Cleopatra VII: The Last Pharaoh of Egypt
Cleopatra VII Philopator (69–30 BCE) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, and the last true pharaoh of ancient Egypt. After her death, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, and the long line of pharaohs that stretched back to Narmer in 3100 BCE came to an end. Cleopatra was a formidable political operator, a skilled diplomat, and a woman of considerable intellectual and linguistic gifts. She was the political ally and lover of Julius Caesar (they had a son, Caesarion, in 47 BCE) and the wife and political partner of Mark Antony; her alliance with Antony brought her into open conflict with Octavian, the future emperor Augustus. After the disastrous Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Cleopatra and Antony retreated to Alexandria, where they both died in August 30 BCE, probably by suicide. The death of Cleopatra ended the Ptolemaic dynasty and brought Egypt under Roman rule.
Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemies, the last pharaoh of Egypt, the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and — to judge from Plutarch — the most entertaining dinner guest of her generation. She was also the first Ptolemaic ruler to bother learning the Egyptian language, which is a more useful piece of evidence about her seriousness than the snake legend. Walk through her life and the Roman civil war she got caught up in via the Egyptian Pharaohs cluster, the Ancient Egypt pillar, and the Roman Republic cluster.
Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemies, the last pharaoh of Egypt, the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and — to judge from Plutarch — the most entertaining dinner guest of her generation. She was also the first Ptolemaic ruler to bother learning the Egyptian language, which is a more useful piece of evidence about her seriousness than the snake legend. Walk through her life and the Roman civil war she got caught up in via the Egyptian Pharaohs cluster, the Ancient Egypt pillar, and the Roman Republic cluster.