Unlucky Greek. The myths about Cleopatra that you thought were true. Cleopatra is one of the most famous female rulers in history.

Name Cleopatra shrouded in mysteries: her lovers are often said to have paid with their lives for possessing her for one night, her beauty is legendary, and her dramatic suicide still excites the minds of both romantics and historians. By the way, the death of the last queen of Hellenistic Egypt is a moot point. Until now, scientists doubt whether it really was suicide?

Cleopatra was born in 69 BC and spent her entire life in Alexandria. For more than three centuries, her family ruled Egypt. Cleopatra had an excellent education, spoke seven languages. Amazingly, among her ancestors there were no cases of suicide, but there were plenty of violent deaths. Perhaps it was this fact that made historians doubt the voluntary death of the queen.

According to historians, Cleopatra had an explosive temper, she was very cruel. So, at the age of 18, she married her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, but did not want to share the throne with him. Shortly after Ptolemy matured and claimed his rights, Cleopatra turned to Julius Caesar for help to help her become the sole ruler of Egypt. Having entered into a formal marriage with another brother, Ptolemy XIV, Cleopatra gave birth to a son from Caesar, who received the name Caesarion. Having a formal co-ruler, the fearless queen poisoned Ptolemy XIV.

The turning point in the life of Cleopatra was the acquaintance with the Roman commander Mark Antony. The queen enchanted the Roman with her beauty, at her request he even executed Arsinia, Cleopatra's sister (in those cruel times, such were manifestations of sympathy). A few years after they met, Cleopatra gave birth to Mark Antony's son Alexander Helios ("The Sun") and daughter Cleopatra Selene ("Moon"). The happy life of the rulers in love did not last long: a civil war was imminent, in which Octavian opposed Mark Antony. Historically, after being defeated at the Battle of Actium, Mark Antony committed suicide when he received false news of Cleopatra's suicide. The queen herself followed his example a few days later.

According to the most common version, Cleopatra died from a snakebite, having handed over a suicide note to Octavian before that. Scientists suggest that the effect of the poison would take at least a few hours, while the note was delivered to Octavian immediately and he could well have managed to save the queen.

More likely is the version that Octavian himself became the murderer of Cleopatra. Using the queen as a pawn to start a war with Mark Antony, who controlled the east of the Roman Empire, Octavian achieved the desired result. To save Caesarion, Cleopatra sent him to Ethiopia, but Octavian found the heir to the throne and gave the order to kill him. On the way to the throne, Octavian was left with only Cleopatra.

According to recent research, Cleopatra could not have died from a snakebite, but from taking a poisonous cocktail. The Egyptians knew a lot about poisons, the mixture the queen took contained opium, aconite and hemlock. And today it is completely unclear whether the decision to poison himself was voluntary, or whether someone else was involved in this.

The mystery of Cleopatra's death has not yet been solved. Scientists can only speculate, because we can no longer return to the events that took place 2000 years ago. True, the history of Ancient Egypt from time to time reminds of itself. So, in 1992 it was. However, was this event also a grandiose hoax?

Cleopatra VII (69 - 30 BC) - the last queen of Egypt, the most famous woman of the ancient era.
Cleopatra was born on November 2, 69 BC. e. She is one of the three (known) daughters of King Ptolemy XII Auletes of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty, founded by Ptolemy I, the commander of Alexander the Great.

Reliable images of Cleopatra have not been preserved. There are several antique busts of Cleopatra, the most reliable is the Algerian bust of Cleopatra, now located in the Berlin Museum of Antiquities, created after her death on the occasion of the wedding of Cleopatra's daughter. Some scientists believe that this is a bust of Cleopatra herself in her last years, others believe that the bust depicts not Cleopatra, but her daughter. Images of Cleopatra have been preserved on coins cast in her reign, but it is difficult to say how much they reflect her actual appearance.
The ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who saw the portrait of Cleopatra, in the biography of Mark Antony describes the appearance of Cleopatra as follows: “the beauty of this woman was not what is called incomparable and striking at first sight, but her appeal was distinguished by irresistible charm, and therefore her appearance, combined with rare persuasiveness speeches, with great charm, showing through in every word, in every movement, firmly cut into the soul.The very sounds of her voice caressed and delighted the ear, and the language was like a multi-stringed instrument, easily tuned to any tune - to any dialect, so that only she spoke with very few barbarians through an interpreter, and most often she herself talked with strangers - Ethiopians, troglodytes, Jews, Arabs, Syrians, Medes, Parthians ... They say that she also studied many languages, while the kings who ruled before her did not know even Egyptian, and some have forgotten Macedonian."

The Roman historian Sextus Aurelius Victor, negatively inclined towards Cleopatra, writes about her this way: "She was so depraved that she often prostituted, and possessed such beauty that many men paid with their death for possessing her for one night." However, the Roman sources describing Cleopatra should not be treated with confidence, because. Cleopatra in the eyes of the Romans was an enemy, and the ancient historiography of Cleopatra was inspired by the winner of Cleopatra, Emperor Octavian Augustus, who did not want her idealization at all.

Testament of Ptolemy XII, who died in March 51 BC. e., passed the throne to Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, who was then about 9 years old, and with whom she was married formally, since according to Ptolemaic custom, a woman could not reign on her own. Cleopatra at first ruled alone, removing her young brother, but then the latter won revenge, relying on the eunuch Potinus (who was something like the head of government) and the commander Achilles.
At this time, a civil war was going on in the Roman Republic between Caesar and Pompey. The defeated Pompey fled to Egypt, hoping to find support, but was killed by Ptolemy's close associates, who hoped to win favor with Caesar. However, Caesar, having arrived in Egypt, was angry with the massacre of Pompey. Caesar decides to restore order in Egypt, which is torn apart by a feud between Cleopatra and her brother. Plutarch in the biography of Caesar describes the first meeting of Caesar and Cleopatra as follows:
“Cleopatra, taking with her only one of her friends, Apollodorus of Sicily, got into a small boat and, at nightfall, landed near the royal palace. Since it was otherwise difficult to go unnoticed, she climbed into a bed bag and stretched out in it to its full length. Apollodorus tied the bag with a belt and carried it across the courtyard to Caesar. They say that this cunning of Cleopatra already seemed bold to Caesar and captivated him. Finally subdued by Cleopatra's courtesy and her beauty, he reconciled her with the king so that they reigned together.

A rebellion began against Caesar in Egypt, which Caesar managed to suppress. King Ptolemy is dead. Cleopatra, formally combined with her other young brother Ptolemy XIV, actually became the undivided ruler of Egypt under a Roman protectorate, the guarantee of which was the three legions left in Egypt.
Cleopatra gave birth to a son from Caesar, who was named Caesarion. In the summer of 46 BC. Caesar calls Cleopatra to Rome (formally - to conclude an alliance between Rome and Egypt). Cleopatra was allocated Caesar's villa in his gardens on the banks of the Tiber. There was even a rumor that Caesar was going to take Cleopatra as his second wife and move the capital to Alexandria. Caesar himself ordered that a gilded statue of Cleopatra be placed at the altar of Venus the Ancestor (Venus as the mythical ancestor of the Julius family, to which he belonged). However, Caesar did not dare to officially recognize Caesarion as his son.
Caesar was killed as a result of a conspiracy on March 15, 44 BC. e. A month later, in mid-April, Cleopatra left Rome and arrived in Alexandria in July. Shortly thereafter, the 14-year-old Ptolemy XIV died. According to Josephus Flavius, he was poisoned by his sister: the birth of a son gave Cleopatra a formal co-ruler. In this situation, the maturing brother was completely redundant to her.
In Rome, a civil war began between the murderers of Caesar, Cassius and Brutus on the one hand, and on the other hand, his heirs Antony and Octavian. Antony and Octavian won. In the division of the Roman world, made after the defeat of the Republicans, Antony got the East. Antony, planning a war with the Parthians, arrives in Egypt to enlist Egyptian help. Cleopatra at the time of their meeting was 29 years old, Anthony - 40. According to Plutarch, the queen arrived at the meeting with Anthony "on a boat with a gilded stern, purple sails and silver-plated oars, which moved to the tune of a flute, harmoniously
combined with the whistle of flutes and the rattling of citharas. The queen rested under a canopy embroidered with gold in the dress of Aphrodite, as the painters depict her, and on both sides of the bed stood boys with fans - like erotes in pictures. In the same way, the most beautiful slave girls were disguised as Nereids and Charites and stood at the stern oars, some at the ropes. Marvelous incense rose from countless incense burners and spread along the banks. "Antony was completely captivated by Cleopatra. Their romance lasted more than 10 years until their death. Cleopatra had three children from Antony.

By 32 B.C. relations between the former allies - Antony and Octavian - finally turned from friendly to hostile. Antony, carried away by Cleopatra and breaking with his official wife Octavia (Octavian's sister), giving away Roman lands to Cleopatra's children, began to look like a traitor in the eyes of the Romans. At the Battle of Actium on September 2, 31 BC. e. the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra lost, the vanquished returned to Egypt and tried to escape to India, but when they tried to drag the ships across the Isthmus of Suez, they were burned by the Arabs. The escape plan had to be abandoned.
When Octavian reached Egypt, Antony committed suicide by throwing himself on a sword. Cleopatra tried to seduce Octavian, or at least negotiate with him, but the charms of the 39-year-old queen were powerless this time. Octavian wanted to take Cleopatra as a prisoner to Rome to participate in his triumph, but Cleopatra committed suicide. According to the most common version, Cleopatra died from a snake bite, but the snake was not found in the room. According to another, more plausible version, Cleopatra was poisoned by poison. This version is supported by the quick death of Cleopatra, the fact that she tested poisons on prisoners shortly before her death, and finally, the fact that two dead servants were found together with Cleopatra (it is doubtful that one snake killed three people). Octavian unsuccessfully tried to revive Cleopatra with the help of the Psylli, an exotic tribe that could suck out poison harmlessly to themselves.

The image of Cleopatra has been embodied in cinema many times. The most famous performer of the role of Cleopatra is Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away on March 23. Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, was released in 1963.

The predecessors of Elizabeth Teilov in the role of Cleopatra were no less famous actresses - Vivien Leigh (film "Caesar and Cleopatra", 1945) and Sophia Loren (film "Two Nights with Cleopatra", 1953).

Of the modern incarnations of Cleopatra in the cinema, one can note, for example, Monica Belucci in the film "Asterix and Obelix: Mission" Cleopatra ".

Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator - the last ruler of Hellenistic Egypt.

She belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty and lived in 69-30 BC.

Cleopatra is considered the last Egyptian pharaoh, although this is not entirely correct. The queen became famous for her beauty, which was considered unearthly.

According to the legends spread by Greek and Roman authors, she was so beautiful that many men were willing to give their lives in just one night with her. The dramatic love of Cleopatra and the Roman commander Mark Antony and Julius Caesar is known. She had children from both.

However, the unearthly beauty of Cleopatra did not save Egypt from losing independence. The country was conquered by Rome. Later ancient authors describe Cleopatra most often in a negative way.

Apparently, the ancient authors denigrated the image of the queen to please Octavian, the conqueror of Egypt, who considered her a dangerous opponent of Rome, moreover, "spoiled" Mark Antony. Perhaps Octavian was infuriated by the pride of the queen, who committed suicide so as not to become his prisoner.

General information

Cleopatra (69 - 30 BC) was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and the sister of Ptolemies XIII and XIV. Most likely, she was born from a concubine, since only Berenice was the legitimate daughter of Ptolemy. At first, Cleopatra reigned with her brothers as co-rulers, but soon gained full power, getting rid of the second co-ruler-brother - Ptolemy XIV.

There is very little information about the queen's childhood and youth. It is known that in 58-55 there was a turmoil in Egypt, as a result of which her father was overthrown and expelled from the country. Berenice became the new ruler. But not for long - the father, relying on the help of the Romans, returned and again took the throne.

He launched a large-scale repression against his enemies, including the death of his own daughter, Berenice. These dramatic events certainly influenced the young Cleopatra, teaching her to be strong, domineering and ruthless. Egypt remained an independent country, but henceforth existed under a Roman protectorate.

Unusual is the fact that Cleopatra had a good education. At that time, the Greeks, even in royal families, did not care about the upbringing and education of women. In addition to this, the queen had a natural mind and ingenuity and could properly dispose of her education.

Egyptian queen Cleopatra photo

In addition to her native Greek, she spoke many languages - Egyptian, Aramaic, Hebrew, Ethiopian, Berber, Persian and Latin. There are many images of the queen, but almost all of them idealize her appearance. However, there are several statues and portraits on coins that show her apparently realistic features - wavy hair, large eyes, a prominent chin and aquiline nose; all these traits were hereditary in the Ptolemaic family.

Meeting with Caesar

When his father died, Cleopatra was to take the throne. However, according to the custom adopted by the Ptolemies, a woman could not reign on her own. Therefore, she had to enter into a formal marriage with her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was then only nine years old. At first, the quite adult girl ruled herself, but the boy quickly grew up and, relying on the courtiers, achieved primacy in matters of power.

Then Cleopatra fled to Syria and gathered an army there. She moved to Egypt, but her brother was waiting for her at the border with his army. The situation became critical, but "something" happened. Gnaeus Pompey, the great Roman senator, arrived in Egypt. He was hiding from Caesar, who seized all power in Rome. Ptolemy ordered the senator to be killed, which was done. So he hoped to earn the favor of the Roman dictator.

However, he acted differently. He ordered to solemnly bury his political opponent, and demanded from Ptolemy XIII to return the debts accumulated by his father. On account of this, he could conquer Egypt, but he did not do this and decided to rely on Cleopatra, who would become a puppet.

Caesar called Cleopatra to his place in Alexandria. It was not easy for her to get there - her brother's troops stood in front of the city. She was helped by her lover Apollodorus, who secretly smuggled her in a boat, and then carried her to the palace - but not in a carpet, as is commonly believed, but in a bed bag. The dictator was immediately captivated by the beautiful queen. Soon they entered into an actual marriage, despite the fact that formally Cleopatra was married to her second young brother.

Ptolemy, believing that he had been betrayed, raised an uprising, but it was crushed by Caesar. After defeating the rebels, Caesar and Cleopatra held lavish festivities in the Egyptian capital.

Under the auspices of Caesar

Caesar gave his favorite a rich villa in Rome, where she received noble Romans. He ordered her gilded statue to be installed in the temple of Venus. However, the honors given to her did not please the Republicans, and this hastened the death of the dictator.

Meeting with Mark Antony

After the assassination of Caesar, Cleopatra was forced to maneuver between the supporters of the murdered and his opponents. More precisely, she decided to cooperate with the murderers of her patron, since they were very strong politically and controlled vast possessions.

Serapion, the Syrian governor of Cleopatra, helped Cassius on her orders, sending him money and a fleet. The further reign of the queen was accompanied by disasters within the country:

Prolonged crop failures and the threat of famine;
The atrocities of the Roman legions remaining in Egypt;
Egypt was also threatened by Antony, the Roman commander and governor in Cilicia.

Anthony was preparing for a big military campaign. To get more money for this, he decided to accuse Cleopatra of collaborating with Brutus and Cassius. To this end, he summoned the queen to him. However, she went to the trick. Knowing Antony's love for external brilliance, vanity and craving for luxury, she equipped a luxurious ship, decorated with gold, silver and other jewels, and went on it to him.

She herself was in the outfit of Aphrodite, and the girls dressed as nymphs ruled the ship. Arriving at Antony, she called him to the ship, where she arranged a feast. Mark Antony was captivated by such an appeal and Cleopatra herself. She also said that Serapion helped Cassius without her knowledge, and she herself prepared another fleet - for the Caesarians, but it could not be sent due to an unfavorable wind.

Instead of the punishment that Antony intended to bring down on Cleopatra, he fell in love with her. Their romance and life together lasted ten years. However, it is difficult to say what the role of political calculation was in these relations; it is known that with the help of Antony, the queen was able to carry out many of her plans, and with the help of Egyptian money he could support the army.

Death

When Egypt was occupied by troops, Cleopatra tried to resist, but this did not help. Roman troops reached the capital. Then the queen hid in her tomb. But Octavian was informed that she committed suicide. Then he threw himself on the sword in despair and died.

Cleopatra was saddened and also wanted to stick a dagger in herself, but then she changed her mind and decided to surrender to Octavian - in the hope that she would charm the conqueror again. However, the beauty of Cleopatra, somewhat weakened over the years, did not touch him. Octavian conquered Egypt and prepared to celebrate his triumph.

Cleopatra pretended to be sick and took to her bed. At her request, a servant secretly brought poison into her chambers (according to another version, a poisonous snake). Some time later, the queen died.

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%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%89%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5%20 Ptolemy XII, who died in March 51 BC e. , passed the throne to Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, who was then about 9 years old, and with whom she was married formally, since according to Ptolemaic custom, a woman could not reign on her own. She ascended the throne under the official title of Θέα Φιλοπάτωρ (Thea Philopator), that is, the goddess who loves her father (from an inscription on a stele from 51 BC). The first three years of the reign were not easy due to a 2-year crop failure caused by insufficient flooding of the Nile.

With the accession of the co-rulers, the latent struggle of the parties immediately began. Cleopatra at first ruled alone, removing her young brother, but then the latter took revenge, relying on the eunuch Potin (who was something like the head of government), the commander Achilles and his tutor Theodotus (orator from Chios). In a document dated October 27, 50 B.C. e. , the name of Ptolemy appears underlined in the first place.

The war between the killers of Caesar, Cassius and Brutus on the one hand, and on the other hand, his heirs Antony and Octavian, demanded resourcefulness from the queen. The East was in the hands of Caesar's assassins: Brutus controlled Greece and Asia Minor, and Cassius settled in Syria. Cleopatra's viceroy in Cyprus, Serapion, helped Cassius with money and a fleet, with the undoubted consent of the queen, no matter what feelings she had for the murderers of her Roman patron. She later officially retracted Serapion's actions. On the other hand, Cleopatra equipped the fleet, allegedly, as she later assured, to help the Caesarians. In 42 BC e. The Republicans were crushed at Philippi. The situation for Cleopatra immediately changed.

Cleopatra and Anthony

Meeting with Mark Antony

Cleopatra on a luxurious ship goes to Antony. Frame from the film "Cleopatra", 1963

Cleopatra was 28 years old when she was in 41 BC. e. met a 40-year-old Roman commander. It is known that Anthony, as the head of the cavalry, participated in the restoration of Ptolemy XII to the throne in 55 BC. e. , but it is unlikely that they met at that time, although Appian cites a rumor that Antony was carried away by the 14-year-old Cleopatra even at that time. They could meet during the stay of the queen in Rome, but before their meeting in 41 BC. e. they apparently did not know each other well.

In the division of the Roman world, made after the defeat of the Republicans, Antony got the East. Antony decides to implement Caesar's project - a big campaign against the Parthians. In preparation for the campaign, he sends the officer Quintus Dellius to Alexandria to demand Cleopatra to come to Cilicia. He was going to accuse her of helping the assassins of Caesar, apparently hoping, under this pretext, to get as much money from her for the campaign.

Cleopatra, having found out through Dellius about the character of Antony and, above all, about his amorousness, vanity and love for outward brilliance, arrives on a ship with a gilded stern, purple sails and silver-plated oars; she herself sat in the outfit of Aphrodite, on both sides of her stood boys in the form of erotes with fans, and the maidservant in the robes of nymphs controlled the ship. The ship moved along the Cydn River to the sound of flutes and citharas, wrapped in incense smoke. Then she invites Antony to her place for a sumptuous feast. Antony was completely fascinated. The queen easily rejected the prepared accusations, stating that Serapion acted without her knowledge, and she herself equipped a fleet to help the Caesarians, but this fleet, unfortunately, was delayed by contrary winds. As a first courtesy to Cleopatra, Antony, at her request, ordered the immediate execution of her sister Arsinoe, who sought refuge in the temple of Aphrodite in Ephesus.

Thus began a ten-year romance, one of the most famous in history - even though we cannot judge how much political calculation in relations with Antony was necessary for Cleopatra to carry out her plans. For his part, it was only with the help of Egyptian money that Antony could support his huge army.

Restoration of the Lagid Empire

Anthony, leaving the army, followed Cleopatra to Alexandria, where he spent the winter of 41-40. BC e., indulging in drinking and entertainment. For her part, Cleopatra tried to bind him as tightly as possible.

Cleopatra ordered to count from this moment a new era of her reign in documents. She herself took the official title Θεα Νεωτερα Φιλοπατωρ Φιλοπατρις ( Fea Neothera Philopator Philopatris), that is, "a younger goddess who loves her father and fatherland." The title was intended for the annexed Syrians, who already had a queen (senior goddess) of Ptolemaic blood, Cleopatra Fea, in the 2nd century BC. BC e. , the title also indicated, according to historians, the Macedonian roots of Cleopatra, which was a weighty argument for the Greek-Macedonian ruling class of Syria.

Children of Antony and Cleopatra

In 37-36 years. BC e. Antony launches a disastrous campaign against the Parthians, mainly due to the harsh winter in the mountains of Armenia and Media (northwest of present-day Iran). Antony himself narrowly escaped death.

Not all of the granted territories were under the real control of Anthony. Josephus claims that Cleopatra also demanded Judea from Antony, but was refused; however, this message has been questioned.

The news of the distribution of land caused great indignation in Rome, Antony clearly broke with all Roman traditions and began to play the Hellenistic monarch.

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Battle of Actium

Antony still enjoyed considerable popularity in the senate and the army, but with his antics in the Eastern Hellenistic spirit, challenging Roman norms and traditional ideas, he himself gave Octavian a weapon against him. By 32 BC e. it came to a civil war. At the same time, Octavian proclaimed it a war of "the Roman people against the Egyptian queen." The Egyptian, who enslaved the Roman commander with her charms, was portrayed as the focus of everything oriental, Hellenistic-royal, alien to Rome and "Roman virtues."

On the part of Antony and Cleopatra, a fleet of 500 ships was prepared for the war, of which 200 were Egyptian. Antony waged the war sluggishly, indulging in feasts and festivities in all Greek cities along the way with Cleopatra, and giving Octavian time to organize the army and navy. While Antony was gathering troops to the western coast of Greece, intending to cross to Italy, Octavian himself quickly crossed to Epirus and imposed a war on Antony on his territory.

Cleopatra's stay in Antony's camp, her constant intrigues against everyone in whom she saw her ill-wishers, did Antony a disservice, prompting many of his supporters to defect to the enemy. Characteristic is the story of an ardent supporter of Antony Quintus Dellius, who nevertheless was forced to defect to Octavian, because he was warned that Cleopatra was going to poison him for a joke that she considered offensive to herself. The defectors informed Octavian of the contents of Antony's will, which was immediately removed from the Temple of Vesta and published. Antony officially recognized Cleopatra as his wife, her sons as his legitimate children, and bequeathed to bury himself not in Rome, but in Alexandria next to Cleopatra. Antony's will completely discredited him.

Octavian, who was not a major military leader, found in the person of Mark Vipsanius Agrippa a competent commander who successfully waged war. Agrippa managed to drive the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra into the Gulf of Ambracia and blocked it. Their troops began to feel the lack of food. Cleopatra insisted on a sea breakthrough. At the council of war, this opinion prevailed. The result was the naval Battle of Actium on September 2, 31 BC. e. When Cleopatra feared that victory was slipping away, she decided to flee with her entire fleet in an attempt to save something else. Anthony ran after her. His defeated fleet surrendered to Octavian, and after that, the demoralized land army surrendered without a fight.

Death of Antony and Cleopatra

Antony returned to Egypt and did nothing to continue the fight against Octavian. However, he did not have any real resources for this. He wasted his strength in drinking parties and luxurious festivities, and announced, together with Cleopatra, the creation of the "Union of Suicide Boats", whose members swore to die together. Their close associates had to join this union. Cleopatra tested poisons on prisoners, trying to find out which poison brings a faster and painless death - the Armenian king Artavazd II became a victim of these experiments. Cleopatra was preoccupied with saving Caesarion. She sent him to India, but he then returned back to Egypt. She herself at one time rushed about with plans to escape to India, but when they tried to drag ships across the Isthmus of Suez, they were burned by the Arabs. These plans had to be abandoned.

Death of Cleopatra. Painting by Jean André Rixens (1874)

Octavian admonished Cleopatra with encouraging words and left.

Soon, the Roman officer Cornelius Dolabella, who was in love with Cleopatra, informed her that in three days she would be sent to Rome for the triumph of Octavian. Cleopatra ordered that a pre-written letter be handed over to him and locked herself with the maids. Octavian received a letter in which he found complaints and a request to bury her with Antony, and immediately sent people. The messengers found Cleopatra dead, in royal attire, on a golden bed. Since before that a peasant with a pot of figs went to Cleopatra, who did not arouse suspicion among the guards, it was decided that a snake was carried in a pot to Cleopatra. It was claimed that two light injections were barely visible on Cleopatra's hand. The snake itself was not found in the room, as if it immediately crawled out of the palace.

According to another version, Cleopatra kept the poison in a hollow hairpin. This version is supported by the fact that both of Cleopatra's maids died with her. It is doubtful that one snake killed three people at once. According to the historian Dio Cassius, Octavian tried to revive Cleopatra with the help of the Psylli, an exotic tribe that could suck out poison harmlessly to themselves.

Cleopatra in art

Poems "" (Pushkin, Bryusov, Blok, Akhmatova)
Georg Ebers "Cleopatra"
Henry Rider Haggard "Cleopatra"
Davtyan Larisa. "Cleopatra" (poetic cycle). M., River of times, 2010
A. Vladimirov "Rule of Cleopatra" (musical drama)

Cleopatra in cinema

Cleopatra is dedicated to many films. The most famous of them:

Cleopatra (film, 1899) - silent black-and-white film directed by Georges Méliès, starring Jeanne D'alcy
Cleopatra (film, 1912) - silent black-and-white film, as Helen Gardner
Cleopatra (film, 1917) - silent black-and-white film, as Ted Bar
Cleopatra (film, 1934) - Oscar nominee, as Claudette Colbert
Caesar and Cleopatra (film, 1945) - as Vivien Leigh
Antony and Cleopatra (film, 1951) - as Pauline Lets
Two Nights with Cleopatra (film) (1953) - as Sophia Loren
Cleopatra (film, 1963) - Oscar nominee, as Cleopatra Elizabeth Taylor
I, Cleopatra and Antony (film) (1966) - as Stavros Paravas
Asterix and Cleopatra (cartoon, 1968) - voiced Cleopatra by Micheline Dax
Antony and Cleopatra (film, 1973) - as Janet Sazman
Crazy Nights of Cleopatra (film) (1996) - as Marcella Petrelli
Cleopatra (film, 1999) - as Leonor Varela
Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (film, 2002) - the role of Cleopatra was played by Monica Bellucci
The Roman Empire. August (film) (2003) - as Anna Valle
Rome (2005-2007) - HBO/BBC TV drama, starring Lindsay Marshall as Cleopatra.

Cleopatra in astronomy

asteroid (216) Cleopatra. Discovered on April 10, 1880 by the Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory

Notes

Literature

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
A. Petrov. A few pages in defense of Cleopatra// East-West-Russia. Sat. articles. - M.: "Progress-Tradition", 2002, p. 383-390.
And Kravchuk. Sunset Ptolemies- M .: "Science", Ch. ed. east Literature, 1973, 217 p.

Links and sources

When writing the article, material from the French Wikipedia was used. Also used:

Plutarch, "Caesar"; "Anthony"
Appian, "Civil Wars", Vol. II, V
Suetonius, "The Divine Julius", "Augustus"
"Notes on the Alexandrian War" by an unknown author
Bengtson G., Rulers of the Hellenistic era, M., 1982
Alexander Kravchuk, Sunset of the Ptolemies
Roman History, by Cassius Dio, Book 51

Lagid
Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy II Philadelphus Ptolemy Ceraunus Meleager Ptolemy III Euergetes Ptolemy IV Philopator Ptolemy V Epiphanes Ptolemy VI Philometor Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator Ptolemy VIII Fiscon Ptolemy IX Lathyr Ptolemy X Alexander Berenice III Ptolemy XI Alexander Ptolemy XII Auletes Cleopatra V Berenice IV Ptolemy XIII Ptolemy XIV Cleopatra VII Philopator Ptolemy XV Caesarion
Hellenistic rulers

Prominent figures of ancient Egypt
Pharaohs of the Early Kingdom	Narmer Menes Khor Aha Djer Den Hasekhemui
Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom	Djoser Sneferu Khufu Khafra Menkaura Sahura Piopi II
Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom	Mentuhotep II Amenemhat I Senusret I Senusret III Amenemhat III
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Cleopatra VII Philopator (ancient Greek Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ). She was born on November 2, 69 BC. - died on August 12, 30 BC The last queen of Hellenistic Egypt from the Macedonian Ptolemaic (Lagid) dynasty.

Cleopatra was born on November 2, 69 BC. e. (officially year 12 of the reign of Ptolemy XII), apparently in Alexandria. She is one of the three (known) daughters of King Ptolemy XII Auletes, possibly from a concubine, since, according to Strabo, this king had only one legitimate daughter, Berenice IV, queen in 58-55 BC. e.

Nothing is known about Cleopatra's childhood and youth. Undoubtedly, she was strongly impressed by the turmoil of 58-55, when her father was overthrown and expelled from Egypt, and his daughter (Cleopatra's sister) Berenice became queen.

Restored to the throne by the forces of the Roman governor of Syria, Gabinius, Ptolemy XII throws himself into massacres, repressions and murders (of which Berenice fell as a victim).

As a result, he turns into a puppet, kept in power only thanks to the Roman presence, burdening the finances of the country. The troubles of her father's reign taught a lesson to the future queen, who used all means to get rid of opponents and everyone who stood in her way - such as from her younger brother Ptolemy XIV in 44 BC. e. and later from sister Arsinoe IV.

Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt for 21 years in succession with her brothers(they are traditionally formal husbands) Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, then in an actual marriage with the Roman commander Mark Antony. She was the last independent ruler of Egypt before the Roman conquest and is often, although not entirely correctly, considered the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She gained wide popularity thanks to her love affair with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. By Caesar she had a son, by Antony two sons and a daughter.

Sources on Cleopatra - Plutarch, Suetonius, Appian, Dio Cassius, Josephus Flavius.

For the most part, ancient historiography is unfavorable to her. There is an opinion that the denigration of Cleopatra was carried out by the conqueror of Egypt, Octavian and his entourage, who sought by all means to denigrate the queen, presenting her not just as a dangerous enemy of Rome and the evil genius of Mark Antony. An example is the judgment about Cleopatra of a Roman historian of the 4th century. Aurelius Victor: "She was so depraved that she often prostituted, and possessed such beauty that many men paid with their death for the possession of her for one night."

She ascended the throne under the official title of Θέα Φιλοπάτωρ (Thea Philopator), that is, a goddess who loves her father (from an inscription on a stele from 51 BC). The first three years of his reign were not easy due to a 2-year crop failure caused by insufficient flooding of the Nile.

In a document dated October 27, 50 B.C. e., the name of Ptolemy appears underlined in the first place.

In the summer of 48 BC. e. Cleopatra, who fled to Syria and recruited an army there, at the head of this army set up camp on the Egyptian border, not far from the fortress of Pelusium. Her brother was also stationed there with the army, blocking her path to the country.

The turning point was the flight of the Roman senator Pompey to Egypt and his assassination by Ptolemy's supporters.

Cleopatra and Caesar

At this point, Rome intervenes in the struggle.

Pompey, defeated at Pharsalus, in early June 48 BC. e. appears at the Egyptian coast and asks the Egyptian king for help.

Young Ptolemy XIII, or rather his advisers, hoping to achieve generous favors from the winners, give the order to kill the Roman. This was done as soon as Pompey set foot on Egyptian soil, in front of his entire entourage (July 28, 48). But the king miscalculated: Caesar, who, in pursuit of Pompey, landed in Egypt two days later, was angry at this massacre and buried Pompey's head at the walls of Alexandria, where he erected the sanctuary of Nemesis.

Once in Egypt, Caesar tried to replenish his treasury with the help of debts that Ptolemy XII made to the Roman banker Rabirius during his efforts to restore the throne, and which Caesar now chalked up.

He writes that Caesar “did not dare” to turn Egypt into a Roman province, “so that some enterprising governor would not be able to rely on a province with huge resources for new troubles.”

However, Caesar announced his intention to act as an arbiter in the dispute of the kings. Ptolemy XIII and without him was the actual ruler, moreover, recognized by Pompey. Therefore, Caesar was interested in Cleopatra, who could become a puppet, who owed him power.

Shortly after his arrival, he summons Cleopatra to his place in Alexandria. It was not easy to get into the capital, guarded by Ptolemy's people, - Cleopatra was helped to do this by her admirer, the Sicilian Apollodorus, who secretly carried the queen in a fishing boat, and then carried him to Caesar's chambers, hiding in a large bed bag (and not in a carpet, as this is embellished in films, see Cleopatra Carpet). From this fact, we can conclude about the fragile physique of the queen. Throwing herself at the feet of the Roman dictator, Cleopatra began to complain bitterly about her oppressors, demanding the execution of Potinus.

The 52-year-old Caesar was captivated by the young queen, especially since the return to the will of Ptolemy XII was in his own political interests. When the next morning Caesar announced this to the 13-year-old king, he ran out of the palace in a rage and, tearing off his diadem, began to shout to the assembled people that he had been betrayed. The crowd was outraged, but Caesar at that moment managed to calm her down by reading the king's will.

However, the situation for Caesar became more complicated. The detachment that accompanied him consisted of only 7 thousand soldiers; supporters of the murdered Pompey gathered in Africa, and these circumstances aroused hope in the party of Ptolemy to get rid of Caesar.

Potinus and Achilles summoned troops to Alexandria. The execution of Potinus by Caesar could no longer stop the uprising. The troops, supported by the townspeople, outraged by the extortion and self-will of the Romans, received a leader when Ptolemy XIII and his sister Arsinoe fled to them. As a result, Caesar in September 48 BC. e. was besieged and cut off from reinforcements in the royal quarter of Alexandria. Caesar and Cleopatra were saved only by the approach of reinforcements led by Mithridates of Pergamon.

The rebels were defeated on January 15, 47 BC. e. near Mareotian Lake, while fleeing, King Ptolemy drowned in the Nile. Arsinoe was taken prisoner and was then held in Caesar's triumph.

This was followed by a joint journey of Caesar and Cleopatra on the Nile in 400 ships, accompanied by noisy festivities. Cleopatra, formally combined with her other young brother Ptolemy XIV, actually became the undivided ruler of Egypt under a Roman protectorate, the guarantee of which was the three legions left in Egypt. Shortly after Caesar's departure Cleopatra's son is born on June 23, 47, who was named Ptolemy Caesar, but which went down in history under the nickname given to him by the Alexandrians Caesarion. They claimed that he looked a lot like Caesar both face and posture.

Caesar fought with the king of Pontus Farnak, then with the last supporters of Pompey in Africa; immediately after the end of the wars, he calls Cleopatra and her brother to Rome (summer 46 BC), formally - to conclude an alliance between Rome and Egypt. Cleopatra was allocated Caesar's villa in his gardens on the banks of the Tiber, where she received noble Romans who were in a hurry to pay their respects to the favorite. This caused extreme irritation among the Republicans and became one of the reasons that hastened the death of Caesar.

There was even a rumor (transmitted by Suetonius and indicative of the general mood) that Caesar was going to take Cleopatra as his second wife and move the capital to Alexandria. Caesar himself ordered that a gilded statue of Cleopatra be placed at the altar of Venus the Ancestor (Venus as the mythical ancestor of the Julius family, to which he belonged). Nevertheless, Caesar's official will did not contain any mention of Caesarion, whom he thus did not dare to recognize as his son.

Sovereign reign of Cleopatra

Caesar was killed as a result of a conspiracy on March 15, 44 BC. e. A month later, in mid-April, Cleopatra left Rome and arrived in Alexandria in July.

Shortly thereafter, the 14-year-old Ptolemy XIV died. According to Josephus Flavius, he was poisoned by his sister: the birth of a son gave Cleopatra a formal co-ruler. In this situation, the maturing brother was completely redundant to her.

In 43 BC. e. famine struck Egypt and the Nile did not flood for two years in a row. The queen was primarily concerned with supplying her rebellious capital. The three Roman legions left behind by the late Caesar raged until their withdrawal.

The war between the murderers of Caesar, Cassius and Brutus on the one hand, and on the other hand, his heirs Antony and Octavian, demanded resourcefulness from the queen.

The East was in the hands of Caesar's assassins: Brutus controlled Greece and Asia Minor, and Cassius settled in Syria. Cleopatra's viceroy in Cyprus, Serapion, helped Cassius with money and a fleet, with the undoubted consent of the queen, no matter what feelings she had for the murderers of her Roman patron. She later officially retracted Serapion's actions. On the other hand, Cleopatra equipped the fleet, allegedly, as she later assured, to help the Caesarians.

In 42 BC. e. The Republicans were crushed at Philippi. The situation for Cleopatra immediately changed.

Cleopatra and Mark Antony

Cleopatra was 28 years old when she was in 41 BC. e. met a 40-year-old Roman commander. It is known that Antony, as head of the cavalry, participated in the restoration of Ptolemy XII to the throne in 55, but it is unlikely that they met at that time, although Appian cites a rumor that Antony was carried away by the 14-year-old Cleopatra even at that time. They could have met during the queen's stay in Rome, but before meeting in 41, they apparently did not know each other well.

In the division of the Roman world, made after the defeat of the Republicans, Antony got the East. Antony decides to implement Caesar's project - a big campaign against the Parthians. Preparing for the campaign, he sends the officer Quintus Dellius to Alexandria to demand Cleopatra to come to Cilicia. He was going to accuse her of helping the assassins of Caesar, apparently hoping, under this pretext, to get as much money from her for the campaign.

The ship moved along the Cydn River to the sound of flutes and citharas, wrapped in incense smoke. Then she invites Antony to her place for a sumptuous feast. Antony was completely fascinated. The queen easily rejected the prepared accusations, stating that Serapion acted without her knowledge, and she herself equipped a fleet to help the Caesarians, but this fleet, unfortunately, was delayed by contrary winds. As a first courtesy to Cleopatra, Antony, at her request, ordered the immediate execution of her sister Arsinoe, who sought refuge in the temple of Aphrodite in Ephesus.

Plutarch says: “She played dice with him, drank together, hunted together, was among the spectators when he practiced with weapons, and at night, when he, in the dress of a slave, wandered and loitered around the city, stopping at the doors and the windows of the houses and showering their usual jokes on the hosts - people of a simple rank, Cleopatra was here next to Antony, dressed to match him.

One day, Antony, planning to impress Cleopatra with his fishing abilities, sent divers who constantly planted a new “catch” on his hook. Cleopatra, quickly figuring out this trick, for her part sent a diver, who planted dried fish on Antony.

While they were having fun in this way, the Parthian prince Pacorus went on the offensive, as a result of which Rome lost Syria and the south of Asia Minor with Cilicia. Antigonus Mattathius, a prince from the Hasmonean (Maccabean) dynasty hostile to the Romans, was approved by the Parthians on the throne of Jerusalem. Mark Antony launched a short counter-offensive from Tyre, but was then forced to return to Rome, where, after a clash between his wife Fulvia and Octavian's supporters, a peace agreement was reached in Brundisium. The clashes were caused by the fault of Fulvia, who, according to Plutarch, hoped in this way to tear Antony away from Cleopatra.

Fulvia died at this time, and Antony married Octavian's sister, Octavia. At the same time in 40 B.C. e. Cleopatra in Alexandria gave birth to twins from Antony: the boy Alexander Helios ("The Sun") and the girl Cleopatra Selene ("Moon").

For 3 years until the autumn of 37 BC. e. there is no information about the queen. When Anthony returns from Italy, the lovers meet in Antioch in the autumn of 37, and from that moment a new stage begins in their politics and their love. Antony's legate Ventidius expelled the Parthians.

Antony replaces the Parthian henchmen with his own vassals or direct Roman rule. Thus, the famous Herod, with his support, becomes king of Judea. Something similar happens in Galatia, Pontus and Cappadocia. Cleopatra directly benefits from all this, since her rights to Cyprus, which she actually owned, as well as to the cities of the Syrian and Cilician coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, the kingdom of Chalkidike in present-day Lebanon, are confirmed.

Thus, Cleopatra managed to partially restore the power of the first Ptolemies.

Cleopatra ordered to count from this moment a new era of her reign in documents. She herself took the official title of Θεα Νεωτερα Φιλοπατωρ Φιλοπατρις (Fea Neotera Philopator Philopatris), that is, "the younger goddess who loves her father and fatherland." The title was intended for the annexed Syrians, who already had a queen (senior goddess) of Ptolemaic blood, Cleopatra Fea, in the 2nd century BC. BC, the title also indicated, according to historians, the Macedonian roots of Cleopatra, which was a weighty argument for the Greek-Macedonian ruling class of Syria.

Children of Cleopatra and Mark Antony

In 37-36 BC. e. Antony launched a disastrous campaign against the Parthians, mainly because of the harsh winter in the mountains of Armenia and Media. Antony himself narrowly escaped death.

Cleopatra remained in Alexandria, where in September 36 BC. e. gave birth to the third child from Anthony - Ptolemy Philadelphus. In Rome, they began to consider the union of Antony and Cleopatra as a threat to the empire and personally to Octavian. The latter sent his sister Octavia, the lawful wife of Antony and the mother of his two daughters, Antonia the Elder (the future grandmother of Emperor Nero) and Antonia the Younger (the future mother of Germanicus and Emperor Claudius) in the early spring of 35, to join her husband.

However, as soon as she reached Athens, Antony ordered her to return immediately. This happened with the participation of Cleopatra, who threatened Antony with suicide if he accepted his wife.

Anthony wanted to take revenge for the defeat in the war with the Parthians: in 35 BC. e. he captured the king of Armenia Artavazd II, made an alliance with another Artavazd - the king of Media Atropatene and celebrated a triumph, but not in Rome, but in Alexandria with the participation of Cleopatra and their common children.

A little later, Caesarion received the title of king of kings. Alexander Helios was proclaimed king of Armenia and the lands beyond the Euphrates, Ptolemy Philadelphus received (nominally, since he was about 2 years old) - Syria and Asia Minor, and, finally, Cleopatra Selene II - Cyrenaica.

Not all of the granted territories were under the real control of Anthony. Josephus claims that Cleopatra also demanded Judea from Antony, but was refused.

The news of the distribution of land caused great indignation in Rome, Antony clearly broke with all Roman traditions and began to play the Hellenistic monarch.

Battle of Actium

By 32 B.C. e. it came to a civil war. At the same time, Octavian proclaimed it a war of "the Roman people against the Egyptian queen." The Egyptian, who enslaved the Roman commander with her charms, was portrayed as the focus of everything oriental, Hellenistic-royal, alien to Rome and "Roman virtues."

While Antony was gathering troops to the western coast of Greece, intending to cross to Italy, Octavian himself quickly crossed to Epirus and imposed a war on Antony on his territory.

The defectors informed Octavian of the contents of Antony's will, which was immediately removed from the Temple of Vesta and published. Antony officially recognized Cleopatra as his wife, her sons as his legitimate children, and bequeathed to bury himself not in Rome, but in Alexandria next to Cleopatra. Antony's will completely discredited him.

Cleopatra insisted on a sea breakthrough. At the council of war, this opinion prevailed.

The result was the naval Battle of Actium on September 2, 31 BC. e. When Cleopatra feared that victory was slipping away, she decided to flee with her entire fleet in an attempt to save something else. Anthony ran after her. His defeated fleet surrendered to Octavian, and after that, the demoralized land army surrendered without a fight.

Death of Cleopatra and Mark Antony

Cleopatra was preoccupied with saving Caesarion. She sent him to India, but he then returned back to Egypt. She herself at one time considered a plan to escape to India, but when trying to transport ships across the Isthmus of Suez, they were burned by the Arabs. These plans had to be abandoned.

In the spring of 30 B.C. e. Octavian marched on Egypt. Cleopatra tried cruel measures to protect herself from treason: when the commandant of Pelus Seleucus surrendered the fortress, she executed his wife and children. By the end of July, Octavian's troops appeared near Alexandria itself. The last parts that remained with Antony, one after another, went over to the side of the winner.

On August 1st it was all over. Cleopatra with trusted servants Irada and Charmion locked herself in the building of her own tomb. Antony was given the false news of her suicide. Antony threw himself on his sword. Soon, the women dragged him, dying, into the tomb, and he died in the arms of Cleopatra, who was crying over him.

Cleopatra herself, holding a dagger in her hand, demonstrated readiness for death, but entered into negotiations with Octavian's envoy, allowed him to enter the tomb building and disarm it. Apparently, Cleopatra still retained a faint hope of seducing Octavian, or at least agreeing with him, and keeping the kingdom. Octavian showed less pliability to female charms than Caesar and Antony, and the charms of a woman in her thirties and a mother of four children may have weakened somewhat.

The last days of Cleopatra are described in detail by Plutarch according to the memoirs of Olympus, her doctor. Octavian allowed Cleopatra to bury her lover; her own fate remained unclear. She said she was sick and made it clear that she would starve herself to death - but Octavian's threats to kill the children forced her to accept treatment.

A few days later, Caesar (Octavian) himself visited Cleopatra in order to console her somehow. She lay on the bed, depressed and dejected, and when Caesar appeared at the door, she jumped up in one chiton and threw herself at his feet. Her long untidy hair hung in tufts, her face went wild, her voice trembled, her eyes went out.

Octavian admonished Cleopatra with encouraging words and left.

Soon, the Roman officer Cornelius Dolabella, who was in love with Cleopatra, informed her that in three days she would be sent to Rome for the triumph of Octavian. Cleopatra ordered that a pre-written letter be handed over to him and locked herself with the maids. Octavian received a letter in which he found complaints and a request to bury her with Antony, and immediately sent people. The messengers found Cleopatra dead, in royal attire, on a golden bed. Since before that a peasant with a pot of figs went to Cleopatra, who did not arouse the suspicions of the guards, it was decided that a snake was carried in the pot to Cleopatra.

It was claimed that two light bites were barely visible on Cleopatra's hand. The snake itself was not found in the room, as if it immediately crawled out of the palace.

According to another version, Cleopatra kept the poison in a hollow hairpin. This version is supported by the fact that both of Cleopatra's maids died with her. It is doubtful that one snake killed three people at once. According to Dio Cassius, Octavian tried to revive Cleopatra with the help of the Psylli, an exotic tribe that could suck out poison harmlessly to themselves.

The death of Cleopatra on August 12, 30, deprived Octavian of a brilliant captive at his triumph in Rome. In the triumphal procession, only her statue was carried.

Caesar's adopted son Octavian executed Caesar's own son by Cleopatra Ptolemy XV Caesarion in the same year. Children from Antony walked in chains at the triumphal parade, then were brought up by Octavian's sister Octavia, Antony's wife, "in memory of her husband."

Subsequently, Cleopatra's daughter Cleopatra Selene II was married to the Moorish king Yuba II, thanks to which the bust of Cleopatra from Shershell appeared.

The fate of Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphus remained unknown. It is assumed that they died early.

Egypt became one of the Roman provinces.

Appearance of Cleopatra

The true appearance of Cleopatra is not easy to discern because of the romantic flair surrounding her and numerous films; but there is no doubt that she had enough courage and firmness of character to disturb the Romans.

There are no reliable images that accurately, without idealization, would convey her physical appearance.

A damaged bust from Shershell in Algeria (the ancient city of Mauritanian Caesar), created after the death of Cleopatra on the occasion of the marriage of Cleopatra Selene II, her daughter from Mark Antony, with King Yuba II of Mauretania, conveys the appearance of Cleopatra in her last years. Although sometimes this bust is attributed to Cleopatra Selene II, daughter of Cleopatra VII.

Cleopatra VII is credited with Hellenistic busts depicting attractive young women with typically Greek faces, but the persons from whom the bust was made have not been positively identified.

It is believed that the busts depicting Cleopatra VII are kept in the Berlin Museum and the Vatican Museum, but the classical appearance makes one suspect the idealization of the image.

The profiles on the coins show a woman with wavy hair, large eyes, a protruding chin, and aquiline nose (hereditary Ptolemaic traits).

On the other hand, it is known that Cleopatra was distinguished by powerful charm, attractiveness, she perfectly used this for seduction and, in addition, she had a charming voice and a brilliant, sharp mind. As he writes, who saw the portraits of Cleopatra: “For the beauty of this woman was not what is called incomparable and strikes at first sight, but her appeal was distinguished by irresistible charm, and therefore her appearance, combined with a rare persuasiveness of speeches, with great charm, showing through in every word, in every movement, firmly cut into the soul. The very sounds of her voice caressed and delighted the ear, and the language was like a multi-stringed instrument, easily tuned to any tune, to any dialect. "

While the Greeks usually neglected the education of their daughters, even in royal families, Cleopatra clearly had a good education, which, superimposed on her natural intelligence, gave excellent results.

Cleopatra became a real polyglot queen, knowing, in addition to her native Greek, Egyptian (the first of her dynasty made efforts to master it, maybe with the exception of Ptolemy VIII Fiscon), Aramaic, Ethiopian, Persian, Hebrew and the language of the Berbers (the people who lived in southern Libya).

Her linguistic abilities did not bypass Latin, although enlightened Romans, like Caesar, for example, were themselves fluent in Greek.

Name Cleopatra - symbols, hieroglyphic writing, transliteration

Cleopatra in cinema:

♦ Cleopatra (Cléopâtre, France, 1899) - a silent black-and-white film directed by Georges Méliès, in the role of Cleopatra Jeanne D'alsi;
♦ Cleopatra (Cléopâtre, France, 1910) - a silent black-and-white film based on William Shakespeare's play "Antony and Cleopatra", directed by Henry Andreani and Ferdinand Zecca, in the role of Cleopatra Madeleine Roche;
♦ Cleopatra (Cleopatra, USA, 1912) - a silent black-and-white film directed by Charles L. Gaskill, in the role of Cleopatra Helen Gardner;
♦ Cleopatra (Cleopatra, USA, 1917) - silent black-and-white film, directed by J. Gordon Edwards, in the role of Cleopatra Ted Bar, the film is considered lost;
♦ Cleopatra (film, 1934) - Oscar nominee as Claudette Colbert;
♦ Caesar and Cleopatra (film, 1945) - in the role;
♦ Anthony and Cleopatra (film, 1951) - in the role of Pauline Lets;
♦ Two Nights with Cleopatra (film) (1953) - in the role;
♦ Cleopatra (film, 1963) - Oscar nominee as Cleopatra Elizabeth Taylor;
♦ I, Cleopatra and Anthony (film) (1966) - in the role of Stavras Paravas;
♦ Legions of Cleopatra (1959) - as Linda Crystal;
♦ Asterix and Cleopatra (cartoon, 1968) - voiced Cleopatra Micheline Dax;
♦ Antony and Cleopatra (film, 1974) - as Janet Sazman;
♦ Caesar and Cleopatra (1979) - in the role;
♦ Crazy Nights of Cleopatra (film) (1996) - as Marcella Petrelli;
♦ Cleopatra (film, 1999) - as Leonor Varela;
♦ Asterix and Obelix: The Mission of Cleopatra (film, 2002) - she performed the role of Cleopatra;
♦ Julius Caesar (film, 2002) - the role of Cleopatra was performed by Samuela Sardo;
♦ Roman Empire. August (film) (2003) - as Anna Valle;
♦ Rome (2005-2007) - HBO/BBC television drama, as Cleopatra by Lindsay Marshal

Cleopatra in art:

Poems "Cleopatra" (Pushkin, Bryusov, Blok, Akhmatova);
Alexander Pushkin "Egyptian Nights";
William Shakespeare "Antony and Cleopatra";
Bernard Shaw "Caesar and Cleopatra";
Georg Ebers "Cleopatra";
Henry Rider Haggard "Cleopatra";
Margaret George "Cleopatra's Diaries" (1997);
Davtyan Larisa. "Cleopatra" (poetic cycle);
A. Vladimirov "Cleopatra's Rule" (musical drama);
Maria Hadley. "Queen of Queens";
N. Pavlishcheva. "Cleopatra";
Théophile Gautier "The Night Given by Cleopatra"