Introduction
This article will briefly cover the life of Cleopatra, including her early life, The Ptolemaic dynasty, being the Queen of Egypt, her personal life, and death.
Cleopatra’s Early Life
Cleopatra was born in Alexandria around 69-70 BCE into the Ptolemaic Dynasty. While we know who her father was, we do not know who her mother was because no surviving written document exists that identifies her mother. Growing up, she had pets, toys, and other similar comforts. However, since she was considered Royalty, so she received a better education than the average woman of the period.
Her education was structured in a way to help her eventually rule Egypt and Egypt’s subjects. Her childhood education covered standard Greek topics, including Greek philosophy and other Greek-related topics.
Many historians think she likely would have studied in the lost Library of Alexandria, but this cannot be known for certain.
Ptolemaic Dynasty
As stated above, Cleopatra was born in the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The kingdom was shortly formed after the death of Alexander the Great, with it officially starting around 305 BCE. Similar to previous rulers of Egypt, the Ptolemaic Dynasty attempted to hold on to power by marrying their siblings and or cousins. A lot of people are unaware that Cleopatra was descended from either Greek or Macedonian DNA.
Although she was born in Egypt, The Ptolemys were of Greek descent, and since they practiced incest between rulers, they looked more Greek than the average Egyptian.
The average Ptolemy ruler often refused to learn Egyptian and instead opted for Greek and ruled with Hellenistic influences.
Queen Of Egypt
Cleopatra’s reign as the Queen of Egypt began in 51 BCE, making her 19 at the start of her reign. During this time, she was in a civil war with her brother and was looking for support. Julius Cesar came to Egypt in an attempt to capture Pompey, who had fled to Egypt. Cleopatra heard this and found a way to secretly meet with Julius Cesar, who would end up helping her defeat her brother. During one of the battles, her brother tried to escape by boat, but it capsized, and he drowned in the Nile, leaving only Cleopatra to Rule.
The royalty was often crowned by a High Priest in the city of Memphis, and Cleopatra wasn’t any different. However, similar to the previous Ptolemaic rulers, Cleopatra would predominately live within the city of Alexandria.
Cleopatra was a powerful leader in the Ancient world who influenced some of the most Iconic men in Western history. Many historians mention her beauty, while others focus on her personality and personal life, which they argue was the driving factor behind her success.
Cleopatra’s Personal Life
Many people know about her relationships with Julius Cesar and her lover Mark Anthony. As stated above, Cleopatra was considered beautiful in her public and personal life. Historians argue that the beauty that was written about could be her physical appearance. While others think it was her personality, position, and intelligence that allowed her to seduce such important figures. Historians and Archaeologists point out that coins showing her portrait do not show the typical beauty standards of the time, this being just one piece of evidence for this opinion.
As an individual, she was strong. She had such confidence that she eventually took an unannounced trip to Rome to introduce Julius Cesar to their son Cesarion.
The visit to Rome was a surprise and came with great displeasure. Both from both the Senate and anyone trying to be next in line for Caesar’s power and influence.
Cleopatra’s Death
Cleopatra has many myths surrounding her death. The most popular version of the story is that she committed suicide by having an Asp (a poisonous snake) snuck into her chambers and allowed it to bite her. Other versions say she used a knife. While we don’t know exactly how or what she was thinking prior to her death, we do know her death was the beginning of the end for an independent Egypt.
After Cleopatra’s death, she and Cesar’s son was assassinated at a young age after only being on the throne for a short amount of time. Egypt would go on to be one of Rome’s most important provinces and one of the hardest to rule over.
Time and time again, the Romans would crush descent, ending Egypt as an independent power. This continued for many centuries, all the way until the earliest spreading of Islam throughout the middle east.
Roman and Egyptian Coins
Each coin has a unique history attached to it. Coin collectors love the Roman Denarius. We carry various Roman Denarius from different time periods in the Roman Republic/Empire. Click the link below to see if we have a denarius currently in stock that’s right for your collection.
Silver Roman Coins
These are all of the Non-Certified and Certified silver Roman coins we currently have for sale.
Egyptian Silver Coins
These are all the Certified and Non-Certified Egyptian Silver coins we currently have for sale.
You must be logged in to post a comment.