To judge from the papyrus, Germanicus was given a boisterous reception by the Alexandrians. Caesar was already married and had children, but Cleopatra asked him to make their son Caesarian his heir and successor. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of conspirators on the steps of the Senate. Her famous end is perhaps well enough served, with some further eyewitness testimony (however biased or unreliable it may be, and all from her enemys side). For there had been the ancient equivalent of a brain-drain to Ptolemaic Alexandria. Egyptian historians, for example, have long conscripted her into their own national story, as a heroine and public benefactress. Cleopatra and Mark Antony had three sons together. On the most reliable calculation of 3,000 measures, this would mean a leopard-skin sack of a volume roughly equivalent to three modern tanker trucks. When the Roman leader Octavian was offered a chance to name a month in his honor, he chose August, the month he defeated Cleopatra, instead of his September birth month, as his success was founded on her loss. The son of an army officer, he was primarily raised by his mother, as his father died when he was very young. In keeping with this custom, Cleopatra eventually married both of her adolescent brothers, each of whom served as her ceremonial spouse and co-regent at different times during her reign. Like most men, women, and even children of Egypt at the time, Cleopatra shaved her head. cleopatra nickname golden mouth; nickname for cleora; nickname for cleotilde; nickname for colette; samp cleo nickname; nicholas cleobury; . Cleopatra and her son were now co-regents. In 33 BC, Rome declared war on Egypt. The only member of her house to learn Egyptian, she was said to be a popular ruler. Were also on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flipboard. According to popular belief, Cleopatra killed herself by allowing an asp (Egyptian cobra) to bite her, but for Greek and Roman historians, Cleopatra poisoned herself using either a toxic ointment or by introducing the poison with a sharp implement such as a hairpin. Frankly, we shall never know. Early Life. Featured image: The Death of Cleopatra by Reginald Arthur, 1892. It took Caesar two years to extinguish the last flames of Pompeian opposition. Cleopatra was determined to keep her throne and, if possible, to restore the glories of the first Ptolemies and recover as much as possible of their dominions, which had included southern Syria and Palestine. Ancient embalmers likely placed the tongue-shaped, gold foil amulet in the deceased's mouth to ensure they could speak in the afterlife. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Coins showing her face display a somewhat homely woman with a hooked nose. After he ordered the execution of Pompey, one of Julius Caesars Roman political enemies, in front of Pompeys own wife and children, Caesar, then ruler of Rome, was absolutely enraged. For a few years, he cloistered himself in a damp cave . Julius Caesar laid the foundations of the Roman Empire, a period during which Rome would experience its golden age. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar were lovers for two years, during which Cleopatra gave birth to his son, Ptolemy Caesar, who was nicknamed Caesarion, or Little Caesar. In the days between Cleopatra's death and the Roman triumvir Octavian's formal annexation of Egypt, Caesarion was officially the sole ruler of Egypt at just 16 years old. Its generally agreed upon that Cleopatra was responsible for his death, and that she poisoned himwhich seemed like something of a habit for her. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. To be sure, there are one or two pieces of vivid historical testimony, occasionally more or less firsthand, buried within these stories. She may have been dubbed Queen of the Nile, but Cleopatra wasnt Egyptian by birth. Take, for example, that leopard-skin wine-sack, whose contents dribbled out along the road (presumably, we are meant to imagine, into the cups and flagons of the spectators). Not only was Antony was declared a traitor, he was also ridiculed in Rome for going nativeadopting Egyptian customs which Rome deemed uncivilized. Receiving the false news that Cleopatra had died, Antony fell on his sword. In a bid to curry favor with the Romans, he married Octavians sister Octavia (they were very creative with names back then). As a custom amongst royalty at the time was to intermarry in order to consolidate power and money within families, her parents were likely siblings or close cousinsa disturbing custom that Cleopatra herself would become subject to. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. She ruled with her brother-husband, Ptolemy XIV, and then with her son Caesarion. She's not actually Egyptian. Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Best of The New York Review, plus books, events, and other items of interest. Omissions? In keeping with this disturbing custom, Cleopatra married both of her adolescent brothers at different times during her reign, each of whom served as her spouse and co-regent. There are obelisks called "Cleopatra's Needles" but they have nothing to do with Cleopatra VII.There is no name for Cleopatra's obelisk because she does not . Coins from back in the day bearing her likeness show a woman with a sharp, jutting chin, a strong pointed nose, and a prominent forehead. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Cleopatra was charismatic and intelligent, and she used both qualities to further Egypt's political aims. The first three years of Cleopatras reign were tough. Caesar was dazzled by the sight of the young queen in her royal garb, and the two soon became allies and lovers. She would go on to romance both men, but the relationships were as much about strategic maneuvering on both sides as they were about lust. Schiffs approach to the story of Cleopatra is, in part, skeptical and businesslike. When John converted to Christianity at age 23, he decided to live with the monks in the mountains on the outskirts of Antioch. Ordered to appear before the general in Tarsus (in modern day Turkey), Cleopatra took her sweet time to get there, then arrived on a golden barge. Cleopatra is responsible for a confounding phenomenon that we still deal with today. The library is supposed to have been organized by Demetrius of Phaleron (a suburb of Athens), who was himself a pupil of Aristotle. It was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release, and nearly bankrupted its studio despite raking in a fortune at the box office. As soon as he returned to Rome, in 46 bce, he celebrated a four-day triumphthe ceremonial in honour of a general after his victory over a foreign enemyin which Arsinoe, Cleopatras younger and hostile sister, was paraded. The name "Cleopatra" (in Greek "") means "she who comes from glorious father." Flickr 2. But unlike the rest of the Ptolemaic family, the young queen embraced many of Egypts ancient customs and was the first ruler to learn the Egyptian language. When Cleopatra was born in 69 BC, just over 2,100 years ago, it was at the end of the Egyptian Pharaoh dynasties and the beginning of a new phase in Egyptian history. As a part of this, might somebody have remembered some rumor they had heard about Caesar's pet names for Cleopatra back from when she was Caesar's mistress prior to his death? His reaction was utterly heartless. As a result, Caesar seized the Egyptian capital and instilled himself as arbiter between the opposing claims of Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII to the Egyptian throne. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 42 Astonishing Yet Authentic Facts From The Annals of History, Bone-Chilling Moments We'll Never Be Able To Explain, Cary Grant Hid A Lifetime Of Heartache Behind His Debonair Smile, Lawyers Reveal Their Most Jaw-Dropping Court Cases, Stay Out Of The Woods: Campers And Hikers Share Their Creepiest Experiences, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal. Some writers consider her to be the inventor of the alembic, a distillation apparatus. Get immediate access to the current issue and over 25,000 articles from the archives, plus the NYR App. Cleopatra was known to conceal a deadly poison in one of her hair combs, and many scholars now suspect she used a pin dipped in some form of a potent toxin to end her own life. Admittedly, we have only a few scraps of the work of Didymus (probably not a great loss). What was a nickname for Cleopatra? Shes officially known as Cleopatra VII Philopater. It was clear to Octavian, watching from Rome, that Antony intended his extended family to rule the civilized world. Cleo is named after two very famous Egyptian rulers, one being Tutankhamun and the other being Cleopatra. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain]). 4 Why was Cleopatra considered to be a god? Though she got the throne at 17, she was well-educated and well-prepared to take over the reins. She was even something of a feminist, giving Egyptian women rights, unlike other women of the day. The text explains that placing gold foil on the tongue would ensure the deceased would be able to breathe, eat and speak in the afterlife. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). And true, legend has it that she managed to seduce the two most powerful men of her day: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Her relationship with Antony had a political component as well: Cleopatra needed him to protect her crown (he did so by killing her sister, Arsinoe, a rival to the throne). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. She spoke (at least) a dozen languages, was well-versed in mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Germanicus trip, however, did not go down well with his adoptive father, the reigning emperor Tiberius, since the young man had broken the rules by going to Egypt without the emperors express permission. When Mark Antony was served his second course, he was shocked to discover that his dish contained only strong vinegar. Coin portraits of Cleopatra show a countenance alive rather than beautiful, with a sensitive mouth, firm chin, liquid eyes, broad forehead, and prominent nose. His marriage to Octavia now an irrelevance, he returned to the east and reunited with Cleopatra. Cleopatra wasnt about to give up her throne that easily, so after a coup installed her brother as ruler, she drummed up mercenaries, formed an army, and fought against her brothers army at Pelusium. She personally led her fleet of over a dozen ships alongside Antonys own. Cleopatra later employed a similar bit of theater in her 41 B.C. another younger brother, this one named Ptolemy XIV. In order to meet Caesar face to face, in hopes of enticing him over to her side, she had herself smuggled through enemy lines while rolled up in a carpet, which was brought to Caesars private quarters. Antonywho considered himself the embodiment of the Greek god Dionysuswas instantly charmed and the pair later married. Ptolemy reigned Egypt after Alexanders death in 323 B.C., and he launched a dynasty of Greek-speaking rulers that lasted for nearly three centuries. After Alexander died in 323 BC, three of his generals divvied up his empire; Ptolemy got Egypt. While queen of Egypt (5130 BCE), Cleopatra actively influenced Roman politics at a crucial period and was especially known for her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Popularity: very popular. He goes on to compliment the Alexandrians on the spectacular beauty of their city, tactfully including a passing tribute to Alexander the Great, who had founded it (the hero who is your founder, as Germanicus put it). document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1963-2023 NYREV, Inc. All rights reserved. Antony and Cleopatra (1883) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema depicting Antonys meeting with Cleopatra in 41 BC. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The Queen of the Nile has been portrayed on the silver screen by the likes of Claudette Colbert and Sophia Loren, but she was most famously played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 sword-and-sandal epic Cleopatra. The film was plagued by production problems and script issues, and its budget eventually soared from $2 million to $44 millionincluding some $200,000 just to cover the cost of Taylors costumes. Updates? Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. My own favorite is the tale told by Plutarch, writing at the turn of the first and second centuries AD, about the procedures in the kitchens of Cleopatras palace when she was entertaining Antony sometime in the 30s BC. Her wit and intelligence were often downplayed or overshadowed entirely by her sexiness in accounts written by her Roman critics. The life of Cleopatra VII, the last monarch of the Ptolemaic dynasty, is even more mythical than the story of Alexandria, and the real queen is even harder to excavate than the remains of her capital. The name Cleopatra (in Greek ) means she who comes from glorious father.. The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt for 275 years and Cleopatra was the last of its rulers. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, and Cleopatra retired to her mausoleum as Antony went off to fight his last battle. Her most recent book is SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. In 48 BCE, she wrapped herself in carpet and smuggled herself into Julius Caesar's personal quarters. She also possessed a mastery of politics and warfare. Cleopatra also considered her sister Arsinoe a rival to the throne, so in 41 BCE, Cleopatra had her assassinated on the steps of a temple in Rome. Once again, she prepared to take her own life, and this time, she was successful. This was followed by a celebration known as the Donations of Alexandria. Crowds flocked to the Gymnasium to see Cleopatra and Antony seated on golden thrones on a silver platform with their children sitting on slightly lower thrones beside them. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Cleopatra inspired numerous books, plays, and movies. But her summary of the atmosphere in Rome after the assassination of Julius Caesar (a lively market opened for defamation and self-justification. Finally, she went where she knew she would have at leastsomepowerback to Egypt, where she was co-regent with her younger brother/husband, Ptolemy XIV. In the end, we should probably resist the allure of biography and stick with the Augustan myth and Horaces demented queen.. We have here, in other words, a direct connection right back to an eyewitness in Cleopatras kitchens, more than two thousand years ago. 10. The fairly traditional picture she paints of Cleopatraas a powerful, independent queen, strategizing to serve her own best interests, and manipulating a succession of Roman grandees with her sexual and intellectual wilesis not necessarily wrong. They stood together as partners against Egypts enemies, and were married in an Egyptian ceremonydespite the fact that Antony already had a wife in Rome. After Cleopatras father died, she and her younger brother (Ptolemy XIII) were appointed as joint rulers. As part of this settlement, he married Octavians sister, Octavia (Fulvia having died). He had no idea what was coming next. The conflict reached its climax the following year in a famous naval battle at Actium. Julius Caesar, in particular, had an eye on Egypts wealth, needing it to support expensive Roman battles. 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