CLEOPATRA: BIOGRAPHY, REIGN, JULIUS CAESAR, MARK ANTONIO - ARTE - 2025

Cleopatra (c. 69 BC - 30 BC) was one of the most recognized Egyptian queens of all time. She was part of the Greek dynasty founded by Ptolemy I Soter, who ruled Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great and ended after the death of Cleopatra VII.

She was a very popular sovereign since, although her origins were Greek, she forged a good relationship with her subjects and learned the national language, something that no other member of her lineage had done.

Cleopatra VII, marble, Vatican Museums, Pius-Clementine Museum, Room of the Greek Cross, by Vatican Museums, via Wikimedia Commons.

He came to the throne after the death of his father, Ptolemy XII Auletes. He was a co-ruler of Egypt along with his brother, Ptolemy XIII, who was possibly also his husband. He was a child king, as he rose to office at the age of 10, while Cleopatra VII was approximately 18 years old.

The conflict between the brothers triggered an internal civil war in Egypt. At that time Ptolemy tried to ingratiate himself with Julius Caesar and ordered the death of Pompey. However, instead of an alliance he got the hatred of the Roman general.

Caesar ordered that Cleopatra be queen and assassinated an important ally of Ptolemy XIII, Potino. The young pharaoh was offered to rule in Cyprus, so the complaint escalated and led to the destruction of much of Alexandria, including its famous library.

During 47 a. C. Ptolemy XIII drowned. After that, Cleopatra VII came to reign in Egypt along with another brother: Ptolemy XIV.

Important data

The relationship between the ruler of Rome and that of Egypt passed to the intimate plane and it was said that Cleopatra's son, Caesarion, was Julius Caesar's.

Cleopatra reached Rome, where she remained with Julius Caesar, around 46 BC. C., until he was assassinated two years later. Later, the queen of Egypt took the party of the old friends of the consul: Marco Antonio, Octavio and Lepido.

Cleopatra and Marco Antonio became lovers in 41 BC. C., and they conceived three children. The Egyptian sovereign provided the Roman economic means for his campaigns and this guaranteed stability on the throne.

Venus and Cupid from the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus at Pompeii, most likely a depiction of Cleopatra VII, by Ancient Roman painter (s), via Wikimedia Commons

However, the Roman triumvirate was shattered when Marco Antonio decided to divorce Octavian's sister to marry Cleopatra VII. In 32 a. C., a confrontation between Rome and Egypt broke out in which the Ptolemaic monarch was defeated.

Antonio committed suicide after losing the war in 30 BC. Then Cleopatra, frightened by what the future might hold as a pledge of Octavian's victory over Egypt and Marco Antonio, also took her own life.

Biography

Early years

Cleopatra VII Thea Filopator was born around 69 BC. C., in the capital of Egypt, Alexandria. Her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, was the pharaoh of the Greek dynasty that ruled the area after the death of Alexander the Great and the beginning of Hellenism.

Her maternal ancestry is not fully clarified, some sources indicate that she was the daughter of Cleopatra VI Tryphena, who was expelled from the court at the end of the princess's birth year. Cleopatra's supposed mother had had another daughter with Ptolemy XII, named Berenice IV.

The girl grew up and was educated in Alexandria. Filostrato was in charge of teaching the future queen, especially, philosophy and oratory, two elements of great importance in the Greek education of the time.

In addition, Cleopatra was the first monarch of her lineage, coming from Macedonia, who was given the task of learning the Egyptian language. Likewise, she managed to master Ethiopian, Aramaic, Arabic, Syriac, Latin and many other relevant languages.

It is believed that the young princess was interested in medicine and that the great female figures in Egyptian history were a source of inspiration for Cleopatra VII.

His name was traditional among the Macedonians. Among other women, Alexander the Great's sister was also named Cleopatra. It meant "glory of her father," since it was the feminine form of "Patroclus." The title Thea Philopator can be translated as "goddess who loves her father."

Family

The origin of the Ptolemaic dynasty can be traced back to the first pharaoh to bear this name, Ptolemy I Soter. It was one of the generals, known as the diádocos of Alexander the Great who, after his death, divided up the Empire that the Macedonian commander had built.

Ptolemy XII was one of the illegitimate sons of Ptolemy IX. He came to power thanks to the intervention of Rome after the death of Ptolemy XI Alexander II. At that time his brother, also named Ptolemy, was assigned the governance of Cyprus.

After remaining silent before the fact that Cyprus was annexed to the Roman territories and his brother stripped of his position, Ptolemy XII decided to exile himself from his kingdom and sought refuge in Rhodes. There it is thought that he was accompanied by Cleopatra who was approximately 11 years old.

Then the eldest daughter of Ptolemy XII, Berenice IV, seems to have taken the reins of the kingdom. In 55 a. C., the pharaoh accompanied by Aulo Gabinio recovered his throne.

One of the Roman officials who accompanied them was Marco Antonio, who at that time met Cleopatra and fell in love.

The mandate of Ptolemy XII Auteles was fraught with waste, corruption and great parties. Before dying he assigned two of his children as co-regents: Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII. The brothers are believed to have married then.

Ascent to the throne

Cleopatra was named co-regent by her father in 51 BC. C., a position that she had to share with her half brother, born during her mother's exile. Ptolemy XIII was just a 10-year-old boy, while she had turned 18 and had experienced exile with her father.

During the time she was in the Roman territory, Cleopatra managed to learn the ways of her people, as well as certain political strategies that indicated the way in which she should conduct herself to achieve a successful reign.

Cleopatra immediately assumed the tasks demanded by the kingdom, among them the religious ones with her trip to Hermontis, and the administrative ones, whose greatest exponent was a famine caused by a drought that affected the levels of the Nile, which was the main source of food for the kingdom..

Cleopatra VII at the Berliner Museumsinsel, photo by Louis le Grand, via Wikimedia Commons.

The young monarch found not only a bankrupt state, due to the wasteful nature of her father: she also encountered security problems due to the behavior of the troops who recovered the kingdom for Ptolemy XII and were later expelled from Rome, forcing them to remain. in Egypt.

It is thought that from the end of the same 51 a. C., Cleopatra had put aside the young Ptolemy XIII to take the reins of the kingdom for herself. However, her brother also had influential advisers, such as Potino, who helped her retain power and confront Cleopatra.

Political life

Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII had to resort to arms to try to resolve their conflict. Both sought the assistance of Rome in order to prevail, but it was an error by Potino and Ptolemy XIII that consolidated the control of Cleopatra VII in Egypt.

At the time, Cleopatra had had to flee from Alexandria to Thebes, then to Syria and, again, to Egypt. At the time that the pharaohs were at odds, a civil war also occurred in Rome, between Pompey's side and Julius Caesar's.

Ptolemy XIII believed that assassinating the Roman consul's enemy would guarantee his friendship and gratitude, but he provoked the opposite in the head of Rome.

Caesar requested that the Egyptian rulers make peace and reassume the kingship as equals. Ptolemy refused and sent his forces against Alexandria, where Cleopatra and Julius Caesar were.

Caesar arrested the young pharaoh and showed the Council of Alexandria the testament of Ptolemy XII in which he declared that both brothers should rule together. Potino sent the men of Ptolemy to besiege Alexandria.

Finally, Potino was executed and the reinforcements of Caesar arrived to assist him in the battle of the Nile. While Ptolemy XIII tried to flee, he drowned. Thus Cleopatra was secured in her position as pharaoh.

Last years

Cleopatra had a son in 47 BC. C., presumably of Julio César. After a time he visited Rome and stayed at Caesar's villa. She remained in the city from then until a short time after the murder of her ally and lover.

It is believed that he thought that his son would be named heir, but the one who received that legacy was Octavio. Then, Cleopatra returned to her kingdom and, when Ptolemy XIV died, Caesarion was imposed as a co-regent.

The triumvirate between Lepido (Africa), Octavio (west) and Marco Antonio (east) had already defeated the liberators, Cassius and Brutus, when Cleopatra attended a meeting with Antony. After the meeting in Tarsus, Antonio visited Alexandria in 41 BC. C., and since then they maintained a personal relationship in which Cleopatra also found a military ally.

After a conflict provoked by Fulvia, Marco Antonio's wife, she was assassinated. Then, Octavio and Antonio reconciled their differences, on the condition that the latter marry a sister of the former named Octavia the Younger.

The final confrontation between Marco Antonio and Octavio took place after a series of maneuvers undertaken by Cleopatra and Antony with which they sought to establish their children as the new royalty of the East, according to the Romans, at the cost of their Empire.

Death

Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator took her own life on August 10 or 12, 30 BC. At that time she became the last monarch of the Ptolemaic dynasty to rule Egypt and marked the end of the Hellenic period, during which Greek culture dominated the Mediterranean.

His suicide has been narrated under various circumstances. It is not known whether it occurred in the Palace or in his mausoleum.

Morte di Cleopatra, by Rosso Fiorentino, via Wikimedia Commons.

Furthermore, some versions claim that she took her own life by letting a venomous cobra bite her, while others state that she used a needle or pointed object, or an ointment.

Cleopatra had tried to kill herself some time before, when she found herself defeated by Octavian. She sent a message to Marco Antonio in which she claimed that she had retired to her grave to commit suicide. When the Roman read these words she plunged a sword into her chest and died.

But the Egyptian queen did not realize her intentions on that occasion and was arrested by Octavian's men. She expressed to the Roman that she would not be shown as a prize in a triumph.

His son Cesarion, converted into Ptolemy XV, managed to flee, but only for a short period of time, since at 18 days he was found by Octavian's men and executed on August 29, 30 BC. C.

In this way, Roman rule in Egypt was consolidated, turning the kingdom into one more province.

Relationship with Julius Caesar

Cleopatra's relationship with Julius Caesar arose during the Siege of Alexandria in the period when the Roman ruler decided to favor her over his brother Ptolemy XIII in the fight for the throne of Egypt.

The first son of Cleopatra VII Thea Filopator was born in 47 BC. Caesarion was baptized in honor of who, according to Cleopatra herself, was the father of the child: Julius Caesar, although he never publicly acknowledged the filiation with the son of his ally and lover.

However, Cleopatra lived in Rome, in Caesar's villa, from 46 BC. C., until 44 a. Days after the death of the Roman dictator, the queen of Egypt returned to her land when she realized that her son Caesarion would not be the one who would inherit Rome, but Octavian.

Relationship with Marco Antonio

After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra returned to her dominions. There she considered that she should ally herself with those who were close to her former lover and collaborator in life.

He visited Marco Antonio in Tarsus and there the relationship between them arose, which lasted until both committed suicide after losing the war against Octavian.

Cleopatra had a pair of twins with Marco Antonio, one of the members of the Second Triumvirate who took Roman power after Caesar's death. The infants were called Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, their surnames meant "sun" and "moon", respectively.

Then a third son of the couple was born, Ptolemy Philadelphus, in 36 BC. Each one of them was given great titles: in the case of Alexander Helios, he received that of King of Armenia, Media and Parthia, and Ptolemy Philadelphus was named King of Syria and Cilicia.

Cleopatra Selene II was assigned as queen of Cyrene and Crete. Her older brother, Caesarion, received the title of "King of kings" and her mother "Queen of kings."

Reign

Like her predecessors, Cleopatra was an absolute queen. She took control of both the legal and administrative aspects of the kingdom, as well as the spiritual, an area in which she was also the main authority of the territory.

The custom during the Ptolemaic dynasty was that the descendants of Greeks or Macedonians held the main public positions. There was legal racial segregation, that is, the Greeks and Egyptians could not mix, not only in terms of marital unions, but they lived separately.

It should be noted that this only occurred in large cities, since unions between different races were common in the interior. In addition, the other ethnic groups were allowed to assimilate into Greek culture by educating themselves in that system, accepting its gods and customs.

During Cleopatra's time devaluations were made and the current use of bronze coins was re-established.

In addition, Cleopatra was the first queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty to learn the Egyptian language, which made her popular with her subjects. However, with her death the Hellenistic period of cultural dominance over the Mediterranean ended.

Civil war

The beginning of the mandate of Cleopatra VII was marked by the confrontations that she maintained against her half brother Ptolemy XIII, both heirs to the throne of Egypt, as her father had testified before dying.

The age gap between the two could motivate Cleopatra to take control of the kingdom alone. It is not known if the brothers were married, but soon after Cleopatra signed official documents as the only queen, so it is believed that she disowned him.

She had been away from Egypt for a time together with her father. During this period, she learned how the destiny of her land was at the mercy of the Romans, due to the military superiority that the latter possessed.

The Gabiniani were wreaking havoc on the territory, and the level of the Nile dropped and Egypt found itself devoid of reserves, leading to a famine. Despite these problems, Cleopatra increased the annual income of the national coffers.

Potino had been one of the tutors of the young Ptolemy XIII, was his main adviser and pulled the strings after the actions of the boy king. Seeing that Cleopatra had removed him from office, the boy also began to exercise his authority and issue decrees alone.

The death of Pompey

As the Egyptian brothers were wasting away in an internal war, the Roman Senate and Julius Caesar also began a series of hostilities that led Pompey to take refuge in Greece.

Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII decided to support Pompey. After that, the latter allegedly appointed the boy as sole king, forcing Cleopatra to flee Alexandria. Accompanied by Arsinoe IV, she arrived in Syria and returned with military reinforcements.

Then the battle of Pharsalia was fought, and when he was defeated, Pompey sought refuge in Egypt. Ptolemy's men warned him that such a visit could drag on for an unwanted time, making Egypt the site of Roman warfare. In addition, it could detract from the numbers of Ptolemy XIII in his confrontation with Cleopatra VII.

All of this led to the decision, some claim made by Potino, to assassinate Pompey and offer his embalmed head to Julius Caesar as a pledge of goodwill.

What they did not think was that Caesar would be disgusted by that action, turning then favorable to the enemies of Ptolemy, in this case Cleopatra. However, first he asked both of them to cease hostilities and to reign together as his father, Ptolemy XII, had decided.

Siege of Alexandria

Caesar was in Alexandria when he requested payment of Egypt's debt to Rome. Not only did he get a negative answer, but Ptolemy's soldiers were posted outside the city in which the refugee Roman was with only 4,000 men.

Cleopatra VII decided to go to meet Julius Caesar personally and she did so, but when her brother discovered what was happening he tried to provoke an uprising that did not materialize. On the contrary, Ptolemy XIII remained as Caesar's prisoner in Alexandria.

Potino thought that with a siege it would be sufficient to defeat Caesar and it reunited to the men of Aquilas. The Romans resisted, although the luck of the adviser of Ptolemy was not very good, since soon after he was captured by Caesar's men and assassinated.

Amidst the confusion and power vacuum, Arsinoe IV decided that she must reign. Together with Ganymede, who had assumed command of Aquila's troops, they tried to keep up the pressure against Cleopatra and Caesar. In addition, they managed to recover Ptolemy XIII.

Then, the reinforcements of Caesar arrived and they were measured with the forces of the Egyptians in the Nile, battle that not only won, but in which Ptolemy XIII died trying to escape.

In this way, the government of Cleopatra was consolidated, who came to exercise together with Ptolemy XIV, her other brother.

Consolidation and trip to Rome

After the success that Cleopatra and her new ally achieved in the Battle of the Nile, the Roman general decided to stay in Egypt for a time. However, when the Egyptian monarch's pregnancy began to become apparent, Caesar decided to attend to other matters abroad.

Caesar handing over the throne of Egypt to Cleopatra VII, by Pietro da Cortona, via Wikimedia Commons.

On June 23, 47 a. C., was born the son of Cleopatra and, supposedly, Julio Caesar. The infant was called Caesarion. Although the Roman never recognized him, nor agreed to adopt him so that he could become a Roman citizen, Cleopatra always awarded him paternity.

Both Cleopatra and her brother and husband, Ptolemy XIV, visited Rome in 46 BC. At that time, Caesar commissioned a statue representing the ruler of Egypt to be installed in the temple of Venus.

It is not known exactly if Cleopatra returned to her country after the first trip, since when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. C., she was in Rome. Some sources advocate a single trip, while others propose that it was two independent stays.

After the assassination of Caesar, Cleopatra hoped that her offspring would be the successor to take power in Rome, but that did not happen, since Octavian, Julius Caesar's nephew and grandson, was designated by him as his heir.

At the same time it is believed that the Egyptian was in charge of ordering that her brother be poisoned, with which she went on to rule together with her son, then Ptolemy XV Cesarion.

I return to Egypt and

Despite the fact that Cleopatra thought that Caesarion would rule Rome, the command was assumed by the Second Triumvirate. Octavio, Lepido and, one of the men most loyal to Julius Caesar, Marco Antonio, took control for 5 years in November 43 BC. C.

These three men undertook the task of pacifying Rome and giving justice to the murder of Caesar, tracking those responsible everywhere.

Meanwhile, Cleopatra, who had returned to Egypt, received messages from one of the so-called liberators - the murderers of her former lover and father of her son - in which they requested her help. At the same time the proconsul in Syria wrote to her, loyal to the triumvirs, whom Cleopatra decided to favor.

The soldiers Caesar had posted in Egypt long ago were sent by Cleopatra to join the ranks of the Triumvirate, but the men were captured by Cassius, who was joined by Serapion, of Cyprus.

However, the Egyptian sent her own fleet to Greece, although it did not arrive in time to be able to give assistance to those who tried to avenge the memory of Julius Caesar. In addition to being delayed by a storm, that setback destroyed a large part of the ships.

Reconciliation with the Triumvirate

The situation that involved the kidnapping of the troops via Syria and the absence of Cleopatra's men in Greece during the conflicts with the liberators made her remain a traitor before the Second Triumvirate, since they did not receive help from the Egyptian monarch.

Marco Antonio managed to prevail in 42 a. Then, Cassius and Brutus, both members of the plot against Julius Caesar, decided to end their lives.

At that time the effective power was divided between Octavio and Antonio, although many took it for granted that the latter was the stronger of the two. That is why Cleopatra decided to approach him to clarify the situations that occurred in the past and to make peace with Rome.

During the year 41 a. C., Cleopatra traveled to Tarsus to meet with Marco Antonio, although the initial interest that the meeting took place seems to have been on the part of the Roman. It is thought that she provided Antonio with luxuries appropriate to her guest's position.

The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra, 41 BC, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, via wikimedia Commons

That meeting was very beneficial for the Egyptian since she not only managed to clear her name but also managed to have her sister, Arsínoe IV, executed on the orders of Marco Antonio.

It is thought that from there the intimate relationship between the two rulers could have started.

The Ptolemaic restoration

Just as Cleopatra once found in Julius Caesar someone to serve as a sword and shield, with Marco Antonio she did it once more. In addition, on that occasion she managed to define a plan in which her children could hold more power, even, than Alexander the Great.

It is believed that one of the first territories to return to the hands of Egypt of those that traditionally corresponded to the Ptolemaic dynasty were Cilicia and Cyprus, which according to some were returned to Cleopatra around 40 BC. C.

That same year, Marco Antonio left Egypt, although he kept in communication with Cleopatra, who provided him with the means for his military campaigns against the Parthian Empire.

In the absence of the Roman his twins were born with the Egyptian sovereign: Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II.

Meanwhile Antonio's wife, Fulvia, created a conflict with Octavio, with the help of her brother-in-law, Lucio Antonio. However, that quarrel ended with the victory of Octavio and the death of Fulvia.

In the reconciliation between the members of the triumvirate, Antonio agreed to marry Octavian's sister, called Octavia the Younger.

Roman threat

During the time when Antony left Egypt his relationship with Cleopatra became very fragile. It even moved its headquarters to Greece, which marked the distance between the two. In addition, he has just married Octavia, with whom he conceived two daughters.

At that same time Cleopatra received Herod, a ruler of Judea who had been appointed by Antony, since there were political problems in his land.

Although Cleopatra wanted to win her will by offering her military positions, Herod traveled to Rome and there they made him king of Judea, something that was not to the liking of the Egyptian monarch, who wanted to reunify that area under his rule.

Cleopatra knew that she must act fast, so she agreed to meet with Marco Antonio in Antioch. There she was able to deal with important matters such as the war against the Parthians, while also securing her position by introducing Antonio to twin sons she had never seen.

Border growth

Then there was a very important agreement for Egypt, since thanks to the treaty between Cleopatra and Marco Antonio, the Ptolemaic territories expanded again, especially in the eastern area, where they recovered a large part of Phenicia.

Also part of present-day Israel was annexed, as well as the region of Celesiria, a portion of Nabatea, Cyrene and other territories more. However, all of these areas remained under the effective control of previously established Roman citizens.

All this was interpreted in Rome as an offense on the part of Marco Antonio, of whom Octavio said that he was giving up the territories conquered by the Romans. In addition, Octavio took the opportunity to show that his brother-in-law had neglected his wife, Octavia the Younger, for a foreigner.

Meanwhile Cleopatra accompanied Marco Antonio in part of the journey towards the campaign against the Parthians, but returned to Egypt in 36 BC. C., the year in which she gave birth to Ptolemy Filadelfo, her third offspring with the Roman.

Antony's foray into Parthia was a complete failure and he returned with heavy losses, both in men and in supplies. He decided to visit Alexandria and spend time with his second son, who was very young.

Donations from Alexandria

It is believed that Marco Antonio married Cleopatra in 36 BC. C., which meant an insult for his old ally and brother-in-law, Octavio, as well as for the Romans. The following year he planned to undertake an expedition to Armenia, but canceled it at the last moment.

An attempt was made to achieve the union between the daughter of Artavasdes II and Alexander Helios, the eldest son of Marco Antonio and Cleopatra. Negotiations were unsuccessful, so Antonio invaded Armenia and captured the royal family, whom he paraded in a sort of triumph in Alexandria.

Other stories attest that the wedding between the Roman and the Egyptian took place in the act that took place in 34 BC. C., in which Cleopatra declared herself "queen of kings", while her eldest son, Cesarion, received the title of "king of kings" and legitimate heir and son of Julius Caesar.

Antony and Cleopatra, Palace of Versailles, by René Antoine Houasse via Wikimedia Commons

Alexander Helios was given the titles of King of Armenia, Parthia and Media, while his twin, Cleopatra Selene II was appointed Queen of Crete and Cyrene. The youngest of the sons of Marco Antonio, Ptolemy Philadelphus, obtained the kingdoms of Syria and Cilicia.

That series of appointments became known as the Donations of Alexandria and Marco Antonio requested that they be ratified by the Roman Senate. That was the trigger for the war that later occurred between Octavio and Antonio.

Confrontation against Rome

At the time when the joint government between Antonio and Octavio culminated, that is, in the year 33 a. C., the rivalry between the two began to be a problem for the stability of Rome, which soon caused the last civil war of the Roman Republic.

The exposition of the Alexandria Donations was revealed and public opinion was divided. At that time the supporters of Marco Antonio in Rome fled since the threat of Octavio was imminent within its borders.

Although Antonio had more men under his command, many of them were inexperienced. In addition, he still depended heavily on Cleopatra's financial assistance. Meanwhile, Octavio had battle-hardened and well-trained troops at his command.

Cleopatra was very focused on defending Egypt, so she ignored some of Antony's strategic proposals, which came at a high cost later. In addition, the participation of the Egyptian queen was the reason for important desertions in the ranks of the Romans.

Battle of Accio

One of the events that defined the future of Rome and Egypt was the Battle of Accio. In that contest it is believed that Octavian had 400 ships and 80,000 men, while Marco Antonio and Cleopatra had 500 ships and 120,000 men, although about half of them were not trained soldiers.

Pressure from the Roman fleet forced Marco Antonio to attack, while the Egyptian fleet, led by Cleopatra and consisting mainly of merchant ships laden with the spoils of war, remained in the rear.

The fighting was even throughout the day, but at the end of the afternoon, Cleopatra's boats took advantage of a favorable breeze to retreat without going into combat.

Battle of Accio, by Lorenzo A. Castro via Wikimedia Commons

Antonio followed her, thinking that it was a retreat and panic seized his fleet.

According to other sources, Marco Antonio was cornered against the coast and, anticipating defeat, ordered part of his ships to head north and another part south.

In this way the Roman ships followed them and opened a breach through which he and Cleopatra were able to flee in separate boats, thus managing to protect the loot, but they left their army behind.

Last years of reign

When Marco Antonio and Cleopatra arrived in Egypt, they set off on different paths. The first set out to recruit fresh troops, while he sought refuge in his capital, Alexandria.

The governor of Cyrene, loyal to Mark Antony, decided to side with Octavian before his former ally reached the city and handed over four fresh Roman legions to the enemy.

Then, after a conflict against Nabatea in which Cleopatra had favored Herod, Malicos I decided to burn the entire Egyptian fleet, which left the sovereign without the possibility of escaping from her territory to strengthen herself away from Alexandria.

That was what forced Cleopatra to stay in her capital and start conversations with Octavian, whose victory seemed imminent. It is believed that the sovereign was preparing her eldest son, Cesarion, to assume command of the Government, for which she made him join the ephebeia.

At that time the Egyptian monarch sent emissaries to Octavian in the hope that his children could inherit Egypt and that Marco Antonio would be allowed to remain in his dominions as an exile.

Defeat

Octavian sent a delegate in the hope that he would convince Cleopatra to assassinate Antony to maintain power in Egypt, but that intention was discovered by Antony himself and no settlement was reached.

In the year 30 a. Octavian decided that the only way out was to invade Egypt and he did so by entering through Phenicia, where Herod provided him with hospitality. At the same time other legions were entering through Paraitonion after defeating Marco Antonio.

Death of Cleopatra, by Jean-André Rixens via Wikimedia Commons

So, the remaining theater of operations was Alexandria, where Antonio had to surrender on August 1, 30 BC. C. At that time Cleopatra sent a message to her husband in which she indicated that she had committed suicide and when he heard it she took her own life.

However, that was not the opportunity in which the Egyptian sovereign died, since her suicide was prevented by Octavian's men, at least for a time, since soon after she managed to take her own life to avoid the humiliation of her. that would be submitted by Octavio in Rome.

The Ptolemaic dynasty after Cleopatra

His eldest son, Ptolemy XV Caesarion, died shortly after his mother. This young man represented a threat to the position of Octavio, whose legitimacy was founded on being the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar.

The three children he had along with Marco Antonio: Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II and Ptolemy Philadelphus, were kidnapped by Octavian before his mother took her own life. After the suicides of Marco Antonio and Cleopatra, the children were sent to Rome.

All were present during Octavian's triumph over Egypt in 29 BC. It has been said that the three infants passed into the care of Antony's Roman wife, Octavia the Younger. However, the two males disappear from the historical records thereafter.

Meanwhile, Cleopatra Selene II was offered in marriage to Juba II, the king of Numidia. In the year 25 a. C., Augusto, that was the name adopted by Octavio during the Roman Empire, put them at the head of the government of Mauritania.

Legacy

History

Although there is no biography specifically about Cleopatra among contemporary works with her life, she was mentioned in many historical texts of her time, especially, by Roman sources.

Among the best known events that surrounded his existence was the battle of Accio, his romances with important Romans such as Julius Caesar and Marco Antonio, as well as the calumnies that his enemies raised around him.

One of the most extensive and reliable sources on the story of Cleopatra is Plutarch in his Life of Antony. Although the author did not live at the time when the events occurred, he found close and reliable sources who kept up with Cleopatra.

Another of the works about his life is that of Josephus, based on the stories of Herod and Nicolaus of Damascus, who after serving Cleopatra moved to Judea.

One of those who agreed with Cleopatra was Cicero. He created a depiction of Cleopatra that, probably out of spite, shows her as a very flawed and somewhat evil woman.

With the passing of time, historians were rescuing a more objective vision of Cleopatra, since after the vision of a villain, she became a heroine on behalf of authors such as Virgilio.

Representations

The figure of Cleopatra has inspired many artists from different periods and in the most diverse genres. In the visual arts it has been a center for paintings, sculptures and engravings.

Also in literature through poetry, novels or short stories, a muse was found in the Egyptian pharaoh.

Dance, music, theater are some of the genres that have taken Cleopatra as a central figure.

In addition, after the rise of technologies such as television or cinema, the history of the monarch reached the screens of thousands of viewers in an endless number of series, films and documentaries.

plastic arts

Both Egyptian and Roman artists decided to make sculptures representing Cleopatra VII. One of the most famous during her life was the one that Julius Caesar ordered to be located in the Temple of Venus in Rome.

Busts and reliefs are also preserved that provided a vision about the physique of one of the Egyptian queens most loved by popular culture.

Statue of Aphrodite emerging from the water, probably an idealized version of Cleopatra. Capitoline Museums via Wikimedia Commons.

It is said that a friend of Cleopatra paid the Augustus government to keep the statues of the sovereign after her death.

Currently the most famous representations of Cleopatra are found in museums such as the Antikensammlung in Berlin, the Vatican Museum and the Archaeological Museum of Cherchell in Algeria. In the British Museum there is a bust that could also represent the Ptolemaic monarch.

One of the paintings that has been historically related to Cleopatra is the one dating from the middle of the 1st century BC. C., in which the goddess Venus (possibly the Egyptian queen) appears, along with a Cupid (who would represent Cesarion).

Cleopatra is also depicted in traditional Egyptian reliefs, although in that case she is related to the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Movie theater

In the 7th art, the interesting character that Cleopatra represented for history has also been explored: as a woman, monarch, strategist and seductress.

- Cléopâtre (1899), by Jeanne d'Alcy.

- Antony and Cleopatra (1908), by Florence Lawrence.

- Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt (1912), by Helen Gardner.

- Cleopatra (1917), by Theda Bara.

- Antony and Cleopatra (1924), by Ethel Teare.

- Cleopatra (1934), by Claudette Colbert.

- Dante's Inferno (1935), by Lorna Low.

- Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), by Vivien Leigh.

- Serpent of the Nile (1953), by Rhonda Fleming.

- Due notti with Cleopatra (1954), by Sophia Loren.

- The Story of Mankind (1957), by Virginia Mayo.

- A Queen for Caesar (1962), by Pascale Petit.

- Cleopatra (1963), by Elizabeth Taylor.

- Totò e Cleopatra (1963), by Magali Noël.

- Carry On Cleo (1964), by Amanda Barrie.

- The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), by Sonora.

- Cleopatra (1970), by Chinatsu Nakayama.

- Antony and Cleopatra (1972), by Hildegarde Neil.

- Cleopatra (1999), by Leonor Varela.

- Giulio Cesare (2006), by Danielle de Niese.

References

1. En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Cleopatra Available at: en.wikipedia.org..
2. Tyldesley, J. (2019). Cleopatra - Biography & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: britannica.com..
3. Biography.com Editors (2014). Cleopatra VII. The Biography.com / A&E Television Networks. Available at: biography.com..
4. Gil Palenque, C. (2019). Cleopatra queen of Egypt, published in No. 487 of History and Life. Available at:vanaguardia.com..
5. Nationalgeographic.com.es. (2019). Cleopatra, queen of Ancient Egypt. Available at: nationalgeographic.com.es..
6. En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Reign of Cleopatra. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.