Reading an article regarding the facts about Cleopatra may take you back to your social-science class in primary school. Or that afternoon when you had decided to flip through the unbelievably heavy Encyclopedia. If it wasn’t Tutankhamun’s ascension to the throne at age 9, then it was the Gods. Followed by Cleopatra, who was named Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, honoring the appellation “Goddess who loves her father.”
As the Ptolemaic dynasty’s Queen, she was the last active pharaoh of the Hellenistic period. Regardless, she was a Queen determined to carve history.
Born to Ptolemy XII Aulestes, she was a native of Alexandria. After the death of her father, she ruled alongside her brother, Ptolemy XIII. With the escalating political circumstances, she was left to consider extreme situations such as civil wars, the Siege of Alexandria, and the Battle of the Nile.
Wading through the banks of the Nile River and (most) sources via the Internet, Cleopatra, also known as the Queen of Kings, has always been unattainable. Her transience, and whatever she has left of her 39 years, briefly lie here. Her reign as a disciplined pharaoh needs more than a cursory glance. Read 9 lesser-known facts about the Queen here:
1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian by blood
One of the interesting facts about Cleopatra is that she was not Egyptian. Rather, she was Queen of Egypt. She was of Macedonian Greek origin and she was the last active descendant of the Ptolemy line. The Ptolemaic dynasty’s Greek influence over Alexandria is notable. Especially since they ruled Egypt.
Six successions of the Ptolemy line led us to Cleopatra’s father. Thus, it is safe to say that she was about eight generations from being a pure Macedonian Greek, and making up for interracial allegations.
2. She spoke over nine languages fluently
Plutarch, a Greek historian, claimed that she was a polyglot who could speak whatever language she pleased without the need for a foreign interpreter.
She was said to be fluent in:
- Koine Greek: To converse with her people
- Egyptian: She learnt this as a native ruler to converse with her subjects. She was the first among her descendants to learn it.
- Latin: To communicate with Roman diplomats and rulers
Plurtach additionally suggested the ritualistic context of her multilingual needs being tied to diversity among the audience. He claimed she had special consideration for the dramatic effect it would leave on the subjects.
Cleopatra is also said to be fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, Ethiopian, Troglodyte, Median, and Parthian. Perhaps, owing to the Ptolemaic dynasty’s influence, and the uninterrupted geographical landscape stretching from the Sudan and the Horn of Africa through Egypt to Iran, it was clear she wanted to make an impression.
3. Cleopatra was a published scholar and author
Cleopatra’s abilities were constantly overlooked and not given enough credit. Even today, not many people are aware of her capabilities completely. The Greeks acknowledged her better. They considered her accomplishments over her appearance. They tried to capture her essence, mirroring her self-presentation. Their texts read about her person as a scholar, and later teacher, of medicine, magic, and alchemy.
Two Greek works that directly commend Cleopatra’s contribution include:
- Cleopatra’s ‘Chrysopoeia:’ Translated as ‘gold-making,’ a single page of diagrams representing alchemical apparatus and axioms, in the byzantine manuscript Marcianus graecus 299, and
- A treatise on the divine art of producing the philosopher’s stone. From Comarius, whose instructions took the form of a dialogue between her and other philosophers (including Ostanes, the Persian sage), was put into practice.
Other than medicine, treatises attribute her authorship to mathematics, toxicology, drugs, coinage, and cosmetics.
4. She had a complex relationship with her siblings
Cleopatra was widely acknowledged as someone who used familial and romantic relationships to strengthen her position as a queen. She grew up watching her father’s (Ptolemy XII) exile and how he reclaimed the throne by killing his daughter, Berenice IV, when she had briefly seized the throne. There was no sentimentality involved among family members.
Cleopatra’s complex relationships entail:
- Reflecting old customs, incest meant nothing. Cleopatra was 18 upon coronation, while her co-regent brother Ptolemy XIII, whom she was married to, was only 10.
- She was exiled and replaced by her younger sister, Arsinoe IV, who was killed by Cleopatra’s involvement with Mark Antony.
- She regained co-regency by marrying Ptolemy XIV, when Ptolemy XIII was lost to the Battle of the Nile.
- She is also claimed to have had Ptolemy XIV killed when Julius Caesar was assassinated.
It is certainly not easy to accept the disposing of siblings to ensure the throne remained in her hands. Cleopatra was known for her ruthlessness in that way.
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5. Her famous beauty was likely political propaganda
Certain historians and Roman authors claimed that Cleopatra considered her vanity as part of her plan. They banked on her beauty as a tool for manipulation. As though it were a method to seek attention from influential counterparts like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. They even went as far as to comment on her sexual prowess, terming her a “seductive temptress,” especially during her conflicts with Mark Antony.
Cleopatra proved that she was more than just a pretty face. This bias towards her beauty made it all the more important to look beyond it. She employed tact to gain independent reign over Egypt by allying with the Roman forces. Her approach to building an image that was partly mysterious amplified curiosity among people.
6. Cleopatra aligned herself with Isis and was worshipped as a goddess
To legitimize her position as Queen, she had to step up to her game and portray herself as a goddess. She chose Isis, who was revered among Egyptians for symbolizing magic, motherhood, and rebirth. Mirroring this, she wanted to:
- Embrace customs and keep traditions alive
- Associate with an image of feminine power
- Demand the need to be put on a pedestal
- Grant her unflinching authority
- Cater to the traditional Egyptian belief of deities being embodied by rulers.
7. She rolled out from a delivered carpet to meet Caesar
Julius Caesar had arrived in Egypt in 48 BC, in order to settle a family feud. Or so he had thought. While it was so, what he did not see coming was the Queen of Egypt.
When Caesar was retiring for the night, it was claimed that a recently delivered carpet unrolled itself. A petite Cleopatra walked out from it, charisma raging. It was difficult for Caesar too, to overlook that aura.
Not too long after, Cleopatra was installed co-regent alongside Ptolemy XIV. In the meantime, Caesar gave her a villa in Rome, openly admiring her by positioning gold statues of her. Though it was evident that Caesar was married at the time, he held a soft spot for Cleopatra. She birthed her first-born, and named him “Caesarion,” son of Caesar (also known as Ptolemy XV).
8. Her death may not have been from a snake bite
The cause for her death remains debatable. Some say she died of suicide by snakebite, while others speculate that she either employed a toxic ointment or a poisoned hairpin.
When Octavian’s armies at the Battle of Actium could not be kept at bay, Antony and Cleopatra made attempts to flee. It is plausible that they succumbed under such pressure. It is claimed that she died for her principles. She had weighed her options, and ultimately opted to end her life at the temple of Isis in Alexandria, by venom.
9. The location of her tomb remains unknown
Tales spun, crediting to lesser known facts about Cleopatra, have roots in construction: of fantasy, and male fear. At some point, there were more questions of “could Cleopatra die?” than of “why did Cleopatra die?” When she left with “no man shall ever find my tomb,” it was not an empty claim. Since then, archaeologists have made immense efforts to locate the final resting place of the Queen. A woman had (likely) found it. Kathleen Martinez, an amateur archaeologist, claimed to have more input on the whereabouts.
In a December 2024 interview, Martinez claims that her search led her 25 miles west of Alexandria, to a ruined temple complex known as Taporisis Magna. Other team searches have left little information to add since. Unconfirmed, the exact location has yet to be unearthed.
Conclusion: Reimagining Cleopatra Through a Historical Lens
Egypt had always sounded unreal. With its Gods and men, Goddesses and women. With its myths and legends, and everything that came after. If it isn’t shrouded in mystery, facts about Cleopatra are bound to leave one with more questions than answers.
Given her murderous descendants, historians claim she had a well-mannered temperament. It was as though there were only narratives of her genuine power being diluted to cheap seduction. All she was was a Queen trying to honor her duty. Even in modern literature, she is painted in an image that does not capture her true essence. Have you come across such a portrayal?
She was a child, pharaoh, Goddess, temptress, merciless killer, and a battle commander. She was also an expellee, mythmaker, carnal sinner, silver-tongued, and disruptive. It was claimed she was a potent, unnatural woman. Above all, she was a blinding legend. And yet, every time we think we know the truth about Cleopatra, it seems we are humbled.
