She took her own life at the age of 39 to avoid falling into the hands of a conqueror. Although this occurred long before our era, on August 12, 30 B.C., humanity still remembers this remarkable ruler and extraordinary woman even two millennia later. Captivating potential conquerors, the clever seductress wielded her influence over men, and her tragic end marked the downfall of a nation, the conquest of which signified the collapse of an ancient civilization.
You Can’t Paint Charisma
Thanks to the romantic elements of her story, Cleopatra VII’s biography has become more of a romantic tale in the minds of posterity than the tragic reality it was. One of the most popular heroines of antiquity continues to intrigue artists with dramatic accounts of her love affairs with legendary Roman generals Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Yet behind the glamorous facade of these relationships lay the everyday life of an incorrigible seductress, who left no one alive who satisfied her lustful desires in the bedroom. According to the 4th-century Roman historian Aurelius Victor, Cleopatra eliminated any possibility of speculation from her sexual partners regarding their closeness to the ruler. Moreover, the public shouldn’t have known about the queen’s availability to erotic commoners.
Her name is associated with numerous purges, including the removal of lovers and even family members who could rival her for the throne (it is known that in 44 B.C., Cleopatra “sacrificed” her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, and later her sister Arsinoe IV). During her 22-year reign over Egypt, the last independent queen “paid” for her rule with the lives of her four children: her son Caesar and three heirs of Antony were killed.
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra
Imagining the fatal seductress in classic portrayals by Hollywood stars Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor makes it hard to trust historians who describe Cleopatra as having coarse features and a figure far from elegance. Meanwhile, reconstructed images by researchers from the British Museum and Cambridge University reveal a dark-skinned face with a prominent nose, thin lips, and a sharp chin. The ancient Greek historian Plutarch described Cleopatra’s charms without mentioning her physical beauty: “In appearance, she was not particularly beautiful, but in conversation, she became enchanting. Her soft voice and alluring manner of speaking combined with a strong character and high intellect formed the secret of her charisma.”
Reconstruction of Cleopatra’s appearance based on a bust from Shershel
A “Multifaceted Instrument”
The most famous queen of Egypt was not Egyptian: by the end of the Hellenistic era, the “land of pyramids” was ruled by a hereditary Macedonian from the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, which had migrated to the banks of the Nile during the time of Alexander the Great. All boys in this lineage were named Ptolemy, and all girls were named Cleopatra. Although the seventh Cleopatra in the dynasty was born in the Egyptian capital of Alexandria (on January 13, 69 B.C.), she could have remained a foreigner to the local population had she not made efforts to break the family tradition of distancing themselves from the people.
The illegitimate daughter of the ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy XII (her mother was likely a concubine, but Cleopatra could also have been a full sister to her father), was the only one among the ruling figures in this dynasty to learn the Egyptian language for the first time in 300 years of Ptolemaic rule: all her predecessors spoke exclusively their native Greek.
“Cleopatra Tests Poison on Condemned Prisoners,” painting by Alexandre Cabanel
Cleopatra did not continue the tradition of distancing herself from the gods and customs of the country she governed. Embracing Egyptian religion and culture, the natural intellectual mastered a dozen languages from a young age. In addition to Egyptian and ancient Greek koine, the hereditary Macedonian was knowledgeable in Ethiopian, Aramaic, and Persian, and she spoke Latin and Hebrew. At that time, women’s education was not encouraged among the Greeks, but Cleopatra satisfied her natural curiosity by studying astronomy and mathematics, philosophy, and oratory.
“The rare persuasiveness of her speeches was achieved by her ability to adapt to any interlocutor,” wrote Plutarch. “Her immense charm shone through in her gentle voice, the sounds of which tuned to any mood like a multifaceted instrument.”
“She Who Loves Her Father and Homeland”
Cleopatra’s name in its original form was Thea Philopator – “goddess who loves her father.” Her official title included two more words: Thea Neotera Philopator Philopatrīs – “she who loves her homeland.”
According to the laws of the time, a female heir to the throne could not rule the country independently: her male co-rulers were her brothers, with whom Cleopatra entered into formal marriages in turn. However, the brothers and sister were not allies and could plot to seize power entirely.
She had to fight fully with her younger brother and first legal husband, and this conflict even forced Cleopatra to flee to Syria. It is unknown how her fate would have unfolded after Ptolemy XIII formed an alliance with Caesar had her brother not made a fatal mistake that Caesar could not forgive: the public execution of a noble Roman angered the Roman general. Caesar’s response was to shift his attention to Cleopatra, the sister of the wrongdoer: the Egyptian queen received support in overthrowing her unwanted brother and restoring her claim to the throne.
“Cleopatra and Caesar,” painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1866)
According to legend, the cold-blooded 21-year-old enchantress snuck into the private chambers of 52-year-old Caesar wrapped in a carpet (some historical accounts specify that servants carried Cleopatra into the palace in a laundry bag). The personal meeting proved fruitful: this love affair resolved Cleopatra’s problems.
Happiness Loves Silence
Rumors suggest that the ruler of Egypt was involved in the deaths of both her brothers and her sister. Arsinoe was executed on the steps of a Roman temple. Her older brother Ptolemy XIII “successfully” drowned in a river during his escape (which was convenient for Cleopatra). And her younger brother was barely 14 years old at the time of his poisoning. After the deaths of her brothers, the queen appointed her son as co-ruler. However, Cleopatra’s triumph as Caesar’s lover was not very long-lived.
With Caesar’s help, Cleopatra began to rule her country unchallenged under Roman protection, which was symbolized by three Roman legions stationed in Egypt. The favorite openly resided at Caesar’s villa in Rome from the moment the alliance between Rome and Egypt was formed, where she entertained local nobility. Republicans were irritated by this state of affairs. They were alarmed by Caesar’s plans to make Cleopatra his legitimate wife and relocate the capital of the state to Alexandria. However, in the competition for heirs, the father was not to blame: Caesar did not mention Cleopatra’s son in his official will, effectively denying his paternity.
Caesar was assassinated by conspirators on March 15, 44 B.C. After the death of her patron, the queen was forced to flee back to Egypt immediately.
Exquisite beauty treatments and rare perfumes made from exotic oils made Cleopatra the most desired woman in the ruling elite of her time. Men lost their minds over her, and Caesar’s successor Mark Antony was no exception. Both of the Egyptian queen’s great romances were shrouded in scandal, as her lovers had legal wives and heirs. But Cleopatra was unconcerned about her reputation: she enjoyed life openly, as if anticipating that her happiness would be short-lived.
“The Meeting of Mark Antony and Cleopatra,” Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1885)
Head Over Heels
At the time of her acquaintance with the 40-year-old Roman general Mark Antony, Cleopatra was 28 years old. Their first meeting left an unforgettable impression on the Roman: the queen deliberately dressed in a tunic resembling that of the goddess Aphrodite and sailed to Mark Antony on a ship adorned with gold and silver, as if crafted for the gods. Cleopatra left no chance for the wife of her long-time lover: he would turn away and send his wife and children home if they tried to remind him of their presence.
Mark Antony was inseparable from Cleopatra: they feasted, hunted, and joked together. And, of course, they slept together: the fruits of this passionate love resulted in three children: two boys and a girl. The first fraternal twins were named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene (the boy was named after the Sun, and the girl after the Moon). However, none of Cleopatra’s children survived. Notably, her first son with Caesar, Caesarion, was killed by his half-brother Octavian.
One of the most beautiful romances in world history lasted for 10 years. It harmoniously combined genuine passion and mutual political calculation. This alliance helped Cleopatra realize her plans, while Antony benefited from Egyptian wealth to maintain a powerful army. However, Cleopatra brought misfortune to all who entered her orbit. Due to his infatuation with the Egyptian ruler, Mark Antony was branded a traitor by the Romans.
“Cleopatra and Octavian,” painting by Louis Gauffier (1787)
Look for the Woman!
The presence of the mistress in the general’s camp and her intrigues regarding the entourage, in which she saw personal enemies everywhere, did Mark Antony no favors: many of his supporters later defected to the opposition.
From the defectors, Octavian learned about the contents of Antony’s will, which discredited him. The general acknowledged Cleopatra as his official wife in the document, which was made public, and declared her sons as his legitimate heirs. Antony expressed a desire to be buried next to Cleopatra in the capital of Egypt, rather than in his native Rome.
Octavian defeated the lovers’ fleet and forced them to flee. After their defeat, the fugitives, as agreed, took their own lives. Mark Antony fell on his sword, while Cleopatra died from poison (one version suggests a snake bite; another, more plausible, involves poison ingested from a hidden compartment in a hairpin: two of her attendants died alongside her).
“The Death of Cleopatra,” Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1797)
After Cleopatra’s death, the country did not merely fall under foreign control; it became a Roman province. The plunge into a whirlwind of emotions ended in naval defeat and a national catastrophe – the fall of Egypt as a great ancient civilization that failed to defend itself.