The situation was even more complicated when the brother and the sister began their feud. The first years were challenging for Cleopatra: the Nile’s flooding was weak, and two years of bad harvest followed. The country was dependent its debts worsened the hapless condition. The Roman Empire was one of the most significant forces in the world some exterior lands of Ta-Kemet belonged to it, but Egypt was not conquered fully. Although 96% of its territory was deserted, its fertile valleys originated the big civilization. Cleopatra was known as Thea Philopator, meaning “the goddess who loved her father”. Still, it was only a formality: her power was cyclic, and women could play only secondary roles at that period.
The tradition required to keep the sacred blood of the royal family, and 17 or 18-year-old Cleopatra married her nine or ten-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII, beginning to rule the country after her father’s death. When Ptolemy XII Auletes got back his rightful throne, Berenice was decapitated. These events burned in Cleopatra’s memory: she often remembered her father’s reckless actions he was the person whose mistakes served as a valuable lesson for the woman. Ptolemy XII lacked leadership skills, though: repression, delinquent behavior of citizens, and cold-blood murders were routine. Later, the exiled ruler returned to the throne thanks to the Romans and Aulus Gabinius. According to the ancient Greek historian Strabo, she was the only legitimate child of Ptolemy this information gives some reason to believe that Cleopatra’s mother was a concubine. In 58-55 BC, Cleopatra had to see her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, expelled from the country his daughter Berenice grabbed the power. For example, Cleopatra’s sister, Berenice, was her polar opposite: she was quite lazy and silly and liked entertainments. It is a surprising fact: the ancient Greeks did not care much about children’s education, especially if they were girls. Monica Bellucci as Cleopatra in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
Besides, the leader spoke eight foreign languages. Perhaps, she spent much time reading books in the Alexandrian library – later, many sources emphasized her talent to talk about philosophy, give reasonable arguments, and play various musical instruments. There is no information about Cleopatra’s childhood and youth. Unlike most people think, the pharaoh had no Egyptian roots: she came from the Ptolemaic dynasty founded by one of Alexander the Great’s Diadochi, Ptolemy I. The exact birthplace is unknown, but researchers believe it was Alexandria, the cultural center of the ancient world. Childhood and youthĬleopatra was born on November 2, 69 BC. This love triangle is popular in the modern culture: directors create movies, and writers reflect on the femme fatal’s story in their books. Although the woman could not be called pretty, she earned the love of two Roman military leaders: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Cleopatra VII Philopato is an Egyptian ruler whose life awakens much interest today.