Cleopatra : Last Queen of Egypt

The Romans regarded her as “fatale monstrum”—a fatal omen. Pascal said the shape of her nose changed the history of the world. Shakespeare portrayed her as an icon of tragic love. But who was Cleopatra, really? Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies. Highly intelligent, she spoke many languages and was rumored to be the only Ptolemy to read and speak Egyptian. Her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony had as much to do with politics as the heart. Ruthless in dealing with her enemies, many within her own family, Cleopatra steered her kingdom through difficult times, and very nearly succeeded in creating an eastern empire to rival the growing might of Rome. Her story was well documented by her near contemporaries, and the tragic tale of contrasts and oppositions—the seductive but failing power of ancient Egypt versus the virile strength of modern Rome—is so familiar we almost feel that we know Cleopatra. But our picture is highly distorted. Cleopatra is often portrayed as a woman ruled by emotion rather than reason; a queen hurtling towards inevitable self-destruction. But these tales of seduction, intrigue, and suicide by asp have obfuscated Cleopatra's true political genius. Stripping away our preconceptions, many of them as old as Egypt's Roman conquerors, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley offers a magnificent biography of a most extraordinary queen.

a Vivid Biography Of The Ancient World’s Most Famous Queen.

publishers Weekly

this Entertaining Biography Hits The Elusive Sweet Spot Between Scholarship And Readability. British Archeologist Tyldesley (daughters Of Isis) Is Charmingly Transparent About The Unreliability Of Her Sources. She Tells Us That When The Roman Poet Lucan Describes Cleopatra's Ineffable Night Of Shame With Julius Caesar, He Is Writing The Equivalent Of Modern Tabloid Journalism. In Spite Of The Lack Of Eyewitness Descriptions Of Cleopatra, The Question, For Instance, Of What She Looked Like Becomes A Fast-moving Amusing Discussion Of Statuary As Royal Propaganda, The Modern Perception Of Cleopatra's Nose As Way Too Big And The Difference Between Beauty And Sexiness. Writing With An Easy Mastery Of Her Subject, Tyldesley Always Seems To Be Able To Lay Her Hands On The Perfect Lively Detail, Whether An Excerpt From An Obscure Bureaucratic Document Or A Description Of A Kind Of Giant Robot That Paraded Through The Streets Of Alexandria Pouring Libations Of Milk From A Gold Bottle. Though She Makes It Clear We'll Never Know What Cleopatra Was Really Like, Tyldesley Provides A Memorable Journey Through The Rich And Contradictory Sources Of Our Knowledge About Her. 8 Pages Of Illus., 3 Maps. (sept.)

copyright © Reed Business Information, A Division Of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Romans regarded her as " fatale monstrum " — a fatal omen. Pascal said the shape of her nose changed the history of the world. Shakespeare portrayed her as an icon of tragic love. But who was Cleopatra, really? We almost feel that we know Cleopatra, but our distorted image of a self-destructive beauty does no justice to Cleopatra's true genius. In Cleopatra , Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley offers an unexpectedly vivid portrait of a skillful Egyptian ruler. Stripping away our preconceptions, many of them as old as Egypt's Roman conquerors, Cleopatra is a magnificent biography of a most extraordinary queen. Cleopatra is often portrayed as a woman ruled by emotion rather than reason; a queen hurtling towards inevitable self-destruction. But these tales of seduction, intrigue, and suicide by asp have obfuscated Cleopatra's true political genius. Stripping away our preconceptions, many of them as old as Egypt's Roman conquerors, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley offers a magnificent biography of a most extraordinary queen.--From publisher description Last ruler of a 300 year-old dynasty, Cleopatra was educated, clever (her liaisons with Caesar and Mark Antony were as much political as romantic), and responsible for steering Egypt through taxing internal problems and Roman imperialism. This biography will shatter our old preconceptions about Cleopatra. Forfatteren, som er egyptolog beskriver Kleopatra, dronning af Egypten (69 f. Kr.-30 f. Kr.) og hendes samtid, livet i Egypten og dets gudsdyrkelse. Om hendes politiske og følelsesmæssige forhold til Julius Cæsar og Marcus Antonius Princess of Egypt Queen of Egypt Alexandria-next-to-Egypt Cleopatra and Julius Caesar The new Isis Cleopatra and Mark Antony Death of a dream Cleopatra's children History becomes a legend.