit Caesar, who had returned earlier. After Caesar was murdered in March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back to Egypt; Ptolemy XIV died soon after, and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother, as Ptolemy XV. By this point, Cleopatra had strongly identified herself with the goddess Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. (This was consistent with the ancient Egyptian tradition of associating royalty with divinity in order to reinforce the position of kings and queens.

Cleopatra III had also claimed to be associated with Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.”) Cleopatra’s Seduction of Mark Antony With her infant son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s hold on power in Egypt was more secure than it had ever been. Still, unreliable flooding of the Nile resulted in failing crops, leading to inflation and hunger. Meanwhile, a conflict was raging in Rome between a second triumvirate of Caesar’s allies ( Mark Antony , Octavian and Lepidus) and his assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides asked for Egyptian support, and after some stalling Cleopatra sent four Roman legions stationed in Egypt by Caesar to support the triumvirate. In 42 B.C., after defeating the forces of Brutus and Cassius in the battles of Philippi, Mark Antony and Octavian divided power in Rome. Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra to the Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) to explain the role she had played in the complicated aftermath of Caesar’s assassination.

According to the story recorded by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare ), Cleopatra sailed to Tarsus in an elaborate ship, dressed in the robes of Isis. Antony, who associated himself with the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. He agreed to protect Egypt and Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support for the removal of her younger sister and rival Arsinoe, then in exile. Cleopatra returned to Egypt, followed shortly thereafter by Antony, who left behind his third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Rome. He spent the winter of 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, during which he and Cleopatra famously formed a drinking society called “The Inimitable Livers.” In 40 B.C., after Antony’s return to Rome, Cleopatra gave birth to twins, Alexander Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon). Cleopatra: Power Struggle After Fulvia took ill and died, Antony was forced to prove his loyalty to Octavian by making a diplomatic marriage with Octavian’s half-sister Octavia.

Egypt grew more prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, and in 37 B.C. Antony again met with Cleopatra to obtain funds for his long-delayed military campaign against the kingdom of Parthia. In exchange, he agreed to return much of Egypt’s eastern empire, including Cyprus, Crete, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho and large portions of Syria and Lebanon. They again became lovers, and Cleopatra gave birth to another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, in 36 B.C. After a humiliating defeat in Parthia, Antony publicly rejected his wife Octavia’s efforts to rejoin him and instead returned to Egypt and Cleopatra. In a public celebration in 34 B.C. known as the “Donations of Alexandria,” Antony declared Caesarion as Caesar’s son and rightful heir (as opposed to his adopted son, Octavian) and awarded land to each of his children with Cleopatra. This began a war of propaganda between him and the furious Octavian, who claimed that Antony was entirely under Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Rome and found a new capital in Egypt.

In late 32 B.C., the Roman Senate stripped Antony of all his titles, and Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. Cleopatra: Defeat and Death On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra’s ships deserted the battle and fled to Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and follow her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a rumor that Cleopatra had committed suicide. He fell on his sword, and died just as news arrived that the rumor had been false. On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony and meeting with the victorious Octavian, Cleopatra closed herself in her chamber with two of her female servants. The means of her death is uncertain, but Plutarch and other writers advanced the theory that she used a poisonous snake known as the asp, a symbol of divine royalty. According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s body was buried with Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to celebrate his conquest of Egypt and his consolidation of power in Rome.

Tags Cleopatra: The Woman Behind the Name Contact Us About us Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online. Cleopatra: The Woman Behind the Name Cleopatra VII The End of Cleopatra and Mark Antony Cleopatra's Birth In the springtime of 51 BC, Ptolemy Auletes died and left his kingdom in his will to his eighteen year old daughter, Cleopatra, and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII who was twelve at the time. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC in Alexandria , Egypt. She had two older sisters, Cleopatra VI and Berenice IV as well as a younger sister, Arsinoe IV. There were two younger brothers as well, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. It is thought that Cleopatra VI may have died as a child and Auletes had Berenice beheaded.

At Ptolemy Auletes' death, Pompey, a Roman leader, was left in charge of the children. During the two centuries that preceded Ptolemy Auletes death, the Ptolemies were allied with the Romans. The Ptolemies' strength was failing and the Roman Empire was rising. City after city was falling to the Roman power and the Ptolemies could do nothing but create a pact with them. During the later rule of the Ptolemies, the Romans gained more and more control over Egypt. Tributes had to be paid to the Romans to keep them away from Egypt. When Ptolemy Auletes died, the fall of the Dynasty appeared to be even closer. According to Egyptian law , Cleopatra was forced to have a consort, who was either a brother or a son, no matter what age, throughout her reign. She was married to her younger brother Ptolemy XIII when he was twelve, however she soon dropped his name from any official documents regardless of the Ptolemaic insistence that the male presence be first among co-rulers. She also had her own portrait and name on coins of that time, ignoring her brother's.

When Cleopatra became co-regent, her world was crumbling down around her. Cyprus, Coele-Syria and Cyrenaica were gone. There was anarchy abroad and famine at home. Cleopatra was a strong-willed Macedonian queen who was brilliant and dreamed of a greater world empire. She almost achieved it. Whether her way of getting it done was for her own desires or for the pursuit of power will never be known for certain. However, like many Hellenistic queens, she was passionate but not promiscuous. As far as we know, she had no other lovers other than Caesar and Antony. Many believe that she did what she felt was necessary to try to save Alexandria, whatever the price. Cleopatra's Reign - The Begining By 48 BC, Cleopatra had alarmed the more powerful court officials of Alexandria by some of her actions. For instance, her mercenaries killed the Roman governor of Syria's sons when they came to ask for her assistance for their father against the Parthians. A group of men led by Theodotus, the eunuch Pothinus and a half-Greek general, Achillas, overthrew her in favor of her younger brother.

They believed him to be much easier to influence and they became his council of regency. Cleopatra is thought to have fled to Thebaid. Between 51 and 49 BC, Egypt was suffering from bad harvests and famine because of a drought which stopped the much needed Nile flooding. Ptolemy XIII signed a decree on October 27, 50 BC which banned any shipments of grain to anywhere but Alexandria. It is thought that this was to deprive Cleopatra and her supporters who were not in Alexandria. Regardless, she started an army from the Arab tribes which were east of Pelusium. During this time, she and her sister Arsinoe moved to Syria. They returned by way of Ascalon which may have been Cleopatra's temporary base. In the meantime, Pompey had been defeated at Pharsalus in August of 48 BC. He headed for Alexandria hoping to find refuge with Ptolemy XIII, of whom Pompey was a senate-appointed guardian. Pompey did not realize how much his reputation had been destroyed by Pharsalus until it was too late. He was murdered as he stepped ashore on September 28, 48 BC.

The young Ptolemy XIII stood on the dock and watched the whole scene. Four days later, Caesar arrived in Alexandria. He brought with him thirty-two hundred legionaries and eight hundred cavalry. He also brought twelve other soldiers who bore the insignia of the Roman government who carried a bundle of rods with an ax with a blade that projected out. This was considered a badge of authority that gave a clear hint of his intentions. The Roman Invasion There were riots that followed in Alexandria. Ptolemy XIII was gone to Pelusium and Caesar placed himself in the royal palace and started giving out orders. The eunuch, Pothinus, brought Ptolemy back to Alexandria. Cleopatra had no intentions of being left out of any deals that were going to be made. She had herself smuggled in through enemy lines rolled in a carpet. She was delivered to Caesar. Both Cleopatra and Ptolemy were invited to appear before Caesar the next morning. By this time, she and Caesar were already lovers and Ptolemy realized this right away. He stormed out screaming that he had been betrayed, trying to arouse the Alexandrian mob. He was soon captured by Caesar's guards and brought back to the palace.

It is thought that Caesar had planned to make Cleopatra the sole ruler of Alexandria . He thought she would be a puppet for Rome. The Alexandrian War was started when Pothinus called for Ptolemy XIII's soldiers in November and surrounded Caesar in Alexandria with twenty thousand men. During the war, parts of the Alexandrian Library and some of the warehouses were burned. However, Caesar did manage to capture the Pharos lighthouse, which kept his control of the harbor. Cleopatra's sister, Arsinoe, escaped from the palace and ran to Achillas. She was proclaimed the queen by the Macedonian mob and the army. Cleopatra never forgave her sister for this. During the fighting, Caesar executed Pothinus and Achillas was murdered by Ganymede. Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile while he was trying to flee. Back to Reign - Cleopatra and Caesar Because of his death, Cleopatra was now the sole ruler of Egypt. Caesar had restored her position, but she now had to marry her younger brother Ptolemy XIV, who was eleven years old. This was to please the Alexandrians and the Egyptian priests.

Surely Caesar went through all of this trouble for more than his infatuation with the queen of Egypt. It must have been out of arrogance and his desire to get his hands on Egypt's vast resources. However, Cleopatra's intelligence and inheritance did have some influence as well. In what must have been very calculated on his part, she became pregnant rather quickly. For him to have a son to carry the throne was very appealing to him. Caesar and Cleopatra took an extended trip up the Nile for about two months. They stopped in Dendara where Cleopatra was worshipped as a Pharaoh. Caesar would never have this honor. Caesar only left the boat to attend important business in Syria just a few weeks before the birth of their son, Caesarion (Ptolemy Caesar) who was born on June 23, 47 BC. During July of the year 46 BC, Caesar returned to Rome. He was given many honors and a ten-year dictatorship. These celebrations lasted from September to October and he brought Cleopatra over, along with her entourage. The conservative Republicans were very offended when he established Cleopatra in his home. Her social manners did not make the situation any better.

She upset many. Cleopatra had started calling herself the New Isis and was the subject of much gossip. She lived in luxury and had a statue made of gold placed by Caesar, in the temple of Venus Genetrix . Caesar also openly claimed Caesarion as his son. Many were upset that he was planning to marry Cleopatra regardless of the laws against bigamy and marriages to foreigners. Ceasar's Death However, on the Ides of March of 44 BC, all of that came to an end. Caesar was assassinated outside the Senate Building in Rome. He was killed in a conspiracy by his Senators. Many of the Senators thought he was a threat to the republic's well-being. It was thought that Caesar was making plans to have himself declared king. After Caesar's murder, Cleopatra fled Rome and returned home to Alexandria. Caesar had not mentioned Cleopatra or Caesarion in his will. She felt her life, as well as that of her child, was in great danger. Cleopatra watched in the time that followed, who would be the next power in Rome.

After Brutus and Cassius had been killed and Antony, Octavian and Lepidus were triumphant, Cleopatra knew which one she would have to deal with. Octavian went back to Italy very ill, so Antony was the one to watch. Her son gained his right to become king when Caesar was officially divinized in Rome on January 1, 42 BC. The main object was the promotion of Octavian, but the triumvirs knew of Cleopatra's aid to Dolabella. Restoring Power - Cleopatra and Mark Antony Cleopatra was invited by Mark Antony to Tarsus in 41 BC. She already knew enough about him to know how to get to him. She knew about his limited strategic and tactical abilities, his blue blood, the drinking, his womanizing, his vulgarity and his ambition. Even though Egypt was on the verge of economic collapse, Cleopatra put on a show for Mark Antony that even Ptolemy Philadelphos couldn't have done better. She sailed with silver oars, purple sails with her Erotes fanning her and the Nereid handmaids steering and she was dressed as Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

This was a very calculated entrance; considered vulgar by many. It was a vulgar display to attract the attention of a vulgar man. Mark Antony loved the idea of having a blue-blooded Ptolemy woman. His former mistress as well as his current wife, Fulvia, were merely middle class. Cleopatra and Antony spent the winter of 41 to 40 in Alexandria. According to some sources, Cleopatra could get out of him whatever she wanted, including the assassination of her sister, Arsinoe. Cleopatra may not have had so much influence over him later on. He took control of Cyprus from her. Actually it may have been Cleopatra who was the exploited one. Antony needed money and Cleopatra could be generous when it benefited her as well. In the spring of 40 BC, Mark Antony left Cleopatra and returned home. He did not see her for four years. Antony's wife, Fulvia had gotten into a serious movement against Octavian over veterans' allotments of land. She fled to Greece and had a bitter confrontation with Antony. She became ill and died there.

Antony patched things up with Octavian that same autumn by marrying Octavian's sister, Octavia. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman who had been recently widowed. She had three children from her first marriage. In the meantime, Cleopatra had given birth to twins, one boy and one girl, in Alexandria. Antony's first child by Octavia was a girl. Had Octavia given him a son, things might have turned out different. Antony kept the idea of the treasures of the Ptolemies and how much he wanted it. When he finally did get the treasures, the standard interest rate in Rome fell from 12 percent to 4. Mark Antony left Italy and went to deal with the Parthians. Octavia had just had another daughter and went with him just as far as Corcyra. He gave her the excuse that he did not want to expose her to the dangers of the battles and sent her home. He told her that she would be more use to him at home in Rome keeping peace with her brother, Octavian. However, the first thing that he did when he reached Antioch, was to send for Cleopatra.

Their twin children were officially recognized by Antony and were given the names of Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. Mark Antony gave her much land which was very essential to Egypt. He gave her Cyprus, the Cilician coast, Phoenicia, Coele-Syria, Judea and Arabia. This allowed Egypt to be able to build ships from the lumber from Cilician coast. Egypt then built a large fleet. Antony had planned a campaign against the Parthians. He obviously needed Cleopatra's support for this and in 36 BC, he was defeated. He became more indebted to her than ever. They had just had a third child. On their return to Syria, she met him and what was left of his army, with food, clothing and money. Early in 35 BC, he returned to Egypt with her. Antony's wife, Octavia was in Athens with supplies and reinforcements waiting for her husband. He sent her a letter telling her to not come any further. Her brother, Octavian, tried to provoke Antony into a fight. Octavian would release troops as well as ships to try to force Antony into a war, which, by this time was almost inevitable.

Antony might have been able to patch things up with Octavia and her brother had he returned to Rome in 35 BC. Cleopatra probably did her best to keep him in Alexandria. Octavia remained completely loyal to Antony through all of this. In 34 BC, Antony had a campaign into Armenia, which was successful and financially rewarding. He celebrated his triumph with a parade through Alexandria with Cleopatra presiding over as the New Isis. Antony presented himself as the New Dionysus as part of his dream of the Graeco-Roman rule. Within a few days, a more political ceremony took place in which the children were given their royal titles with Antony sitting on the throne as well. Ptolemy XV (Caesarion) was made the co-ruler with his mother and was called the King of Kings. Cleopatra was called the Queen of Kings, which was a higher position than that of Caesarion's. Alexander Helios, which meant the sun, was named Great King of the Seleucid empire when it was at its highest. Cleopatra Selene, which meant the moon, was called Queen of Cyrenaica and Crete.

Cleopatra and Antony's son, Ptolemy Philadelphos was named King of Syria and Asia Minor at the age of two. Cleopatra had dreams of becoming the Empress of the world. She was very close to achieving these dreams and her favorite oath was, "As surely as I shall yet dispense justice on the Roman Capital." The End of Cleopatra and Mark Antony In 32 to 31 BC, Antony finally divorced Octavia. This forced the Western part of the world to recognize his relationship with Cleopatra. He had already put her name and face on a Roman coin, the silver denarii. The denarii was widely circulated throughout the Mediterranean. By doing this, Antony's relationship with the Roman allegiance was ended and Octavian decided to publish Antony's will. Octavian then formally declared war against Cleopatra. Antony's name was nowhere mentioned in the official declaration. Many false accusations were made against Cleopatra saying that she was a harlot and a drunken Oriental. These accusations were most likely made out of fear of Cleopatra and Antony.

Many probably thought that the New Isis would prevail and that Antony would start up a new wave of world conquest and rule in a co-partnership from Alexandria. However, Octavian's navy severely defeated Antony in Actium, which is in Greece, on September 2, 31 BC. Octavian's admiral, Agrippa, planned and carried out the defeat. In less than a year, Antony half-heartedly defended Alexandria against the advancing army of Octavian. After the defeat, Antony committed suicide by falling on his own sword in 30 BC. After Antony's death, Cleopatra was taken to Octavian where her role in Octavian's triumph was carefully explained to her. He had no interest in any relationship, negotiation or reconciliation with the Queen of Egypt. She would be displayed as a slave in the cities she had ruled over. She must have had memories of her sister, Arsinoe, being humiliated in this way. She would not live this way, so she had an asp, which was an Egyptian cobra, brought to her hidden in a basket of figs. She died on August 12, 30 BC at the age of 39.

The Egyptian religion declared that death by snakebite would secure immortality. With this, she achieved her dying wish, to not be forgotten. The only other ruler to cast a shadow on the fascination with Cleopatra was Alexander who was another Macedonian. After Cleopatra's death, Caesarion was strangled and the other children of Cleopatra were raised by Antony's wife, Octavia. Her death was the mark of the end of the Egyptian Monarchs. The Roman Emperors came into to rule in Egypt. The Ptolemies were Macedonian in decent, but ruled as Egyptians, as Pharaohs. Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. What is often not associated with Cleopatra was her brilliance and her devotion to her country. She was a quick-witted woman who was fluent in nine languages, however, Latin was not one of them. She was a mathematician and a very good businesswoman. She had a genuine respect for Caesar, whose intelligence and wit matched her own. Antony on the other hand almost drove her insane with his lack of intelligence and his excesses. She dealt with him and made the most of what she had to do. She fought for her country.

She had a charismatic personality, was a born leader and an ambitious monarch who deserved better than suicide. See Also our Tour Egypt Monthly: Cleopatra VII Ptolemy XII, father of Cleopatra Spouses / Liaisons: Julius Caesar, (100 - 44 BC) A Roman military and political leader. Ptolemy XIII (62 - 47 B.C) Joined forces with his sister Arsinoe against his other sister Cleopatra VII. Said to have drowned while trying to cross the Nile in January 47 BC. Ptolemy XIV (60 - 44 BC) Co-ruler with Cleopatra 47 - 44 BC. Cleopatra is rumoured to have poisened her younger brother so she could place her son Caesarion on the throne. Marc Anthony, (82 - 30 BC), A Roman politician and general. He was an important supporter of Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator. After Caesar's assassination, Antony allied with Octavian and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus to form the second triumvirate.

The triumvirate broke up in 33 BC and the disagreement turned to civil war in 31 BC, in which Antony was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium and then at Alexandria. (from wikipedia) Children: Ptolemy XV Caesarion, probably son of Julius Caesar. Alexander Helios, twins born of Marc Anthony. Born 40 B.C. Cleopatra Selene, twins born of Marc Anthony. Born 40 B.C. Later married to Juba II of Mauretania. Ptolemy Philadelphus, youngest son with Marc Anthony. Born 36 B.C. Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion at the temple of Dendera Brothers and sisters of Cleopatra: Berenice IV: Ruled as queen with Cleopatra VI, ( =? Cleopatra V), possibly coregent with Archelaus, deposed by Ptolemy XII, executed by him shortly thereafter. Arsinoe IV. She was declared queen of Egypt in opposition to Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII. Captured by Julius Caesar and marched in triumph in Rome.

Executed by Antony allegedly at the request of Cleopatra VII, probably buried in Ephesus Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV younger brothers who at some point were married to Cleopatra. Cleopatra VI Tryphaena (II) ?: Possibly an older (half-) sister of Cleopatra VII. The records are somewhat confusing. Some think There was no second Cleopatra Tryphaena. The proponents of one individual named Cleopatra Tryphaena think that she was the wife of Ptolemy Auletes and the mother of all of his known children. This means that Cleopatra Tryphaena and her daughter Berenice would have ruled as motehr and daughter, before being removed from power by Ptolemy Auletes. Others think that Cleopatra Tryphaena (II) was a daughter of the elder Cleopatra Tryphaena and ruled with her sister Berenice. A third theory is that Cleopatra VI was a sister of Ptolemy Auletes and hence an aunt of Cleopatra VII Philopator.

People from the time of Cleopatra VII Achillas, a half greek general of Egypt, involved in the overthrow of Cleopatra in 48 BC. Tried to set up Arsinoe as queen instead of Cleopatra. Achillas was murdered by Ganymede. Archibios, - (=? Horemakhbyt in Egyptian) : An intimate of the queen. After the defeat of Anthony and Cleopatra at Actium his statues were hauled down, in contrast to those of Cleopatra VII, which were spared in exchange for the payment of 2000 talents to Octavianus by Archibios. Callimachus, Commander of the Red Sea and the Indian Sea, powerful Theban leader. Charmion handmaiden of the queen who died with her. Ganymedes, eunuch in charge of the upbringing of the princess Arsinoe. After the execution of Achilles at the orders of Arsinoe, Ganymedes becomes the leader of her army in 48 B.C. Horemheb (Weben-ra-empet) was vizier under Cleopatra VII.

Imhotep-Pedubast, High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, hereditary prince and count, gods father, sm-priest, prophet of the window of appearance, prophet of pharaoh; Son of Psherenptah III and Taimhotep. Became high priest in 39 B.C. Died in 30 B.C. but was not buried until 7 years later. This may point to an unnatural cause of death. Iras handmaiden of the queen who died with her. Juba II, husband of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra VII Octavian. Succeeded Julius Caesar and was the adversary of Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium. Olympus, Cleopatra’s physician. He later published an account of her last days. Pompey, Roman leader in charge of the royal children after Ptolemy Auletes (Cleopatra’s father) died. He was the senate appointed guardian of Ptolemy XIII. His reputation was destroyed by a major military defeat. Murdered as he stepped ashore in Alexandria in 48 BC.

Pothinus, a eunuch and chief power at court, involved in the attempted overthrow of Cleopatra in 48 BC. Favored Cleopatra’s brother Ptolemy XIII. Executed by Julius Caesar. Psherenamun II, High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, god's father, prophet of Ptah, prophet of Min lord of Senut, etc; son of Kha-hapi probably by Herankh. Married his sister Taneferher. Probably installed as HPM in 30/29 B.C., probably died in 28/7 B.C. Psherenptah III, High Priest of Memphis, stm-priest, god's father, prophet of Ptah, etc.. Son of the High Priest of Ptah Pedubast III and Herankh-beludje. Later married to Taimhotep, sistrum player and priestess of Ptah, daughter of Kha-hapi and Herankh. Psherenptah was buried during the reign of Cleopatra.

Theodotus (of Chios), tutor of Ptolemy XIII – Cleopatra’s brother, Theodotus was one of the men involved in the attempted overthrow of Cleopatra in 48 BC. Yuya Amenhotep was Vizier under Cleopatra VII Left: A Stela depicting Cleopatra offering to Isis. Right: A statue thought by some to depict Cleopatra. Sources: Was Cleopatra Black? - Weighing the Evidence Pro & Con Was Cleopatra Black? Was Cleopatra Black? Evidence Pro and Con Sculpture of Cleopatra, Third century BC. Found in the collection of the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images By Jone Johnson Lewis Updated July 01, 2016. That Cleopatra was an African queen is certain -- Egypt is, after all, in Africa -- but was Cleopatra black? Cleopatra VII is usually just known as Cleopatra though she was the seventh queen to bear the name Cleopatra. She was the last of the Ptolemy dynasty to rule Egypt.

She, like many other Ptolemy rulers, first married one brother, then, on his death, another. When her third husband, Julius Caesar , took Cleopatra back to Rome with him, she certainly caused a sensation. Did the color of her skin contribute to that sensation? There's no record of that reaction. In what's called the "argument from silence," many conclude from that silence that she did not have dark-colored skin. But an "argument from silence" only indicates possibility, not certainty. Depictions of Cleopatra in Popular Culture Shakespeare uses the word "tawny" about Cleopatra -- but Shakespeare wasn't exactly an eyewitness, missing meeting Egypt's last Pharaoh by more than a millennium. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge In some Renaissance art, Cleopatra is portrayed as dark-skinned, a "negress" in the terminology of that time. But those artists were also not eyewitnesses, and their artistic interpretation may have been based on trying to distinguish Cleopatra's "otherness" or their own assumptions about Africa and Egypt. In modern depictions, Cleopatra has been played by white actresses including Vivien Leigh, Claudette Colbert , and Elizabeth Taylor .

But the writers of those movies were also not eyewitnesses. Are Egyptians Black? Europeans and Americans became quite focused on the racial classification of Egyptians in general in the 19th century. While scientists and most scholars have by now concluded that race is not the static biological category then assumed, many of the theories around whether the Egyptians were a "black race" assume race is a biological category, not a social construction . It is during that time period that attempts to classify the Egyptians into what were assumed to be the key races were common. Whether other people of nearby lands -- Jews and Arabs, for example -- were "white" or "Caucasians" rather than "Negroid" was also part of this argument.

Some argued for a separate "brown race" or "Mediterranean race." While some scholars (notably Cheikh Anta Diop, a Pan-Africanist from Senegal ) have argued for a sub-Saharan black African heritage of the Egyptians, often based on such arguments as the Biblical name Ham and the naming of Egypt as "kmt" or "the black land," other scholars point out that the association of Ham with dark-skinned sub-Saharan Africans, or a black race, is relatively recent in history, and "the black land" has long been held to be about the black soil that is part of the phenomenon of Nile flooding. The most common accepted theory, outside the Black Egyptian theory of Diop and others, is what's known as the Dynastic Race Theory, developed out of research in the 20th century. In this theory, the indigenous people of Egypt, Badarian people, were invaded and overrun by Mesopotamian people, early in Egypt's history. The Mesopotamian people became the rulers of the state. Was Cleopatra Egyptian? If she was not, then the arguments about whether Egyptians were black are irrelevant to her own blackness. What Do We Know About Cleopatra's Ancestry?

The Ptolemy dynasty was descended from the Greek Macedonian Ptolemy Soter , established as ruler of Egypt by Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 305 B.C.E. (In other words, they were imperialist outsiders.) Many of their marriages were incestuous, with brothers marrying sisters -- but not all the children born are known to have had both fathers and mothers who were Ptolemies. We are not certain of the heritage of Cleopatra's mother or her paternal grandmother. That leaves 50% to 75% of her genetic heritage unknown -- and ripe for speculation. Is there any evidence that either her mother or paternal grandmother was a black African? No. "We don't know the heritage of" means just that. We don't know. Is there any evidence that either of those women were not black Africans? No, by the same reasoning. Cleopatra's Paternal Grandmother Many scholars believe that Cleopatra's paternal grandmother was a concubine. That woman's background has been assumed to be either Alexandrian or Nubian.

She may have been ethnically Egyptian, and she may have had a heritage which we'd today call "black." Cleopatra's Mother Cleopatra's mother is usually identified as her aunt, Cleopatra V, daughter of Ptolemy IX. Cleopatra V's mother is also unknown; Cleopatra V was not the daughter of a royal wife, but we don't know if the mother was another Ptolemy relative or a concubine of Egyptian or Semitic African or black African background. Race - What Is It, What Was It in Antiquity? Complicating such discussions is the fact that race itself is a complex issue, with unclear definitions. Race was perceived differently in the classical world than it is today, with one's homeland and national heritage, and perhaps language, being more important than what we'd today identify as race. Cleopatra Spoke Egyptian We do have early evidence that Cleopatra was the first ruler in her family to actually speak the native Egyptian language, rather than the Greek of the Ptolemies -- but that would be evidence for an Egyptian ancestry, not necessarily black African. It doesn't add any real weight to a racial argument.

And she might have learned the language for political reasons or just from exposure and an ability to pick up language. Evidence Against a Black Cleopatra: Incomplete Perhaps the strongest evidence cited against Cleopatra having black ancestry is that the Ptolemy family was quite xenophobic -- against "outsiders" including the native Egyptians they ruled for about 300 years. This was more as a continuation of Egyptian custom among rulers than it was racial prejudice -- if daughters married within the family, then loyalty was not divided. But it's not likely that those 300 years passed with only "pure" heritage -- and in fact we can be confident that both Cleopatra's mother and father had mothers who very likely did not have Macedonian Greek ancestry. Evidence for a Black Cleopatra: Flawed Unfortunately, the modern proponents of the "Black Cleopatra" theory -- starting with J. A.

Rogers in World's Great Men of Color in the 1940s -- have made other obvious errors in defending the thesis (Rogers is confused about who Cleopatra's father was, for instance) and make other claims (like that her brother, whom Rogers thinks is her father, had obvious black features) without evidence. Such errors and unsubstantiated claims don't add strength to their argument. A BBC documentary, Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer, looks at a skull which might be from a sister of Cleopatra -- or rather, the documentary looks at the reconstruction of a skull, since no actual skull was found in the tomb -- to show features which have similarities to both Semitic and Bantu skulls. Their conclusion was that Cleopatra could have had black African ancestry -- but it's hardly conclusive. Conclusions: More Questions Than Answers Was Cleopatra black? It's a complicated question, with no sure answer. It is likely that Cleopatra had ancestry other than pure Macedonian Greek. Was it black African? We don't know. Can we say for sure it was not? No. Was her skin color very dark? Probably not.

Mark Antony - Ancient History - HISTORY.com Google Mark Antony: Early Life and Alliance with Julius Caesar Marcus Antonius was born in Rome in 83 B.C., the son of an ineffective praetor (military commander) and grandson of a noted consul and orator, both of whom shared his given name. After a largely misspent youth, he was sent east as a cavalry officer, where he won important victories in Palestine and Egypt. In 54 B.C. he went to Gaul to join his mother’s cousin Julius Caesar as a staff officer. In 49 B.C. he was elected a tribune and served as a staunch defender of Caesar against his rivals in the Senate. Did You Know? Although Mark Antony died fighting Octavian's efforts to become Rome's sole dynastic monarch, three of the first five Roman emperors—Caligula, Claudius and Nero—were Antony’s direct descendants. During Caesar’s first yearlong dictatorship, Antony was his second-in-command. By 48 B.C. he was in Greece, supporting Caesar’s left wing at the Battle of Pharsalus.

A year later, Antony’s violent expulsion from the Senate by anti-Caesar factions gave Caesar’s legion a rallying point as they crossed the Rubicon River, igniting the Republican Civil War. When Caesar assumed his fifth and final consulship in 44 B.C., Antony was his co-consul. As the Ides of March approached, Antony heard rumors of a plot against Caesar but was unable to warn him in time. Antony fled Rome dressed as a slave but soon returned to protect his friend’s legacy from the senators who had conspired against him. He took charge of Caesar’s will and papers and gave a stirring eulogy for the fallen leader. Mark Antony and Octavian In his will Caesar had bequeathed his wealth and title to his posthumously adopted son Octavian. Antony was reluctant to hand his old friend’s legacy to a 17-year-old, and quickly became a rival to the future emperor. In 43 B.C. their armies first clashed. Antony was driven back at Mutina and Forum Gallorum, but had proved a formidable enough leader that Octavian preferred to ally with him.

Along with their lesser rival Lepidus, Octavian and Antony formed the Second Triumvirate, splitting Rome’s provinces between them: Octavian would rule the West, Antony the East and Lepidus Africa. Within a year, Antony defeated Caesar’s assassins Brutus and Antonius at Phillipi, eliminating the two remaining leaders of the Republican cause in a battle that established his reputation as a general. Mark Antony and Cleopatra In 41 B.C. Antony began an affair with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra , who had been Caesar’s lover in the last years of his life. The queen gave birth to twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, but Antony was forced to return to Rome to deal with the aftermath of his wife and brother-in-law’s failed rebellion against Octavian. The Senate pushed for conciliation between the triumvirs, pressing the recently widowed Antony to marry Octavian’s sister Octavia Minor in 40 B.C. In 37 B.C. the Triumvirate was renewed. Antony returned to Cleopatra and fathered a son, Ptolemy Philadelphus.

The lovers grew more public in their relationship, participating in deification ceremonies where they took the roles of the Greco-Egyptian gods Dionysus-Osiris and Venus-Isis. More provocatively, they paraded their three children and Caesarion (Cleopatra’s son by Julius Ceasar) in costumes as legitimate royal heirs, flaunting Roman law’s refusal to acknowledge marriage with outsiders. Politically, Antony grew more and more entwined with the Egyptian kingdom, having turned to Cleopatra for help following his failed expedition against the Parthians in 36 B.C. Meanwhile Octavian grew in strength, eliminating Lepidus from the triumvirate on a pretext of rebellion. In 32 B.C. Antony divorced Octavia. In retaliation, Octavian declared war, not on Antony but on Cleopatra. The fighting occurred in western Greece, where Antony had superior numbers but fell time and again to the brilliant naval attacks of Octavian’s general Agrippa. After their combined forces were defeated at Actium, Antony and Cleopatra’s remaining ships made a desperate flight back to Egypt, pursued by Agrippa and Octavian.

As Octavian entered Alexandria, both Antony and Cleopatra resolved to commit suicide. Antony, thinking his lover already dead, stabbed himself with a sword but was then brought to die in Cleopatra’s arms. Cleopatra was captured but managed to kill herself via a poisonous snakebite. After Antony’s death his honors were all revoked, his statues removed. Cicero, Antony’s great rival in the senate, decreed that no one in the dead general’s family would ever bear the name Mark Antony again. Octavian was now emperor in all but name. Three years later he was granted a new honorific, Augustus , and ruled Rome for the next four decades. Tags

Question: What dynastic family name of Cleopatra?
Answer: PTOLEMY