I have always been fascinated by ancient history and in particular the life of Cleopatra. Over the years I have collected so much information about her and her life that sometimes I find myself feeling a little like an expert on the subject. It was actually my love for this historical figure that prompted me to start this blog, where I will share all of my knowledge about Cleopatra with you. Here are five things you need to know about Cleopatra:
1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian: While Cleopatra is famous for being the last of the Pharaohs, she wasn’t actually Egyptian. She was descended from Ptolemy who had been one of Alexander the Great’s generals when he conquered Egypt. After Alexander’s death, Ptolemy took over Egypt and set himself up as Pharaoh. The Ptolemaic rulers were Greek and kept themselves separate from their subjects, although they adopted many of their customs including speaking Egyptian and dressing as Egyptians.
2. She wasn’t beautiful: While Elizabeth Taylor may have been beautiful, we don’t really know what Cleopatra looked like because there are no known images or statues of her made during her lifetime. Images that exist today show her with
Cleopatra is one of the most famous and iconic women in history, yet she has been misunderstood for centuries. Here are 5 things that you need to know about Cleopatra:
1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian. Cleopatra was Macedonian Greek by birth, the last ruler of Egypt from Ptolemaic dynasty, and ruled between 51 BC – 30 BC (in total for 21 years). Cleopatra VII Philapator was descendant of Ptolemy I Soter (who was a general under Alexander the Great, and then King of Egypt from 323 BC – 285 BC). The Ptolemies were Macedonian Greeks who ruled over Egypt for almost three hundred years.
2. Cleopatra spoke many languages including Egyptian, Greek and several Middle Eastern languages. She spoke both in Greek and Egyptian with her subjects, showing her rather advanced skills in foreign languages.
3. Cleopatra was educated and well-versed in philosophy, politics and literature. Besides being well-educated, she knew how to use rhetoric to win people over as well as to win over even the most powerful men such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
4. Cleopatra wasn’t ugly or fat as some people think. On the
Dressing up as Cleopatra for Halloween? If you are serious about it, you will want to learn about five things about Cleopatra – her looks, her wardrobe, the clothes she wore, how she applied makeup and what kind of a queen she really was.
To begin with, Cleopatra was not beautiful. She did not have a narrow nose or long slender neck that would be considered “beautiful”. Still, men fell in love with her. She was charming and witty and they loved her intelligence and humor.
The clothes she wore were simple compared to other noble women of those times. Roman noble women’s dresses were decorated with jewels and frills while Egyptian noble women wore long gowns that were rich in color and had loose folds that draped their bodies perfectly.
Cleopatra did not wear much jewelry but she always used kohl on her eyes. It was a black powder made from lead ore that was applied with a tiny stick to the eyelids, eyebrows and corners of the eyes. Egyptians believed it added beauty to the face and protected them from eye disease. It also added a dramatic effect to Cleopatra’s appearance since kohl makes the eyes bigger and more expressive than they are naturally.
In short, Cleopatra stood
Cleopatra is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, Egyptian rulers. She is one of the few female rulers in Egypt and she was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. She has even been immortalized by movie stars such as Elizabeth Taylor.
Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt at the age of 18 and ruled for 22 years with two Roman Emperors as her consorts. During her reign she had 4 children with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony who were her consorts during that time.
Cleopatra attempted to keep Egypt independent from Rome but after a series of battles with Octavian and Mark Antony, it was clear there was no hope for Egypt being independent. After Octavian defeated Antony, Cleopatra committed suicide along with her servant. There are two theories to how Cleopatra died, a snakebite or poison.
Now Cleopatra is gone but she will forever be remembered as one of Egypts greatest rulers. If you want to dress up like Cleopatra we have some great costumes that you can use to portray this ancient queen.
The reputation of Cleopatra is largely based on her association with the loss of Egypt as a wealthy Hellenistic kingdom, and the subsequent loss of power for the Ptolemaic dynasty. How much this was due to her personal policies is not clear. However, it was she who was blamed for Egypt’s slide into decadence, and for its surrender to Rome, by many of the contemporary political philosophers.
Cleopatra’s family ruled Egypt from 305 BC until 30 BC when they lost their throne to Roman forces commanded by Octavian (later known as Augustus). During their reign they were constantly involved in war with their rivals in the region and they saw many of their number assassinated. Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BC-30 BC) is the most famous member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, perhaps because her romance with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony led to two civil wars that eventually ended in the fall of the Roman Republic.
Cleopatra VII Philopator was one of six children born to Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra Tryphaena. She was also niece to both Ptolemy XI and Ptolemy XIV. Her father Ptolemy XII Auletes (King P