Cleopatra VII

Life and legacy

Cleopatra VII Philopator was not Egyptian by ancestry but Macedonian Greek, a descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great's generals who had claimed Egypt after Alexander's death. Yet she was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language, and according to Plutarch, she could converse in at least nine languages. She was educated in philosophy, mathematics, and rhetoric at the Mouseion in Alexandria, one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world.

Cleopatra came to power at eighteen in 51 BCE as co-ruler with her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, but was soon driven from the throne by his advisors. Her fortunes changed dramatically when Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria in pursuit of Pompey in 48 BCE. Smuggled into Caesar's presence - according to Plutarch, rolled inside a linen sack - she charmed the Roman dictator into supporting her claim. Caesar defeated Ptolemy XIII, and Cleopatra was restored to the throne. She bore Caesar a son, Caesarion, and followed him to Rome, where she remained until his assassination in 44 BCE.

After Caesar's death, Cleopatra allied with Mark Antony, one of the three men who divided Roman power among themselves. Their relationship was both political and personal: Antony needed Egypt's wealth to fund his eastern campaigns, while Cleopatra needed Roman military protection. Together they conceived a grand vision of an eastern empire centered on Alexandria, with their children ruling client kingdoms across the East. This "Donations of Alexandria" in 34 BCE - where Antony distributed Roman territories to Cleopatra's children - provided Octavian with the propaganda he needed to turn Roman opinion against them.

The final confrontation came at the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, where Octavian's admiral Agrippa defeated the combined fleet of Antony and Cleopatra. They retreated to Alexandria, where Antony, hearing a false report of Cleopatra's death, fell on his sword. Cleopatra survived long enough to attempt to negotiate with Octavian, but realizing she would be paraded in his triumph, she took her own life on 10 August 30 BCE - according to tradition, by the bite of an asp, though the actual method remains uncertain.

With Cleopatra's death, Egypt became a Roman province, the Ptolemaic dynasty ended after nearly three centuries, and the Hellenistic age - the era of Greek-ruled kingdoms stretching from the Mediterranean to Central Asia - came to its close. Modern scholarship has worked to recover Cleopatra from centuries of Roman propaganda and Shakespearean romance, revealing a capable and resourceful sovereign who nearly succeeded in preserving her kingdom against impossible odds.

Key accomplishments

• Last active pharaoh of Egypt, ruling for twenty-one years (51-30 BCE)
• Spoke at least nine languages, the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn Egyptian
• Allied with Julius Caesar and bore him a son, Caesarion, securing her throne
• Forged a political and military alliance with Mark Antony, envisioning an eastern empire centered on Alexandria
• Maintained Egyptian independence against Rome longer than any contemporary ruler

Timeline

The dated lines from the record above, in order, with Cleopatra VII's age worked out from the birth year (69 BCE).

1. 69 BCEBorn 69 BCE, Alexandria, Egypt
2. 51 BCELast active pharaoh of Egypt, ruling for twenty-one years (51-30 BCE) (around age 18)
3. 30 BCEDied 10 August 30 BCE, Alexandria, Egypt

Quotes

I will not be triumphed over.

Attributed in Plutarch, Life of Antony (paraphrased from her refusal to appear in Octavian's triumph)

Related figures

Where Cleopatra VII sits in the atlas

• Era: The Roman World (~753 BCE-476 CE), one of 16 figures filed there
• Born 69 BCE, the 21st of 125 figures in the full list by birth year.
• Cities: Alexandria, Rome
• Collection: Women Who Shaped the West

Contemporaries

5 other figures in the atlas were alive at some point during Cleopatra VII's lifetime (69-30 BCE).

• Virgil (70-19 BCE): both alive for 39 years, 69 BCE to 30 BCE
• Augustus (63 BCE-14 CE): both alive for 33 years, 63 BCE to 30 BCE
• Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE): both alive for 26 years, 69 BCE to 43 BCE
• Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE): both alive for 25 years, 69 BCE to 44 BCE
• Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE): both alive for 13 years, 43 BCE to 30 BCE

Others connected with the same cities

Figures not already listed on this page, nearest in time first.

More from The Roman World

Figures from the same era born closest in time to Cleopatra VII.

• Scipio Africanus (236-183 BCE), The Conqueror of Hannibal
• Hannibal Barca (247-183 BCE), The Nightmare of Rome
• Marcus Aurelius (121-180), The Philosopher on the Throne
• Constantine the Great (272-337), The Emperor Who Changed the Faith of an Empire
• Augustine of Hippo (354-430), The Mind That Shaped Western Christianity