Introduction.
Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt before its political collapse and has been immortalized by her legend of great beauty and wit. However, did Egypt actually fall into the hands of the Roman’s because of Cleopatra? To what extent was Cleopatra personally responsible for the political collapse of Egypt during the years 41BC-30BC, due to her close and personal involvement in Roman politics?
Cleopatra is also famous for her affairs with the powerful Romans, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. This is why it is interesting that Cleopatra ended up committing suicide and letting Egypt fall into the hands of the Roman’s. That is why this essay with investigate the significance of Cleopatra’s involvement with these Romans considering
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Egypt had a great agricultural value, which was important to Rome because Egypt could (and did) supply Rome with grain. Egypt also exported other valuables to Rome such as, papyrus, glass, minor crafted arts, minerals, ores, fine stones which could be used for sculptures and architecture. Not only was Egypt important because of the goods it produced, but it also opened a gateway for Rome to trade with central Africa, India, Arabian Peninsula, and sea routes through the Red Sea. Above all Egypt was rich in culture and goods, and its influences traveled through Alexandria to Rome. This made Rome "the first city of the civilized world" in the first century B.C as described by Greek historian Diodorus of Sicily. Both Cultures were evolving with the influence of each other and we can still see today the effects of it …show more content…
Cleopatra took a risk when she got herself involved with Rome and she paid a heavy price, her life, and the political power of Egypt. There is no true way to know how much of it is Cleopatra’s fault, but through looking at sources it was clear that her choice of interacting with the Romans played a significant role in the political collapse of Egypt. It started when she used Julius Caesar to regain her position as the Queen of Egypt. When he paraded her family in the streets of Rome as war prizes, it was a clear sign that Cleopatra ended up giving up some of Egypt’s power. However, by being internationally recognized as the Egyptian goddess ‘Isis’ she was actually able to recover political power and gain more influence. With the power also came the danger, when Caesar was assassinated Cleopatra needed someone with power to protect her. This is where Marc Antony comes in as one of the most powerful Roman’s. By getting involved with Antony, Egypt loses money, power, influence, sovereignty, and end up belonging to Rome. Nonetheless, Egypt was also able to gain valuable land that they could use for the construction of ships. Or course none of it made much of of difference when Antony and Cleopatra went to war with Octavian and lost. Regardless of how it's looked at, it is difficult to dispute that Egypt
Changing social habits of a contemporary society have seen Cleopatra depicted in many different ways. Whilst few artefacts remain of the true image of Cleopatra, we see from her portrait on the coins (Fear, 2008, p, 21 Fig 1.4) that despite being no legendary beauty, she had the power to captivate two of the greatest Romans of her time. Cleopatra consummated her union with Julius Caesar, which strengthened her grip on the throne, following his assassination; she formed alliance with Mark Antony, in opposition to Octavian, a coalition that would lead to her downfall as both Antony and Cleopatra’s combined forces would be defeated against Octavian in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. (Fear, 2008, p.7)
It was not long before Caesar was assassinated and his close friend and a powerful general Mark Antony denounced the conspirators. Not long after Caesar’s death, Antony and Cleopatra fell in love and ruled Rome and Egypt together. Together, they had formed an alliance strong enough to take down the most powerful force in the world at the time, Rome. The fall of Antony and Cleopatra began when they were defeated at Actium in Greece against Octavian’s Roman army. Towards the end of the book, the author went into details on the true love that existed between Antony and Cleopatra.
During this time period Antony was in a battle over the control of Rome. Antony saw in Cleopatra a chance to have financial aid and military support for his own troops. Cleopatra on the other hand had her own plan. In the exchange for help she wanted in return Egypt’s eastern empire, which included Lebanon and Syria.
Despite Egypt’s provincial annexation to Rome after her death, Cleopatra managed to keep the Romans at bay for nearly twenty-two years. Unfortunately, much of her achievements have been disparaged and attributed to the utilization of her sexuality. To add, her image as a competent female ruler has been further distorted by the media and literature alike. Much of this misrepresentation can be accredited to the scarcity of reliable and unbiased accounts about her life. The Romans were afraid of Cleopatra’s power and the alliances she created with their generals. Therefore, accounts of her life in Roman scripture are not particularly in her favor.
In conclusion, The Aeneid’s lovers and Antony and Cleopatra are both tragic tales with many connections to each other. They share a common theme of a patriotic, heroic man having to choose between duty to his country and the passionate love of a beautiful, foreign and strong queen. Then on the otherside, they both depict a powerful and noble queen who is able to overcome the rampant patriarchy in their cities and rule with a firm loyal hand.
Being one of the few female rulers of her time, the task of gaining support was definitely not done with ease, especially as she hailed from a background of the Ptolemaic dynasty, one that ruled with harsh working conditions, and showed no respect for the Egyptians. Rebellion and riots all over the country were continuous and had come to the point where it was considered the norm to be entangled in the middle of one, if not several. The clever ways in which Cleopatra was able to garner support and stand her ground were ...
The Romans were immensely furious with Cleopatra and had primary influence over what sources were left behind about her. So certainly this is going to lead to biases and inaccuracies in the depictions we have. Furthermore, we are all well aware of how Hollywood likes to dramatize and embellish stories in order to generate ticket sales and is not worried about the accuracy of the historical anecdote. Because of this and her popularity, our knowledge of Cleopatra has been flooded with twisted truths. When examining Cleopatra’s full reign beyond her love affairs, reveals Cleopatra put all of her effort forth in order to solve the conflict between Egypt and Rome and should be recognized for her masterminded and commanding leadership
Was Cleopatra the reason the Egyptian Empire fell? Cleopatra's family ruled Egypt for more than one-hundred years. So maybe, her greed started way before she had a chance to choose her fate. Maybe she saw the power her father held and wanted to see what it was like to have all of the power. To be respected. To be feared. Are maybe she wasn’t the main reason the Egyptian empire fell.
She attributes her exceptional education, captivating oratory skills and intellectual abilities to have merited both the hearts of the Roman leaders. Through the latter she elevated her Empire from the path of ruin and into world supremacy, using the influence and might of the Roman Empire to do so. After all as Cleopatra displayed to have understood- Why be the conquered when you are able to be the conqueror. Read page 129
Cleopatra is most often remembered as the lover of two Roman consuls, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, thereby forever connecting the Egyptian queen to the history of Rome. The stories of her relationships with the two men do not always paint a flattering picture of Cleopatra, as her reported promiscuity and presumption give her a colorful reputation. Cleopatra is also sometimes seen as a misunderstood woman, someone who was never given a fair opportunity to be accepted as the wife of Marc Antony nor the mother of Caesar's child. Some historians and authors use the issue of Cleopatra's race as a reason that she was ostracized from Roman society, saying that the Romans were prejudiced against Egyptians, and despite Cleopatra's Greek background, would never accept her as a suitable mate for a Roman consul. This theory, however, is far outweighed by the numerous justifications the Roman people had for their distaste of Cleoaptra. It is not surprising that Cleopatra never found acceptance in Rome, as she offered nothing to the relationship between Egypt and Rome, she stood for everything they were against, and little by little, she succeeded in destroying parts of the society that the Roman people had worked to build.
Cleopatra was immediately established from the second she burst out of the womb as a member of the royal family of the Ptolemy's; the family which had controlled the Egyptian throne since the rule of Ptolemy I which began in 323 BC. She was born the daughter of Ptolemy XII, King of Egypt, in 69 BC, her full name being Cleopatra VII, or "Thea Philopator" in Greek: a name, which literally translates to "a goddess loving her father." She did most definitely loved her father, so dearly, in fact, that he granted the throne to Cleopatra upon his death in 51 BC. From the moment she set foot on the throne, co-ruling Egypt with her brother and obligatory husband Ptolemy XIII, she was intent upon coercing her, and only her, influence upon all of Egypt. More specifically, she wished to possess a less influential bridegroom so that she could impose more of her ideas and policies upon Egypt. It is for this reason that Cleopatra initiated one of the most notorious and controversial relationships of all time with one of the most prominent figures in history; Julius Caesar. Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra from the moment he saw her. Even though she was not known to be exceptionally beautiful, it is derived from many accounts that she was the definition of a wicked temptress, the defining characteristic that obviously won Caesar's heart. Naturally, Caesar aided Cleopatra after Ptolemy XIII's advisors had driven her from the throne, and declared war upon Ptolemy XIII. Caesar and Cleopatra were victorious and Cleopatra returned safely to the throne. Shortly after the coup, Cleopatra was noticeably pregnant. The product of this pregnancy was a son, named Caesarion, who is widely believed to belong to Caesar.
Once in Syria and situated Cleopatra began constructing an army. She knew that an army alone wouldn’t get her power back. Cleopatra would need some outside help too to get the job done. She needed a powerful ally and Julius Caesar was just that person. She reached out many times to seek Julius Caesar’s support. After many failed attempts at getting his support he finally came through and agreed to help Cleopatra restore her po...
In this research paper I will be writing about Cleopatra VII. Her early life, family and her relationships’. Cleopatra VII was born around 69 BC and was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes and Cleopatra V of Egypt. Her parents got married in the year 79 BC. Her father Ptolemy XII Auletes was the king of Egypt during 80-58 B.C. and 55-51 B.C. He was born in 117 BC and was also known as the “Piper” because he played the flute. He died in 51 BC, Alexandria, Egypt from being exiled. Her mother Cleopatra V was the queen of Egypt, born in 95 BC. She vanished around the time of Cleopatra’s birth in 69 BC then died in 57 BC. Some people believe she was either murdered or that she may have died while giving birth. (“Cleopatras Family”)
Around 69 B.C, one of the most famous female rulers ever known was born, she was Cleopatra. She was the descendent of the Egyptian ruler, Ptolemy XII, and she would eventually became the queen of ancient Egypt herself. She was known for being extremely intelligent and very charming, and because of this many romans feared her and viewed her as a threat. When her father died the throne of Egypt was left to her and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, and rivalry formed between the two, making her even more determined to become the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra had trained all her life to be the successor of Egypt and she hungered for power. Like her father, she tried to have peace with Rome and maybe even have power over them. She would gain her power by having Caesar one and only son, Caesarion, the loyalty of Marc Antony, a well-known general who was popular among the troops in Rome, and of course by using her intelligence and Egypt’s resources. Cleopatra was a successful ruler because she had a thirst for power.
Cleopatra is the main root of Mark Antonys downfall from a well. respected and powerful leader of Rome, a man who spent his days. frolicking in the desert of Egypt. Agrippa Enobarbus describes how Antony fell. under the spell of Cleopatra.