Empires: Cleopatra and the Romans Part Five

For a little background on the personalities behind this story why don't we start with Cleopatra first? It seems to me that we hear so little about the women in history-especially ancient-compared to men. The four major players in this story are very intersting. I wonder what made Cleopatra so special that she became the lover of two of Rome's most powerful men. She was even the mother of their children. Cleopatra must have been very self-confident. I think she must have felt such a huge sense of accomplishment in promoting Egypt's greatness, and in doing so had clearly had a desire that Egypt's grandeur was to be continued after her death. I think this is in great constrast to some ancient and modern rulers who only cared about the power and glory of the nations they ruled over while they were still alive. I think some rulers of empires and modern nations maybe even intentionally sabotaged, or tried to, the people who would come after them, so that the time of their rule would be seen as a better, golden era.

Cleopatra also could probably not help but feel far superior to her brothers in her rulership. We can be sure that though she appreciated the fact that in being from Ptolemaic Egypt, women could hold positions of power unattainable by other women in the ancient world. She realized that her brothers were not as strong, competent and capable of maintaining Egypt's glory. In a world dominated by men, Cleopatra had intelligently realized that to achieve her goals she would have to deal with other men, far different from her brothers. Another thing that may have increased her sense of confidence and worth, was the cult of the goddess Isis. Cleopatra was considered a genuine goddess in Egypt. However, in other parts of the world this was not necesssarily the case. Cleopatra was assimilated to the cult of Isis. Completely independent of her, this cult was gaining ground in the West. The reason for this was the goddess's attractiveness to sailors and merchants throughout the Meditteranean world. The adoration of this goddess made her human counterpart more acceptable to worship.

Cleopatra also seems to have been a lively and attractive; perhaps beautiful woman. She also must have been a very intelligent woman and spoke several languages. This included the language of the nation she ruled. Cleopatra was the first member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to feel that it was important to be able to converse in Egytptian. She also seems to have had an affection and concern for her subjects and was responsive to their material and spiritual needs. The people of Egypt returned her affection. Later historians attributed a remorseless and unfeeling nature to her character that absolutely must be examined in the light of the era she lived in and in the dynasty she came from. The Ptolemies were a family that was no stranger to ruthlessness and back-stabbing. Also, Cleopatra's ambitions for Egypt and herself do not seem to have been base and coarse, especially when one considers other rulers of her time. There is also evidence that she truly loved Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and that this fascinating woman was not just using them in a 'great game' of political intrigue. The image is of Bast or Bastet, an ancient Egyptian solar and war goddess. I hope to have the next segment here very soon. Peace and be well to anyone stopping by!