Chapter 11 — History & Culture
Who was Cleopatra?
The last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt (69–30 BC), Greek by ancestry but the first of her line to learn Egyptian. Politically brilliant, allied with (and had children by) Caesar and Mark Antony. Killed herself after Octavian defeated Antony.
Follow-up questions
Was she Egyptian?
Ethnically Greek Macedonian; culturally Egyptian by the end. The Elizabeth Taylor image is Hollywood.
Did she die from a snake?
Ancient sources say so — an asp bite. Modern historians suspect poison, since a fast death from a cobra is unlikely.
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