Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt | Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh (Lecture 12)

Lecture 12: Although Cleopatra is probably the most famous woman in the world, she remains something of an enigma. We don’t even know who her mother was. Part of the problem is that history is written by the victors—and Cleopatra lost. We reconstruct her history from ancient records and present three stages of Cleopatra’s career: (1) before Caesar, (2) with Caesar, and (3) with Antony. As a girl, Cleopatra was taken to the burial place of the Apis Bulls, and the mysteries of the tomb seem to have made a lasting impression on her; she would later try to resurrect the old Egyptian religion. With Caesar, Cleopatra would lay sole claim to the throne of Egypt and give birth to a son, Caesarion. After Caesar’s death, Cleopatra became involved with Antony, and as we know, the two died together in the face of capture by Rome. In many ways, Cleopatra’s life paralleled the myth of Isis and Osiris, who were said to have created Egyptian civilization. With Cleopatra, that civilization, encompassing 3,000 years of the great rulers we have studied, came to an end.

Essential Reading:
Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Cleopatra.

Supplementary Reading:
Robert Bianchi, Cleopatra’s Egypt