Cleopatra and Antony : the true story of the ancient world's greatest love affair

On A Stiflingly Hot Day In August, 30 B.c., The Thirty-nine-year-old Queen Of Egypt, Cleopatra, Took Her Own Life, Rather Than Be Paraded In Chains Through Rome By Her Conqueror, Octavian, The Future Emperor Augustus. A Few Days Earlier, Her Lover Of Eleven Years, Mark Antony, Had Died In Her Arms Following His Own Botched Suicide Attempt. Oceans Of Mythology Have Grown Up Around Them, All Of Which Diana Preston Puts To Rest In Her Stirring History Of The Lives And Times Of A Couple Whose Names-more Than Two Millennia Later-still Invoke Passion, Curiosity, And Intrigue. This Book Sets The Romance And Tragedy Of Antony And Cleopatra's Personal Lives Within The Context Of Their Political Times. There Are Many Contemporary Resonances: The Relationship Between East And West And The Nature Of Empire, The Concealment Of Personal Ambition Beneath The Watchword Of Liberty, Documents Forged, Edited Or Disposed Of, Special Relationships Established, Constitutional Forms And Legal Niceties Invoked When It Suited. Indeed Their Lives And Deaths Had Deep Political Ramifications, And They Offer A Revealing Perspective On A Tipping Point In Roman Politics And On The Consolidation Of The Roman Empire. Three Hundred Years Would Pass Before The East Would, With The Rise Of Constantinople And The Byzantine Empire, Once Again Take A Share Of Political Power In The Mediterranean. In An Intriguing Postscript, Preston Speculates On What Might Have Happened Had Antony And Cleopatra Defeated Octavian At The Battle Of Actium In 31 B.c. [This volume presents the story] of the world's best-remembered celebrity couple, set against the political backdrop of their time. In 30 BCE, the 39-year-old queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, took her own life rather than be paraded in chains through Rome by her conqueror, the future first emperor Augustus. A few days earlier, her lover of eleven years, Mark Antony, had himself committed suicide. Historian Diana Preston explores the lives and times of a couple whose names--two millennia later--still invoke passion and intrigue. Preston views this drama as an integral part of the military, political, and ideological struggle that culminated in the rise of the Roman Empire. Cleopatra ruled Egypt with political shrewdness. Her affair with Julius Caesar linked Egypt with Rome; in the aftermath of the civil war following Caesar's murder, her alliance with Antony, and his split with Octavian, set the stage for the end of the Roman Republic.--From publisher description Filled with murder, intrigue, civil war and great battles, the tragedy of Cleopatra and Antony has fascinated the world for two millennia. This book goes back to the original sources and delves into the real history behind the propaganda and the myth of this love story.