Summary
Cleopatra VII (69–30 BC) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, and the last pharaoh before Egypt became a Roman province. A Greek-speaking queen from a Macedonian dynasty, she was clever, multilingual and politically gifted, and she used her alliances with two of Rome’s most powerful men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, to protect her country’s independence. Her death in 30 BC ended three thousand years of rule by the pharaohs.
Who Was Cleopatra?
Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemies, the Macedonian Greek family founded by Ptolemy I, a general of Alexander the Great, which ruled Egypt from Alexandria for nearly three centuries. She came to the throne in 51 BC, aged about 18, first sharing power with her younger brother Ptolemy XIII. Ancient writers say she spoke many languages and was the first of her dynasty to learn Egyptian. She presented herself to Egyptians as a living goddess, a new Isis.
Cleopatra and Julius Caesar
Driven from Alexandria by her brother’s supporters, Cleopatra won back the throne with the help of Julius Caesar, who arrived in Egypt in 48 BC. According to Plutarch, she had herself smuggled into the palace to meet him, rolled inside a bedding sack. Caesar defeated her brother in the Alexandrian War, and Cleopatra bore him a son, Ptolemy Caesar, known as Caesarion. She was in Rome when Caesar was murdered in 44 BC and returned to Egypt.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony
In 41 BC Mark Antony, who controlled Rome’s eastern provinces, summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus; she arrived in a gilded barge dressed as Aphrodite, and they became allies and lovers. They had three children: the twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and Ptolemy Philadelphus. In 34 BC, at a ceremony in Alexandria called the Donations, Antony gave lands of the eastern Mediterranean to Cleopatra and her children, a move that turned opinion in Rome against them.
Actium and the Death of Cleopatra
Antony’s rival, Octavian, Caesar’s adopted heir, declared war on Cleopatra. In 31 BC their fleet was defeated at the naval battle of Actium in western Greece, and they fled to Alexandria. When Octavian’s army reached the city in August 30 BC, Antony took his own life. Cleopatra died a few days later, at about 39. The ancient story says she was bitten by an asp, a cobra, the royal snake of Egypt; some historians think she took poison instead. Octavian, soon the emperor Augustus, made Egypt a province of Rome.
8-Day Cairo, Siwa and White & Black Desert Adventure
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View This TripWhere Is Cleopatra's Tomb?
Cleopatra and Antony were buried together in a mausoleum in Alexandria, which has never been found. Much of the royal quarter, including the island palace of Antirhodos, now lies under the waters of Alexandria’s eastern harbour, where underwater archaeologists have mapped sunken buildings and statues. Others have searched west of the city at the temple of Taposiris Magna. The tomb remains one of the great mysteries of Egyptian archaeology.
Following Cleopatra in Egypt
- Alexandria: the city of the Ptolemies, with the Graeco-Roman remains, the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa and the harbour of the sunken palaces. See Alexandria top attractions.
- Dendera: on the back wall of the Temple of Dendera, Cleopatra and her son Caesarion are carved making offerings to the gods, one of the very few images of her that survive in Egypt.
- Siwa: Cleopatra’s Spring, where legend says she bathed.
The obelisks known as Cleopatra’s Needles in London and New York carry her name but are more than a thousand years older than she is. Meet the other queens in women in ancient Egypt and the kings in Egyptian pharaohs.
Cleopatra: FAQ
Was Cleopatra Egyptian?
She was born in Egypt to a Macedonian Greek royal family that had ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years; her mother’s identity is uncertain.
How did Cleopatra die?
She died in Alexandria in August 30 BC; tradition says by the bite of an asp, though some historians think she took poison.
Who were Cleopatra’s lovers?
Julius Caesar, with whom she had Caesarion, and Mark Antony, with whom she had three children.
Was Cleopatra the last pharaoh?
She was the last active ruler of independent Egypt; after her death Egypt became a Roman province.
Has Cleopatra’s tomb been found?
No. It was in Alexandria, probably in an area now under the sea or the modern city, and has never been located.
Was Cleopatra beautiful?
Ancient writers praised her charm, voice and intelligence more than her looks; her coins show a strong profile with a prominent nose.
