CLEOPATRA-FORWARD Dear friends,
The following Iread today from Yahoo opening page. I found the reading very interesting andthought of forwarding to the groups. I recollect watching the English film Cleopatrain the posh Safire theatre in Chennai in 1971 July. The theatre is notfunctioning now. I amnot able to attach photos in this forward. All high-lighting are done by me Gopalakrishnan16-5-2023 The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBCHistory Revealed-Who was Cleopatra? Her life, herlove affairs and her children, plus 6 little-known facts Cleopatra is one ofthe best-known women in history, famed for her supposed beauty and intellect,and her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Explore her incrediblelife, her quest her for power and her untimely end A depiction ofQueen Cleopatra, c50 BC Published: May 10,2023 at 7:05 am CLAIM YOUR BOOKthis summer when you subscribe to either BBC History Magazine or BBC HistoryRevealed Cleopatra VII: a biography Born: c69 BC Died: 30 BC Reigned: Sheassumed control of Egypt in 51 BC after the death of her father, Ptolemy XII,initially co-ruling with her brother XIII. Her reign ended with her death in30 BC. Known for: Beingthe last pharaoh of Egypt, being a fabled beauty, her love affairs with Julius Caesar and MarkAntony, and – alongside Mark Antony – waging a war on Rome, which sheultimately lost. OutsideEurope, in Africa and in Islamic tradition, she was remembered very differently.Arab writers refer to her as a scholar, and 400 years after her death a cultstatue of Cleopatra was being honoured at Philae, a religious centre that alsoattracted pilgrims from further south, outside Egypt. Cause ofdeath: Took her own life, possibly with poison. Legend has it that sheencouraged a snake to bite her. Cleopatra VII:Ancient Egypt’s most famous daughter, and its last active Pharaoh. A womanimmortalised in film, on canvas and in print. An enigmatic heroine to whom William Shakespeare devotedone of his greatest tragedies. Her story is onethat has been retold throughout history – full of romance and love, riches andbetrayal. But beneath thegold and glamour lies a far darker tale of sibling rivalry taken to theextreme, and a thirst for power that would change the course of history. Born c69 BC, Cleopatra was the third of a possible sixchildren, all of whom shared a common father, Ptolemy XII.ThePtolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian-Greek royal family that had ties to Alexander the Great, hadruled Egypt since 305 BC. Traditionallymale rulers took the name Ptolemy, while Ptolemaic Queens were usually namedCleopatra, Arsinoë or Berenice. How did Cleopatrabecome queen? For Cleopatra, lifeas a royal daughter was one of luxury. The Egyptian capital Alexandria, the seat of Ptolemaicpower, was a thriving cultural centre, attracting scholars, artists andphilosophers from all over the world. It was also home to the greatPharos of Alexandria – the 137-metre-tall lighthouse that towered over the cityand one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Cleopatra’s first taste of power came at the tender age of14, when she was made co-regent with her father,following his restoration to the throne after three years in exile, albeit withlimited powers. Ptolemy XII’s return to the throne had costCleopatra’s elder sister, Berenice – who had seized power in his absence – herlife. There may have beena further elder sister, Cleopatra VI Tryphaena, but she too had died by thispoint. All of this meant that it was 18-year-old Cleopatra who became co-regentwith her brother, Ptolemy XIII (aged ten), when her father died in March 51 BC. In truepharaonic tradition, which aimed to keep the royal bloodline as pure aspossible, Cleopatra married her younger brother and co-ruler, but it soonbecame clear that she had no intention of sharing power with him. Within months,Ptolemy XIII’s name had been dropped from official documents and Cleopatra’sface appeared alone on coins. Cleopatra: what isthe real legacy of the last pharaoh? For more than 2,000years Cleopatra VII, final ruler of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty, has beenportrayed as a manipulative but tragic beauty. Yet, as Joann Fletcher reveals,such simplistic portrayals obscure her true legacy as a strong, politicallyastute monarch... Carved wall scene depicting Cleopatra at Dendera Temple(Not attached) Cleopatra is oftenportrayed by Hollywood as a glamorous femme fatale. Mary Hamerargues that most of what we think we know about Cleopatra is merely the echo ofRoman propaganda. Here, she reveals six lesser-known facts about the Egyptianruler… Cleopatra made an ally of Julius Caesar, who helped toestablish her on the throne She then invitedhim to join her on a voyage up the Nile, and when she subsequently gave birthto a son, she named thebaby Caesarion – ‘little Caesar’. In Rome this causeda scandal. This was, firstly, because Egypt and its pleasure-loving culturewere despised as decadent. But it was also because Caesar had no other sons – though he wasmarried to Calpurnia, and had had two wives before her – and he hadjust made himself the most powerful man in Rome. Elite Romans were meant toshare power, but Caesar seemed to want to be supreme, like a monarch. It was a doubly unbearableprospect: Caesarion, an Egyptian, just might grow up to claim to rule over Romeas Caesar’s heir. Fantasies aboutCleopatra’s beauty are just that Plutarch, the Greekbiographer of Mark Antony, claimed it wasn’t so much her looks that were socompelling, but her conversation and her intelligence. Cleopatra tookcontrol of the way she appeared, coming across differently according topolitical need. For example, at ceremonial events she would appear dressed as the goddess Isis:it was common forEgyptian rulers to identify themselves with an established deity. On her coins mintedin Egypt, meanwhile, she chose to be shown with her father’s strong jaw line,to emphasise her inherited right to rule. Sculptures don’tgive us much of a clue to her looks either: there are two or three heads in theclassical style, but also a number of full-length statues in Egyptian style,and her appearance in these are quite different. A coin with thehead of Cleopatra. (Photo by Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)( Not attached) Cleopatrawas living in Rome, as the mistress of Julius Caesar, at the time that he wasassassinated Caesar’sassassination in 44 BC meant Cleopatra herself was in danger, so she left atonce. With her little son, Caesarion, she had been living in apalace of her own on the other side of the river Tiberfrom Caesar’s household (though it is likely she hadn’t taken up permanentresidence there, but returned on regular visits from Egypt). Not surprisingly, Cleopatra had been much disliked ina city that had got rid of its kings, for she’d insisted on being addressed as‘queen’. It can’t have helped that to honour her, Caesar had placed astatue of Cleopatra covered in gold in the temple of Venus Genetrix – thegoddess who brings forth life, who was held in high regard by his family. Cleopatra was amother as well as the ruler of Egypt She had Caesarion,her eldest son, represented on the temple wall at Dendera alongside her, assharing her rule. After her death, the Roman emperor Augustuslured Caesarion back with promises of power, only to have him killed. He wasaged 16 or 17, though some sources say he was as young as 14. Mark Antony wasthe father of Cleopatra’s other children, PtolemyPhiladelphus and the twins, Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios. The twins wereaged 10 and Ptolemy six when their mother died. They weretaken to Rome and treated well in the household of Mark Antony’s widow,Octavia, where they were educated. 10 things you(probably) didn't know about ancient Egypt The adult CleopatraSelene was married to Juba, a minor king, and sent to rule with him overMauretania. She gave birthto another Ptolemy – Cleopatra’s only known grandchild. He died inadulthood by order of his cousin, Caligula, so none of Cleopatra’s descendantslived to inherit Egypt. [DYEDFP_0-49794d2] A colossal head of Caesarion (Little Caesar), theson of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, from the 1st century BC. The head went onshow in Los Angeles in 2012. (Photo by World History Archive / Alamy) When we refer tothe eighth month as ‘August’, we are celebrating the defeat and death ofCleopatra Augustus foundedhis reign on the defeat of Cleopatra. When he had thechance to have a month named in his own honour, instead of choosing September –the month of his birth – hechose the eighth month, in which Cleopatra died, to create a yearly reminder ofher defeat. The bloody rise ofAugustus Augustus would have liked to lead Cleopatra as a captivethrough Rome, as other generals did with theirprisoners, in the formal triumphs that celebrated their victories. But she killed herself to prevent that. Cleopatra didn’t die for love.Like Mark Antony, who killed himself because there was no longer a place ofhonour for him in the world, Cleopatra chose to die rather than suffer theviolence of being paraded, shamed and helpless, through Rome. Augustus had tomake do with an image of her that was carried through the streets instead. Cleopatra’s namewas Greek, but it doesn’t mean that she was. Cleopatra’s family was descended from the Macedoniangeneral Ptolemy, who had picked up Egypt in the share out after Alexander died.But 250 years then passed before Cleopatra was born – 12 generations, with alltheir love affairs and secret assignations. Today we know thatat least one child in 10 is not attributed to their correct biological father –“Momma’s baby, Poppa’s maybe”, as they say. Egypt’s population included people of many differentethnicities, and naturally that included Africans, since Egypt was a part ofAfrica. So it’s not at all unlikely that long beforeCleopatra was born, her Greek heritage had become mixed with other strains. Andsince the identity of her own grandmother is unknown, it is foolish to thinkthat we’re sure of her racial identity. Mary Hamer is theauthor of Signs of Cleopatra: Reading an Icon Historically (LiverpoolUniversity Press, 2008) What are the keymoments in Cleopatra's reign? 51 BC | Ptolemy XIIdies Having recoveredhis throne with Roman help in c55 BC, Ptolemy XII dies, leaving Egypt withconsiderable debts. Beforehis death, he declares that Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII are to co-rule. 48 BC | Cleopatraseduces Julius Caesar Desperate to enlistRome’s help to restore her to the throne, the banished Cleopatra smugglesherself into the presence of Julius Caesar, allegedly being delivered to him ina bed-sack. Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony: how the lastpharaoh’s love affairs shaped Ancient Egypt’s fate Explore Cleopatra'srelationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony – and why they had suchfundamental consequences for both Egypt and Rome... Julius Caesar meetsCleopatra in this 18th-century painting 47 BC | Caesar’sson is born Cleopatra gives birth to her first child, whom she namesPtolemy Caesar – known as Caesarion. Although named after his father,Caesarion’s claim to Rome is never acknowledged by Julius Caesar. 41 BC | Cleopatrameets Mark Antony After initially refusing Roman General Mark Antony’srequests for a meeting, Cleopatra travels to Tarsus where the two meet for thefirst time. Antony is keen to secure Egypt’s financial help with his militarycampaigns. He is immediately smitten with the EgyptianQueen’s charm and beauty. 40 BC | Cleopatrabears twins Cleopatra gives birth to twins, Alexander Helios andCleopatra Selene, fathered by Mark Antony. AfterCleopatra’s surrender and suicide in 31 BC, the pair are captured by Octavianand paraded through Rome in gold chains, behind an effigy of their mother. 37 BC | the loversare married After separatingfrom his wife Octavia (sister of Octavian), Antony meets Cleopatra in Syria and the pair are said tohave married. A third child, Ptolemy Philadelphus, is born the following year. Antony andCleopatra, and 6 more of the best couples in history 33 BC | A crisislooms Relations betweenOctavian and Antony reached crisis point in 33 BC, when the Roman Senatedeclared war on Egypt. 30 BC | MarkAntony is defeated Followinghumiliating defeat at the Battle of Actium by Octavian (later Augustus) and asubsequent battle in Alexandria, Mark Antony attempts suicide. He is brought to Cleopatra’s hidingplace where he soon dies. 30 BC | Cleopatratakes her own life Unable tocontemplate life as a prisoner of Rome, and without the protection of her Romanlover, Cleopatra takes her own life. According to legend, she is bitten by a poisonous snake,which kills her. The battle ofActium, 31 BC: the beginning of the end for Mark Antony and Cleopatra Military historianJulian Humphrys explains how this naval clash off the Greek coast presaged boththe end of the Roman Republic and the deaths of one history’s most famouscouples... Mural of the battle of Actium from 1600 This articlewas first published on History Extra in April 2015 and has been updated withcontent published in BBC History Revealed in 2014 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/318784320.1341772.1684245111654%40mail.yahoo.com.
