Name: Cleopatra VII Philopator
Born: (c.69 BC - 30 BC)
Ruled: The Ptolemaic Kingdom
Country: Ancient - Egypt
What was she like?
- She was born into a troubled royal dynasty.
- She was a living goddess and normally used clever stagecraft to strengthen her divine status.
- Cleopatra was known as a well educated, pleasing women who was able to speak various languages including Egyptian and Latin even though she was greek.
- She was knowledgable of alchemy and physics.
- She had love affairs with Mark Antony, Roman leaders and Julius Caesar
- Cleopatra was the result of incest as members of the Ptolemaic kingdom often married
within the family to keep the purity of their bloodline so she was married to her oldest brother
What was her Physical features?
- small eyes
- large greek nose
- high cheekbones
- strong chin + an underhang below the jaw
- being a member of Ptolemic kingdom,she would tend to be obese and as mentioned in the book "quite plump”’
How many childrens did she have?
- Bore a son with Caesar - eventually making the son a co-regent.
- Bore two sons and one girl with Antony. Political/romantic relations. Elopement was not recognised under Roman law - Antony was still officially married to Octavia (sister of Octavian, Roman emperor).
What did she and her family do ?
- Her family ruled egypt around three centuries
- Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East.
- Their realm was failed by the power of Rome
- there was a huge amount of internal disagreements which in the end led Cleopatra to battle against her own brother as she returned with an army from egypt to syria to fight with him.
- She was forced to urgently marry her brother with him (purity of bloodline) after her father passed away, so she eventually grew to be a powerful ruler.
- Cleopatra married Mark Antony eventually and they created their own drinking club.
- She assisted in the deaths of her three sisters and brothers.
- Cleopatra has died from a snake bite through her arm or poisoned to death through one of her hair combs/ Suicide
- Mark Antony, has stabbed himself in the stomach/ Suicide.
- Cleopatra and her husband (Mark Antony) have been buried together.
PERSONALITY
- Contrast;‘Her untutored heart leapt from mirth to sorrow, from comedy to tragedy, with unexpected ease; and with her small hands she tossed about her the fabric of her complex circumstances like a mantle of light and darkness.’ (Weigall 2013, p. 20)
- Proud, has been as vain (taking into consideration; she was a living goddes)
- glamourous and deceptive
-courteous, gallant and brave enough to rule a kindom during that time as a woman
- Spontaneous
- Elegant
- cogent and persuasive
- Youthful, vivacious, full of life
- Fond of her children/maternal/motherly/dutiful
- Passionate and intense.
- Refined/cultured
- wealthy
- her personality can be described as a serious and mysterious woman; defined as having a thoughtful/quiet demeanour. At the same time, lighthearted, joyful, adventurous, good sense of humour, active. — ‘To use a popular phrase, she was always “game” for an adventure’ (Weigall 2013, p. 23).
- Gifted, quick-minded, wit.
- Tenacious
- Dion Cassius:‘no wealth could satisfy her, and her passions were insatiable’ (Weigall 2013, p. 21)
- Fond of her children/maternal/motherly/dutiful
- Passionate and intense.
- Refined/cultured
- Articulate
- stylish
FAMILY
- When her father passed, she assumedly married and shared co-regency with her brother, but became the more influential ruler.
- Had at least three sisters, two brothers (known).
- Fled Egypt to Syria, returned with an army to battle her brother.
- Bore a son with Caesar - eventually making the son a co-regent.
- Bore two sons and one girl with Antony. Political/romantic relations. Elopement was not recognised under Roman law - Antony was still officially married to Octavia (sister of Octavian, Roman emperor).
- She is believed to have had a hand in the deaths of three of her siblings.
INTERESTS
-traveling
- Literate and supported the arts; ‘recorded that she made Antony present to the city of Alexandria the library which once belonged to Pergamum, consisting of 200,000 volumes’ (Weigall 2013, p. 22).
- Artistic
- She was knowledgeable of alchemy/physics.
- traveling
-- drknking
-She had primarily her Librarian), musician
- Advisers
- her and Mark Antony created drinking club with Mark Antony.
BELIEFS
- Pagan; divinity/royalty — believed in the heavens.
- Believed in astrology
- Animal cults such as the sacred Buchis bull (the god Montu).
- Attended traditional and religious ceremonies
- Ancient Egyptian traditions/culture.
References:
Roller, D. 2010, 'Cleopatra: a biography', Oxford University Press, New York.
Weigall, A. 2013, 'The life and times of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt: a study in the origin of the Roman Empire', Routledge, New York.
Helden, A.V. 2014, Cleopatra, Encyclopaedia Britannica, viewed 17 October 2018, <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt>.
HISTORY. 2018, Cleopatra, viewed 16 Oct 2018, <http://dfat.gov.au/geo/iceland/Pages/iceland-country-brief.aspx>
Biography. 2018, Cleopatra VII, viewed 16 Octr 2018, <https://www.biography.com/people/cleopatra-vii-9250984>
Anon. 2018, viewed 16 Oct 2018, <http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_Cleopatra's_physical_descriptio>
Image reference:
Pinterest. 2018, Cleopatra //Dendera temple // ( Egypt ) | ancient egypt | Pinterest | Egypt, Ancient Egypt and Egyptian, viewed 20 Oct 2018, <https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/325455510558229709>
