MX Political Editorial.- Cleopatra, born in 69 BC. As a descendant of the powerful Ptolemaic dynasty, she was pharaoh of Egypt when it was under Greek rule. Known during her lifetime for her diplomacy (which involved affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony), Cleopatra has achieved legendary status more than two millennia after her death, which, contrary to rumors, may not have been caused by the bite of an asp. Here are some facts that add to the mystique of it.
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Cleopatra was not Egyptian.
She was Macedonian Greek. Her father, Ptolemy XII, was a direct descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, Alexander the Great's famous general. However, he was the first person in her family dynasty to speak fluent Egyptian.
She ascended the throne at age 17 after the Battle of the Nile.
When her father died, Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII became co-rulers of Egypt. The joint reign did not sit well with any of them and they immediately began to fight for supremacy. Julius Caesar and the Roman forces sided with Cleopatra, while Ptolemy XIII and his followers raised an army against them. Cleopatra's younger half-sister, Arsinoë IV, rallied Egyptian forces to beat back the Roman advance. Eventually, Caesar and Cleopatra won the war, Ptolemy XIII was assassinated, and Arsinoe was exiled to Ephesus in modern-day Turkey.
Cleopatra had her half-sister killed.
She instructed Mark Antony to assassinate Arsinoë so that she could not threaten Cleo's status and power. That's pretty cold.
Cleopatra was probably not a stunning beauty.
Romantic descriptions of Cleopatra depict her as an irresistible goddess, but most contemporary accounts say that she had an elongated nose and rather masculine features. However, her charm, wit, and intelligence more than made up for her lack of classical traits. Hollywood movies probably went further to establish the pharaoh as a stunning beauty than anything else.
Cleopatra supposedly spent 10 million sesterces on a single dinner.
For reference, half a sestertius (a type of Roman currency) could buy a loaf of bread. The story of the dinner, which is probably just a story, goes like this: Cleopatra playfully bet Antony that she could spend the astronomical amount on a meal. She couldn't imagine any food costing that much and she accepted the bet. The joke was on him when the second course, a cup of vinegar, was served. Cleo took off one of his pearl earrings, dropped it into the vinegar, where it dissolved, and then drank the entire concoction. (It's probably a myth because vinegar usually isn't strong enough to dissolve whole pearls.)
Not surprisingly, Cleopatra was extremely wealthy.
She makes Elon Musk look average. Cleopatra had so much money, wealth and assets that when Rome conquered Egypt in 30 BC. C., her fortune was enough for Rome to reduce its interest rate from 12 to 4 percent.
Cleopatra's family style is pure Hollywood.
Many modern depictions of the pharaoh show a glamorous woman with straight, sleek black hair and bangs. A more historically accurate description of her 'do would be a wig with long, tight curls and no bangs. The be-banged look dates back to the 1934 film Cleopatra, starring Claudette Colbert, who had a signature hairstyle that included bangs. Her appearance may have influenced Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of the queen in the 1963 epic Cleopatra.
The real Cleopatra would have approved of Elizabeth Taylor's wardrobe in the film.
The budget for her 65 costumes in Cleopatra was almost $200,000, an unprecedented amount for the time. She even made a dress out of 24-karat gold fabric.
She didn't commit suicide because of Mark Antony.
Strabo, a Greek historian who was alive when Cleopatra committed suicide, suggests that the cause of her death was a toxic ointment, not an asp bite. Other accounts written within 10 years of her death say she was bitten by a pair of asps. But one aspect is almost certain: she didn't do it because she was heartbroken over Antonio's death, a trope depicted in dozens of modern films and novels. Her reasoning was probably related to the fall of Egypt to Rome and her imminent march through Rome as a conquered opponent. One more myth to debunk: It is doubtful that the asp(s) bit her on the chest. Before Shakespeare romanticized the event, all accounts reported that she was bitten on the arm.