CLEOPATRA 

Berlin bust 
 
 

Cleopatra: Last of the Pharaohs 

Known today primarily for her powers of seduction, Cleopatra's reign signifies the end of Egyptian rule and the transfer of power to the Roman Empire. Literally translated, her name means "glory of her father," however Cleopatra was definitely a woman with her own agenda. 

Early Life 

Born in 69 BC, Cleopatra was the second daughter of Ptolemy XII. Not much is known about her mother, but Cleopatra was Macedonian by descent, and was the only person in her family to learn the Egyptian language. Upon the death of her father in 51 BC, Cleopatra ascended to the throne along with her 15-year-old brother Ptolemy XIII, to whom she was married. 

Seizure of Power 

The period of the siblings' peaceful joint rule was quickly over when the two started a civil war in 48 BC. When Caesar arrived in Egypt in October 48 BC, Cleopatra made it a point of 
convincing the great ruler to help her win the war. According to Plutarch,   

"For her actual beauty, it is said, was not in itself so remarkable that none 

compared with her, or that no one could see her without being struck by it, but the 

contract of her presence, if you lived with her, was irresistable; the attraction of 

her person...and the character that attended all she said or did, was something 

bewitching." 

She understood the power Rome possessed, it was they after all, who helped her father regain power after his expulsion in 58 BC. And with her remarkable ability to influence, it is no surprise that the the great Caesar fought on her behalf. Caesar eventually won, and Cleopatra was restored to the throne, which she now shared with her brother Ptolemy XIV. Caesar left Egypt soon after his victory, and in 47 BC, Cleopatra bore a son Caesarion, who is rumored to have been Caesar's child. For two years, she lived in one of Caesar's villas as his mistress. She promptly left Rome after Caesar's assasination 

Life with Mark Anthony 

After winning the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, in which he defeated Caesar's assasins, Mark Antony soon set his eyes on an invasion of Persia. Requesting Cleopatra's presence at Tarsus, he was immediately captivated by the intriguing queen who floated up the Cydnus River on a barge. Antony decided to postpone his campaign and returned to Alexandria with Cleopatra. In 40 BC, the couple had twins Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios. It was also in this year that Antony returned to Rome to negotiate a settlement with Caesar's great-nephew Octavian. He also married Octavian's sister Octavia. Three years later, he left Rome for Egypt (abandoning his wife and two children), not only to finance his Persian campaign with Cleopatra's money, but also to marry her. 

Deeply insulted by this public attack on his sister's honor, Octavian vowed to seek revenge. 
Having already engaged in a marriage that was illegal under Roman law, Antony went a step further and officially proclaimed lands for his children. Armenia and the territory to the west of the Euphrates would go to Alexander Helios, Selene would receive Cyrene, and Ptolemy, born in 36 BC, would get land west of Armenia 

  
Cleopatra
by Sir William Alma-Tadema

The Roman Senate officially declared war on Antony and Cleopatra, and the two were defeated at the infamous Battle of Actium in 31 BC. They were then followed to Egypt by Octavian. Cleopatra sent servants to say she had died in her mausoleum. Antony then fell 
on his sword, asked to be taken to her, and seeing that she was still alive, asked her to make peace with Octavian. Her subsequent negotiations with Octavian having failed, she killed herself with an asp in full regal attire on a bed of gold. According to her and Antony's wishes, the two were buried together. 

  
The Caesarium, a temple built by Cleopatra honoring Mark Antony, also used to have two obelisks known as "Cleopatra's Needles". Thotmes III originally had them in Cairo, but they were moved to the temple in 30 BC.   The needles were presented as gifts to the American 
and British governments in the nineteenth century. One is now in Central Park in New York City, the other is on the Embankment in London. 
 
 

 With the death of Cleopatra, a whole era in Egyptian history was closed. Alexandria remained capital of Egypt, but Egypt was now a Roman province. The age of Egyptian Monarchs gave way to the age of Roman Emperors, and Cleopatra's death gave way to the rise of Rome. The Ptolemies were of Macedonian descent, yet they ruled Egypt 
as Egyptians - as Pharaohs. And, indeed, Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh. 
 
 
 

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