Ten Things You Might Not Know About Cleopatra

1.Cleopatra was actually Cleopatra VII.1

3-Whenever I think of the name Cleopatra, only one person comes to mind. However, there were six other Cleopatras before her, not including the original Cleopatra–Alexander the Great’s sister.

2. Cleopatra was a powerful and important woman; she didn’t need to “seduce” Caesar or Marcus Antonius.

There were many reasons why Caesar and Marcus Antonius had a sexual relationship with Cleopatra. First, political relations between Rome and Egypt went back generations–it was in both of their interests to maintain close relationships. Moreover, it was common for Caesar and Marcus Antonius to have liaisons with royal women; the only difference was that Cleopatra was not shy about the paternity of her children. After Caesar’s death, Cleopatra needed to maintain a close relationship with Marcus Antonius because he controlled the eastern Roman Empire, her geographical neighbor. Likewise, after Marcus Antonius lost control of this area, he had to rely on Cleopatra’s wealth and power.

3. Cleopatra was a writer; she wrote a medical treatise called, Cosmetics.

It may have been called Cosmetics, but this was no Cosmo article. It was a medical and pharmacological work including several remedies for hair loss and dandruff.

4. Cleopatra murdered two of her siblings.

Cleopatra had Marcus Antonius kill her younger sister, Arsinoë IV when it became apparent that opposition forces were rallying around her. Her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, both ruled with her for a short time; however, Ptolemy XIII died in an ensuing battle while Cleopatra allegedly poisoned Ptolemy XIV after the birth of her son, Caesarion. While these actions seem brutal, this makes Cleopatra no different than any other ruler. For example, Octavian went on to murder Cleopatra’s son and Marcus Antonius’s son to ensure his own power.

5. Cleopatra was in Rome when Caesar was assassinated.

Romans were not particularly enthralled with Caesar’s relationship with Cleopatra and her visit probably provided the final impetus to remove Caesar.

6. Cleopatra had four children–only one survived to adulthood.

Cleopatra’s first child was a son by Caesar. She also had twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, as well as another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, all by Marcus Antonius. Cleopatra Selene eventually became the Queen of Mauretania.

7. Cleopatra successfully expanded her kingdom.

While Caesar and Marcus Antonius granted her requests for new land, it was also in Rome’s best interest for Cleopatra to control local areas. Rome actively sought alliances with friendly kings to manage these areas with Rome’s interests in mind.

8. Cleopatra was not friendly with Herod, King of Judea.

The same Herod that sought the baby Jesus, was in a constant power struggle with Cleopatra.

9. Cleopatra was most likely a Roman citizen.

Rome would often confer citizenship upon allied kings. Marcus Antonius could have bestowed citizenship upon Cleopatra if she didn’t have it already. Many of Cleopatra’s ancestors could have had citizenship as well and their citizenship would have passed to her.

10. It’s unclear that Cleopatra died from an asp’s bite.

While death by snake bite wasn’t unheard of in Cleopatra’s time, it probably wasn’t the most effective method. She could have administered poison through a needle which could have been mistaken for an asp’s bite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_VII

Cleopatra in the Roman Civil War

In the Roman civil war between the Caesarian party – led by Mark Antony and Octavian – and the party of the assassins of Caesar – led by Marcus Junius Brutus andGaius Cassius Longinus – Cleopatra sided with the Caesarian party because of her past. Brutus and Cassius left Italy and sailed to the East of the Roman Empire, where they conquered large areas and established their military bases. At the beginning of 43 BC Cleopatra formed an alliance with the leader of the Caesarian party in the East, Publius Cornelius Dolabella, who recognized Caesarion as her co-ruler.^[18] But soon Dolabella was encircled in Laodicea and committed suicide (July 43 BC).

Now Cassius wanted to invade Egypt to seize the treasures of that country and to punish the queen for her refusal of Cassius’ request to send him supplies and her support for Dolabella. Egypt seemed an easy booty because the land did not have strong land forces and there was famine and an epidemic. Cassius finally wanted to prevent Cleopatra from bringing a strong reinforcement for Antony and Octavian. But he could not execute the invasion of Egypt because at the end of 43 BC Brutus summoned him back to Smyrna. Cassius tried to blockade Cleopatra’s way to the Caesarians. For this purpose Lucius Staius Murcus moved with 60 ships and a legion of elite troops into position at Cape Matapan in the south of the Peloponnese. Nevertheless Cleopatra sailed with her fleet from Alexandria to the west along the Libyan coast to join the Caesarian leaders but she was forced to return to Egypt because her ships were damaged by a violent storm and she became ill. Staius Murcus learned of the misfortune of the queen and saw parts of her wrecked ships at the coast of Greece. He then sailed with his ships into the Adriatic Sea.^[19]

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information about cleopatra

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About Cleopatra ~

Family
Cleopatra I was the daughter of Antiochus III and Laodice III. She married Ptolemy V in 193 BC. They had at least three children ^{[3] [4]}:

• Ptolemy VI of Egypt born in 186 BC
• Cleopatra II of Egypt born ca 187 - 185 BC
• Ptolemy VIII Physcon born ca 184 BC

 Biography

In 197 BC Antiochus III had captured some Ptolemaic cities in Asia Minor. The Romans supported the Egyptian interests, when they negotiated with the Seleucid king in Lysimachia in 196 BC. But Antiochus III answered, that he wanted to make peace with Ptolemy V and to marry his daughter Cleopatra I to him. They were really betrothed in 195 BC and their marriage was celebrated in the beginning of 193 BC in Raphia.^[5] At that time Ptolemy V was about 16 years and Cleopatra I about 10 years old. Later Ptolemaic propaganda claimed that Cleopatra I had received Coele-Syria as dowry and this land therefore again belonged to Egypt. It is not clear if this promise was really made, but in any case Coilesyria remained since the Battle of Panium in 198 BC always in the possession of the Seleucid kingdom.^[6]
In Alexandria, Cleopatra I was called the Syrian.^[7] In the Ptolemaic cult she was honoured with her husband as Theoi Epiphaneis. In old Egyptian manner she was also named adelphe (= sister) of Ptolemy V. A priest synod held at Memphis in 185 BC transferred all honours that Ptolemy V had received in 196 BC (written on the Rosetta stone) to his wife.
The royal couple had two boys (Ptolemy VI and VIII) and a daughter (Cleopatra II). Her older son Ptolemy VI was born in about 186 BC; the dates of the birth of her younger children are unknown.
In 187 BC, Cleopatra I was appointed vizier and upon her husband's death in 180 BC, she ruled on behalf of her minor son Ptolemy VI. She was the first Ptolemaic queen to exercise all the power alone. This can be concluded from date formulas of Papyri written in the years from 179 BC to 176 BC, where Cleopatra I is called Thea Epiphanes and her name is written before that of her son. She also minted her own coins, which also bear her name before that of her son. On June 22, 2010, archaeologists uncovered a gold coin bearing her image at Tel Kedesh in Israel near the Lebanon border. It was reported to be the heaviest and most valuable gold coin ever found in Israel.^[8]
Just before his death Ptolemy V had planned to make war against the Seleucid kingdom but when his widow started to rule she immediately ended the war preparations directed against her brother Seleucus IV Philopator. Cleopatra I died sometime between 178 BC and 176 BC.


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