Cleopatra: The Queen Without Embellishment – Between Myth and Reality
An aura of irresistibility: how the myth of the fatal seductress was born
The figure of Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last queen of Hellenistic Egypt, is shrouded in such a thick fog of legend that discerning the true face of the ruler is no easy task. For centuries, her name has served as a synonym for fatal beauty and boundless power over men's hearts. This image, replicated in art and popular culture, owes much to two fateful romances that linked the Egyptian queen with the most powerful men of that era - Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. When eighteen-year-old Cleopatra, exiled from Alexandria by her younger brother and co-ruler Ptolemy XIII, was looking for a way to regain the throne, she bet on the Roman dictator Caesar, who had arrived in Egypt.
Famous story The story of her being smuggled into his chambers, wrapped in a carpet (or, in other, less romanticized versions, a bed sack – essentially a large, sturdy bag used to transport or store bedding), became a symbol of her audacity and willingness to take risks. Caesar, who was fifty-two at the time, was apparently not so much captivated by the twenty-two-year-old queen’s youth as by her intelligence, political acumen, and regal presence. Their union, cemented by the birth of their son Ptolemy XV Caesarion, was primarily a political maneuver for both: Cleopatra regained power with the help of the Roman legions, and Caesar gained a loyal ally and access to the riches of Egypt. She even followed him to Rome in 46 BC. e., where her appearance, so exotic and challenging to Roman customs, caused quite a stir and generated a wave of rumors and condemnation among the conservative Roman nobility.
Berlin bust
After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, the world was again plunged into the chaos of civil wars. Once again, Cleopatra placed her bets on one of the strongest – Mark Antony. Their meeting in Tarsus in 41 BC became overgrown with even more legends. Plutarch describes how the queen arrived on a ship with a gilded stern, purple sails and silver-plated oars, and how she herself reclined in the image of Aphrodite under a gold-embroidered canopy, while young men in the clothes of Eros fanned her with fans. This carefully staged spectacle made an indelible impression on Antony, a connoisseur of luxury and spectacular gestures. Their affair, which lasted for more than a decade and produced three children – the twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, and then Ptolemy Philadelphus – was not just a passionate affair but also a powerful political alliance that challenged Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus. Antony, blinded, as Roman propaganda claimed, by the charms of an Egyptian sorceress, distributed Rome’s eastern provinces to her and their children, which became one of the main reasons for the fateful war. The dramatic denouement of this story – the defeat at Actium in 31 BC, the false news of Cleopatra’s death, Antony’s suicide and, finally, the mysterious death of the queen herself, supposedly from the bite of an asp, in order to avoid the humiliation of becoming a trophy in Octavian’s triumphal procession – finally turned her into a legendary figure.
The woman for whom great commanders lost their heads and empires could not help but appear as a standard of beauty in the perception of descendants. And this myth turned out to be unusually tenacious, fueled by each new film, where the role of Cleopatra invariably went to the first beauties of the screen, from Theda Bara to Elizabeth Taylor and Monica Bellucci, each of whom added new touches to this collective portrait of a seductress of universal scale.
Face on a Coin: In Search of Cleopatra's True Appearance
But was Cleopatra's appearance really so flawless, if we put aside the romantic flair and turn to more prosaic evidence? Alas, here we will be somewhat disappointed, because historians cannot give a clear answer. The sculptured portraits and images on coins that have come down to us paint an image that is far from Hollywood standards. Many busts attributed to Cleopatra depict a woman with rather large facial features, a strong chin, a long nose with a hump and full lips. For example, the so-called "Berlin bust of Cleopatra" or the marble head from Cherchell (Algeria) demonstrate energy and authority rather than refined prettiness.
The coins minted during her lifetime are also in no hurry to confirm the legend of her incomparable beauty. On them we see a profile with a characteristic Ptolemaic hooked nose, a protruding chin and a rather stern expression. Of course, it should be taken into account that ancient portraits, especially on coins, were often stylized and served the purposes of propaganda, emphasizing dynastic succession or divine patronage, rather than striving for an exact likeness. Images of rulers were often idealized or, on the contrary, endowed with features symbolizing certain qualities, such as masculinity or strength.
Cleopatra on coins of that time
Written accounts from contemporaries or near-contemporaries do not shed light either. Perhaps the most widely cited author in this context is Plutarch, who wrote a biography of Antony more than a century after Cleopatra's death. He noted:
For her beauty was not what is called incomparable and strikes at first sight, but her manner was distinguished by irresistible charm, and therefore her appearance, combined with the rare persuasiveness of her speech, with the enormous charm that shone through in every word, in every movement, firmly imprinted itself on the soul. Her voice sounded tender, and her tongue, like a many-stringed instrument, was easily tuned to any key.
Thus, Plutarch emphasizes not so much physical beauty as charm, conversational skills, and strength of personality. Another Roman historian, Cassius Dio, writing even later, in the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, was more generous in complimenting the queen's appearance, calling her "a woman of outstanding beauty" At the same time, he also emphasized her charming voice and intelligence, noting that "she knew how to make herself pleasant to everyone" It is important to remember that both authors wrote from a considerable time distance and were probably influenced by already established narratives, including the propaganda of Octavian Augustus, who sought to denigrate Cleopatra, presenting her as a treacherous and depraved seductress who destroyed the valiant Roman Antony.
The absence of truly objective, impartial descriptions of Cleopatra's appearance, made by those who knew her personally and had no political commitment, leaves a huge field for speculation. Perhaps the secret of her attractiveness was not in her ideal facial features, but in the unique combination of intelligence, education, charisma and truly regal self-control, which made her irresistible in the eyes of her contemporaries.
Royal Intelligence: The Last Ptolemaic Woman's True Weapon
While Cleopatra's physical beauty is open to debate, her intellectual abilities and political foresight are practically beyond doubt. She was not only the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but also one of the most educated women of her time. Raised in Alexandria, a cosmopolitan center of Hellenistic culture and science, home to the famous Library of Alexandria, Cleopatra received an excellent education. She studied philosophy, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. However, her true calling and main instrument of influence was linguistics. Plutarch testifies that Cleopatra was a true polyglot and, unlike many of her predecessors from the Ptolemaic dynasty, who had difficulty expressing themselves even in Egyptian, she spoke many languages fluently.
Sources mention at least seven to nine languages that she spoke: in addition to her native Greek (Koine), she knew Egyptian (which made her especially popular among the native population), Aramaic, Ethiopian, Parthian, Median, the languages of the troglodytes (as ancient authors called the tribes that lived in caves and primitive dwellings on the borders of Egypt) and, possibly, Latin and Hebrew. This unique ability to communicate with representatives of different peoples without translators gave her a huge advantage in diplomatic negotiations and allowed her to establish personal contact with ambassadors and rulers of neighboring states.
Alexandre Cabanel, Cleopatra Testing Poison on Prisoners, 1887
Her political career began at a young age, amidst a brutal court power struggle, replete with intrigue, betrayal, and murder. At the age of 18, she became co-ruler with her ten-year-old brother Ptolemy XIII, but was soon forced to flee due to the machinations of the court eunuch Pothinus and the commander Achillas. Cleopatra, however, did not resign herself to exile and, demonstrating extraordinary courage and determination, managed not only to return to the throne with the help of Caesar, but also to strengthen her power by eliminating competitors, including her younger brothers and sister Arsinoe. Throughout her twenty-two-year reign (from 51 to 30 BC), she demonstrated outstanding qualities as a statesman. Cleopatra's domestic policy was aimed at stabilizing the economy of Egypt, which had suffered from crop failures, famine, and previous civil strife.
She carried out administrative reforms, tried to control inflation, supported trade and crafts. Papyri with her decrees have survived, testifying to the queen's personal participation in governing the country, for example, a decree from 33 BC, which granted tax breaks to one of Antony's confidants. In foreign policy, her main goal was to preserve the independence of Egypt in the face of Roman expansion. Alliances with Caesar, and then with Antony, were not just love affairs, but sober political calculations that allowed her not only to keep Egypt from becoming a Roman province for two decades, but also to expand its territory at the expense of lands donated by Antony. She skillfully played on the contradictions of Roman generals, using all her charm, insight and diplomatic art to achieve her goals. Her royal intellect turned out to be much more formidable weapons, than any mythical beauty.
Metamorphoses of the Image: Cleopatra in the Mirror of the Ages
Cleopatra’s death did not mark the end of her story; on the contrary, it marked the beginning of her posthumous life in a culture where her image underwent astonishing metamorphoses, reflecting the changing values and prejudices of different eras. In the immediate aftermath of her death, the tone was set by the propaganda of Octavian Augustus. In order to justify the civil war against Antony and legitimize his sole power, Octavian needed an enemy figure. And Cleopatra was ideally suited to this role. In official Roman historiography, she was portrayed as a wily oriental seductress, a depraved and cruel queen who, with the help of witchcraft, subjugated the valiant but weak-willed Antony, forcing him to forget his duty to Rome. Augustan poets such as Horace and Virgil created the image of a “mad queen” (“fatale monstrum”) who threatened the very existence of Rome. This negative stereotype proved extremely persistent and determined the perception of Cleopatra for many centuries.
In the Middle Ages, under the influence of Christian morality, Cleopatra was often presented as a symbol of pagan licentiousness and destructive female power. Her story served as an instructive example of the fall caused by carnal sins and pride. With the advent of the Renaissance, however, interest in antiquity was revived, and with it – in the figure of Cleopatra. Humanists rediscovered ancient authors, including Plutarch. Giovanni Boccaccio in his treatise “On Famous Women” (1361-1362) devoted a chapter to her, where, on the one hand, he recognized her intelligence and undoubted attractiveness, but on the other – condemned her for greed, cruelty and lust, largely following the Roman tradition. Nevertheless, it was during this period that Cleopatra began to turn into the heroine of tragic love stories. The pinnacle of this process was William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra (c. 1607). Shakespeare created a complex, multifaceted and incredibly attractive image of the queen - passionate, intelligent, capricious, regal and deeply human. His Cleopatra is no longer just a cunning seductress, but a woman of great fortitude, capable of great love and great sacrifice.
Reginald Smith, The Death of Cleopatra, 1892
In the centuries that followed, Cleopatra inspired artists, sculptors, composers, and writers. Painters from Rubens and Tiepolo to Guérin and Delacroix depicted key moments in her life: banquets, her meeting with Antony, and, of course, her tragic death. With the advent of cinema in the 1963th century, Cleopatra was given a new screen incarnation, becoming one of the most popular historical figures in cinema. From silent films with Theda Bara to the grandiose XNUMX peplum starring Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood actively exploited the myth of her exotic beauty and fatal passions. Each new generation created its own Cleopatra, reflecting in her image its own ideas about femininity, power, and love. And almost always this image was formed primarily through the prism of male perception, emphasizing her sexuality and influence on men, often to the detriment of her political achievements and intellectual abilities.
Not Just the Nile and Snakes: The Queen's Enduring Legacy
Why, after more than two millennia, does the figure of Cleopatra continue to excite our imagination? It is not only the drama of her fate or the persistent myth of her beauty. Her story touches on eternal themes: love and power, loyalty and betrayal, the clash of civilizations and the tragedy of the individual against the backdrop of grand historical cataclysms. Cleopatra was the last representative of the once powerful Ptolemaic dynasty and the last sovereign ruler of Egypt. Her death marked the end of the Hellenistic era and the final transformation of the country of the pharaohs into a Roman province, the granary of the future empire. She became a symbol of a passing world, an ancient culture swallowed up by the inexorable march of Rome.
Her legacy is multifaceted. For some, she is an example of a strong woman who challenged the male world and fought for the independence of her country until the very end. In an era when women in politics were the exception rather than the rule, Cleopatra not only reigned, but actively governed the state, waged wars, made alliances and tried to influence world politics. Her insightful mind, education, command of languages and diplomatic skills are admired today. For others, she remains the embodiment of calculating cunning and destructive passion, a woman who used her charms to achieve political goals.
The fate of her children was also tragic. Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar, was killed by Octavian shortly after his mother's death, as a potential rival for Caesar's legacy. Three of her children by Mark Antony - Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II and Ptolemy Philadelphus - were taken to Rome and raised by Octavia, Octavian's sister and Antony's former wife. Of these, the most famous is the fate of Cleopatra Selene II, who married Juba II, king of Numidia and then Mauretania, and, according to some sources, tried to revive elements of Egyptian culture in her kingdom.
The French writer and statesman André Malraux once called Cleopatra "queen without a face", meaning that her true appearance is hidden under numerous layers of myths, legends and propaganda. Perhaps it is this mystery, this impossibility of fully comprehending her essence, that is part of her enduring appeal. Modern historians are increasingly trying to move away from stereotypical assessments, trying to reconstruct a more objective portrait of Cleopatra as an astute and far-sighted politician, a skilled diplomat and an enlightened ruler who found herself at the epicenter of the struggle for world domination.
And it is becoming increasingly clear that her place in history was secured not so much by her legendary beauty or the famous “snake in a basket of figs,” but by her outstanding intellect, unbending will, and desperate desire to preserve the legacy of the pharaohs in a rapidly changing world. She lost her final battle, but won immortality in the memory of posterity, remaining one of the most striking and discussed women in world history.
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