Cleopatra - the last queen of Egypt, one of the most formidable enemies Rome ever faced;
the woman whose two husbands, who are also her brothers, died at a young age - one
fighting against her and the other killed at her command, to become the mistress who chooses
her own partners for not only pleasure but for increasing her own authority and political power.
Cleopatra was not just some incredibly beautiful woman who sought to have affairs with Roman
rulers, as we are used to being portrayed in Hollywood. On the contrary! In reality,
she was a ruthless military and political leader whom Rome was absolutely terrified of.
In fact, not a drop of Egyptian blood flowed in Cleopatra's veins. She was
born Cleopatra VII Philopator in Egypt as a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty,
a Greek family of Macedonian origin. So she was technically an ethnic Egyptian.
Even the name "Cleopatra" is of Greek origin and means "Father's Glory"
She was fluent in several languages, had an exceptional knowledge of mathematics, philosophy,
and astronomy, and could more than adequately engage in any political or economic discussion.
In this video, we will introduce you to the real image of Cleopatra - a ruthless ruler ready to
do anything to keep her power, at any cost, regardless of what she will have to do. Thus,
she remained one of the most important political figures for 22 years until her
dramatic death left an unforgettable mark on human history. This story will be a far cry
from the romantic Hollywood adaptations of the beautiful and sweet ruler of ancient Egypt.
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. his empire was divided among
his most powerful generals, the Diadochi. One of the strongest among the Diadochi
states was the kingdom of the Ptolemies centered in Egypt. It dates back to Ptolemy
I. In 305 BC. he proclaimed himself pharaoh, and his dominions included,
besides Egypt and Libya, Phoenicia, and some islands in the Mediterranean.
The Egyptians accepted the Ptolemies as the successors
of the pharaohs in a newly independent Egypt.
The daughter of King Ptolemy XII Aules, Cleopatra was destined to become the last queen of the
Macedonian dynasty. It is an interesting fact noted by the classical author Plutarch that
she was the only one of her kind who took the trouble to learn the Egyptian language.
As in many great royal families, incest was the order of the day,
so her parents were probably at least half-siblings, and during her reign,
she married not just one, but two of her brothers. Cleopatra was 18 years
old when she became ruler of Egypt along with her 10-year-old brother/husband.
However, she did not intend to share the throne with her brother,
which led to significant infighting. She even went so far as to delete his name
from some documents and ensured that only her name was etched on coins.
Cleopatra's brother/husband was not particularly enthusiastic about her attempts to outdo him,
further exacerbating the tension between them.
Cleopatra was forced to flee Egypt to Syria, where she gathered her army and
in 48 BC returned to fight her brother at Pelusium, on Egypt's eastern border.
The assassination of the Roman general Pompey, who had sought refuge from
Ptolemy XIII at Pelusium, and the arrival of Julius Caesar brought temporary peace.
Cleopatra knew she needed the Romans' support, specifically Caesar, to regain the throne.
Both sides seek to use each other to achieve their goals. Caesar is looking
for a way to settle the debts left by Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII.
At the same time, Cleopatra sought to maintain her power and, if possible, restore the
greatness of the early Ptolemies, along with their territories such as southern Syria and Palestine.
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It all leads to the passionate relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra that blossoms.
They spend a winter imprisoned in Alexandria. In the spring, Roman reinforcements arrived,
which made Ptolemy XIII flee, and in the end, in his escape, he drowned in the Nile River.
Cleopatra then married her brother Ptolemy XIV and thus regained the throne.
In June 47 B.C., she gave birth to a son and named him Ptolemy Caesar,
known to the Alexandrians as Caesarion or "little Caesar". Whether Caesar was really the father of
Caesarion, as the name suggests, remains one of the unsolved mysteries of antiquity to this day.
After two years of fighting against Pompeian resistance in 46 BC,
Caesar finally returned to Rome. He celebrated his victory with a four-day triumph. Cleopatra
made at least one official visit to Rome, accompanied by her husband's brother and son.
She stayed at Caesar's private villa across the Tiber River and most likely attended the
unveiling of a golden statue of herself in the temple of Venus Genetrix, the matriarch
of Caesar's Julian family. Cleopatra was still in Rome when Caesar met his tragic end in 44 BC.
Soon after her return to Alexandria, in 44 BC, Ptolemy XIV died. Historians speculate that he
was poisoned by Cleopatra herself so that she could rule with her minor son Ptolemy XV Caesar.
At the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. Caesar's assassins were defeated,
and Mark Antony became the heir to Caesar's power - or so it seems because,
at the time Caesar's great-grandson and personal heir, Octavian was a sickly boy.
Caesar's general and personal friend - Mark Antony called Cleopatra to find out if he can
trust this foreigner who has won the heart and mind of one of the most powerful men.
He now controls Rome's eastern territories and wants to clarify Cleopatra's position
after Caesar's assassination. Loaded with gifts, she left for Tarsus in Asia Minor,
deliberately delaying her departure to heighten Antony's anticipation. Arriving in the city by a
barge on the Kydnus River, she dons the clothes of the new Isis, captivating Antony, who sees himself
as the god Dionysus. Disregarding his wife Fulvia, who at the time sought to protect her husband's
interests in Italy against the rising Octavian, Antony accompanied Cleopatra back to Alexandria,
where he treated her as a ruler in her own right, rather than a mere "protege".
In Alexandria, Cleopatra and Antony created a community of "inimitable livers", whose lifestyle
has been interpreted by historians either as debauchery and madness or as devotion to the
mysterious god Dionysus. In fact, Cleopatra and Antony created their own secret society
of drinkers, something like an alcoholic's club, which translates to "Inimitable Drunkards". The
duo formed the group, which featured all-night revelry, debauchery, and copious amounts of
alcohol ostensibly to honor the god Dionysus, but rather, it was all about indulging in revelry.
Along with these festivities, Antony and Cleopatra are known to have roamed
the streets of Alexandria, the bustling heart of Ancient Egypt,
in disguise, playing pranks on the unsuspecting locals.
According to records by Pliny the Elder,
Cleopatra once even made a bet with Antony that she could spend 10,000,000 sesterces—a
sum that is roughly equivalent to about $10 million today—for a single dinner.
Antony scoffed at this scandalous idea and accepted the bet,
convinced that such an extravagant expenditure for dinner was unattainable.
During their joint dinner, the couple enjoyed a very ordinary meal that did not suggest the
expenditure of such a sum. When the dinner was over, Antony thought he has won the bet. However,
Cleopatra called a servant and asked for a cup full of strong vinegar.
When the servant brought the vinegar, Cleopatra removed one of her colossal pearl earrings and
dropped it into the cup. The precious pearl began to dissolve in the vinegar solution.
After the pearl dissolved completely, Cleopatra drank the mixture.
In 40 BC Cleopatra gave birth to twins named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene.
Antony had already left Alexandria to attend to affairs in Italy, where he made a temporary
alliance with the already strengthened and increasingly powerful Octavian. To cement the
alliance, he married Octavian's sister, Octavia. By this time his wife Fulvia had already died.
Three years later, Antony realized that the reconciliation with Octavian was not
producing the desired result. With his marriage to Octavia now meaningless,
he heads east to reunite with Cleopatra. Antony sought financial aid from her for
his postponed Parthian campaign, and in return, Cleopatra demanded the restoration
of significant parts of the eastern territories of the Egyptian Empire,
including large areas in Syria and Lebanon, as well as the flourishing balsam groves of Jericho.
Still unsuspecting of the infernal plan and only provoked by Antony's Flight,
Julius Caesar's successor portrayed Cleopatra as an evil seductress who
used her power as a lady to turn Antony into a traitor.
The Parthian campaign proved a costly disaster, as did the short-lived conquest of Armenia. However,
in 34 B.C. Antony returned in triumph to Alexandria, followed by a spectacular event
known as the Donations of Alexandria. Crowds of spectators gathered to see Cleopatra and Antony
seated on gilded thrones on a silver platform, their children on slightly lower thrones beside
them. Antony declared Caesarion Caesar's son, questioning Octavian's legal legitimacy as
Caesar's adopted son and heir. Cleopatra was proclaimed queen of kings and Caesarion king
of kings. Alexander Helios received Armenia and the territories beyond the Euphrates,
and his younger brother Ptolemy received lands to the west. Their sister, Cleopatra Selene,
was appointed ruler of Cyrene. Watching from Rome, it became clear to Octavian that Antony
sought to rule the civilized world with his large family, leading to a propaganda war.
Antony and Cleopatra spent the winter of 32-31 BC. in Greece. The Roman Senate stripped Antony
of his impending consulship and declared war on Cleopatra. The Battle of Actium on
2 September 31 BC, in which Octavian faced the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra,
was a disaster for the Egyptians. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, with Cleopatra
taking refuge in her mausoleum while Antony prepared for his final battle - Octavian,
now close to absolute power, invaded Egypt in August 30 BC, aided by Agrippa.
With no other refuge to flee to, Antony stabed himself with his sword, mistakenly believing
the news that Cleopatra has already taken her own life. When he found out that she was still alive,
his friends took him to her mausoleum where she was hiding and he died in her arms.
Cleopatra was allowed to conduct Antony's funeral rites after she is captured by Octavian.
Realizing that she was destined for Octavian's triumph in Rome, she made several attempts to
take her own life and finally succeeded in mid-August. Octavian had Caesarion
and Antillus killed but spared Julius, as well as Antony's children by Cleopatra.
The exact nature of Cleopatra's death remains unclear, although classical authors
claim that she used aspen, a symbol of divine kingship, to end her life. At the age of 39,
after ruling for nearly 22 years and partnering with Antony for 11 years, Cleopatra died.
She and Antony were buried together as they wished, and the Roman Republic rested with them.
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