After the stuff about hiding in carpets, bathing in milk and being bitten by snakes (more on some of that later), the most famous thing associated with Cleopatra, who was born around 69 BCE, is Egypt. But in fact she was descended from Greeks and spoke Greek. Her father was called Ptolemy and her ancestor was one of Alexandra the Great's generals. Even her name is Greek. It translates as “great like her father.”
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She married her brother
If, like me, you don't really enjoy having to type out the word Ptolemy as your computer keeps trying to change it to “Potato” then you're in for a bad time as there are many Ptolemys ahead. The first one was Cleopatra's little brother Ptolemy XIII. After Cleo's dad died, she was put in charge, but at the time women were n't allowed to rule without a male co-ruler, so the easiest solution appeared to be Cleo de ella marrying her little brother de ella and reigning Egypt together. Which, let's face it, is odd.
She battled her brother
If any of you have younger siblings, then you know that occasionally quarrels erupt. Well, this is certainly what happened with Cleopatra and her brother / husband Ptolemy, as when he turned 13 in 49 BCE he quite fancied ruling without his sister / wife. He conspired against her, so Cleo fled to Syria, raised an enemy and soon Egypt had descended into civil war. Meanwhile, Rome was also engaged in a civil war as Julius Caesar battled his rival, Pompey. Pompey, struggling to beat Caesar, fled to Egypt for help. But Ptolemy, trying to impress Caesar, had him swiftly killed. But this, in fact, enraged Caesar who set off for Egypt himself.
She was a great persuader
Caesar demanded an explanation from Ptolemy, and Cleopatra and ordered them both to appear before him. This was tricky for Cleo as she was currently having a bit of a war with her brother Ella and couldn't just pop into the palace. Instead she sneaked in, wrapped in a duvet or bed roll (not a carpet) according to the historian Plutarch, and saw Caesar alone. Not only was Julius impressed by her ability to hide in bedding, but he also appreciated her various other attributes and the two of them soon became a power couple. Ptolemy was so angry he reportedly threw his crown to the floor. And then he ran away.