The Death of Cleopatra John Collier (1850-1934)

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Cleopatra VII was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V (also known as Cleopatra VII"s older sister), born in 69 BC. She grew up in a lavish and decadent court. In 51 BC, her father died, leaving a will that named both Cleopatra VII and her half-brother Ptolemy XIII (63-47 BC) as co-rulers of Egypt. However, the two soon fell out due to factional struggles and power grabs. After being exiled from Alexandria in 48 BC, Cleopatra VII gathered an army on the border between Egypt and Syria, preparing to invade Egypt. nnAt this time, Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt while pursuing Pompey. He intervened in the dispute over the Egyptian throne. Cleopatra VII learned of this and secretly entered Alexandria at night, wrapped in a rug and carried by her attendants. She was presented to Caesar. Impressed by her courage and beauty, Cleopatra VII quickly became his lover. Ptolemy XIII, on the other hand, was defeated in the war against Caesar in Alexandria and drowned in the Nile River. With Caesar"s support, Cleopatra VII consolidated her position and became the de facto ruler of Egypt. Nominally, she married another half-brother, Ptolemy XIV (c. 59-44 BC), according to Egyptian tradition, and they jointly ruled Egypt. To please Caesar, Cleopatra VII lavished attention on him, hosting lavish banquets and accompanying him on a boat trip up the Nile River. Shortly thereafter, Caesar left for Asia Minor and then returned to Rome. During this time, Cleopatra gave birth to a son with Caesar, named Ptolemy Caesar or Caesarion. nnIn 45 BC, Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIV were invited to Rome by Caesar, where they were treated with great honor and resided in a villa near the Tiber River. Caesar fulfilled his promises by building a temple dedicated to his ancestral god Venus in Rome, and he placed a golden statue of Cleopatra VII next to the goddess. It seemed she was on her way to becoming the first lady of the Roman world, but on March 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated. Cleopatra VII"s dream was shattered, and she left Rome in despair. nnAfter returning to Egypt, Cleopatra VII poisoned Ptolemy XIV and declared her son, born from her relationship with Caesar, as Ptolemy XV, ruling jointly with him. Her son was also proclaimed the "Son of Amun."nnAfter Caesar"s death, Mark Antony rose to prominence in Rome. After finally defeating the Republican leaders Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi, he traveled through the Eastern provinces according to an agreement with Octavian to raise funds. In 41 BC, he arrived in Tarsus, Cilicia, sent messengers to Egypt, and summoned Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra VII was well-informed about Roman politics and leading figures and recognized this as a prime opportunity. She skillfully used this opportunity to her advantage. According to accounts, Cleopatra VII sailed to Tarsus on a magnificent golden ship with purple sails. The ship"s stern was decorated with gold plating, which reflected the light of the water. Queen Cleopatra disguised herself as the goddess Aphrodite and reclined under a translucent gauze curtain adorned with golden threads. Beautiful attendants, resembling Cupids, stood on either side, fanning her gently. Servants dressed as sea nymphs rowed silver oars to the rhythm of music. Residents believed that the goddess Aphrodite had arrived with a golden dragon to enjoy herself with Bacchus (Antony). Crowds gathered to watch. Antony was invited aboard and was captivated by Cleopatra VII"s beauty, charm, and eloquence. He dismissed concerns about her ambiguous stance during the Republican opposition to the "Triumvirate" war and immediately agreed to all her demands, even agreeing to have her half-sister, who had taken refuge in Ephesus, executed. Within a few days, Antony was completely under her sway and traveled with her to Egypt. They spent the winter of 41-40 BC together in Egypt. nnIn the summer of 40 BC, Antony returned to Italy. At this time, tensions between Antony and Octavian had eased somewhat. Antony married Octavia, Octavian"s sister, as a traditional Roman alliance. However, by 37 BC, tensions between Antony and Octavian had increased again. Antony returned to the East, preparing for an expedition against Parthia. He sent Octavia back to Rome under the pretext that the journey was too arduous for her. When Antony arrived in Antioch, he invited Cleopatra VII to meet him and violated Roman tradition by marrying her. nnThe relationship between Antony and Cleopatra VII was not solely driven by passion but also had political motivations. Antony needed financial support from Egypt to stabilize the Eastern provinces of Rome and prepare for an expedition against Parthia, as well as to fight against Octavian. Cleopatra VII was facing a deep social crisis in Ptolemaic Egypt and used various means, including captivating Antony, to maintain and strengthen the Ptolemaic kingdom under Roman power and expand her own ruling authority. To satisfy Cleopatra VII"s ambitions, Antony ceded Egypt, Coele-Syria, and Cyprus to her. Cleopatra VII supported Antony"s expedition against Parthia, but it was unsuccessful. In 34 BC, after winning a victory in Armenia, Antony held a triumph not in Rome, but in Alexandria, Egypt, according to Egyptian customs. The two were seated on golden thrones, with Cleopatra declared "Queen of Kings" and her son Ptolemy XV proclaimed "King of Kings." Antony"s actions in the East, especially his relationship with Cleopatra VII, initially drew criticism from Romans, who soon turned to anger. They condemned Antony for gifting Roman territories to Cleopatra VII and her children and accused him of planning to move the capital to Alexandria and establish a new dynasty. In Rome, people hated Cleopatra VII, considering her the greatest threat to Rome since Hannibal. This undermined Antony"s credibility and deprived him of vital domestic support, which was exploited by Octavian and contributed to his defeat in the struggle against Octavian. nnIn 32 BC, tensions between Antony and Octavian reached a critical point, leading to a complete rupture. At Cleopatra VII"s request, Antony formally repudiated his wife, Octavia. Octavian vowed to avenge the insult to his sister. Ignoring Roman traditions, he retrieved a will left by Antony in a temple and publicly displayed it. The will recorded Antony"s allocation of territories to Cleopatra VII and her children and instructed that Cleopatra VII be buried in Alexandria. The publication of the will caused outrage and indignation. Based on this, the Senate and the "Tribunes" declared war on Cleopatra VII for violating Roman property rights and stripped Antony of his consulship and all other powers. nnIn 31 BC, Antony and Octavian"s forces clashed at the Battle of Actium. During the battle, while Antony"s fleet was struggling, Cleopatra VII"s ship suddenly withdrew from the battlefield and sailed back to Egypt. The reasons for this withdrawal are still debated today. Antony immediately pursued her, abandoning his troops and allowing them to be annihilated. In 30 BC, Octavian attacked Egypt and besieged Alexandria. Seeing that all was lost, Antony fell on his sword. Cleopatra VII, knowing that her end was near, had long researched various methods of suicide. She hid in a mausoleum but was captured by Octavian"s forces. When Octavian visited his captive, she still tried to charm and deceive him, but without success. Octavian"s purpose in capturing Cleopatra VII was to take her back to Rome and present her to the public during his triumphal procession. Despairing of escape, Cleopatra VII lost all hope. Loyal servants brought her a basket of figs containing an asp, a small venomous snake. She took the snake and let it bite her on her arm, and she died in a mysterious and romantic way. According to legend, despite being closely guarded, she managed to obtain a basket of figs from a farmer, hidden inside which was an "Asp" snake. She allowed the snake to bite her on her arm, causing her to fall into a coma and die. Octavian fulfilled her last request by burying her alongside Antony. Cleopatra VII"s son with Caesar, Caesarion, and her other son with Antony, Alexander Helios, were executed by order of Octavian. nnWith the death of Cleopatra VII, the Ptolemaic dynasty, which had lasted for 300 years, came to an end. Egypt was annexed by Rome and became private property of the Emperor.

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