To celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about Cleopatra and two of the most famous romances in Ancient History. Alongside Cleopatra, we’ve got two other power players of the Ancient World: Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
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Listen to Tea On History – Episode 3: Cleopatra, the Last Pharaoh
Tea On History: Cleopatra, the Last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
Cleopatra may have been the last pharaoh, but that doesn’t mean its demise falls squarely on her shoulders. Like all empires, ancient or otherwise, Ancient Egypt was slowly on its way out. Not only had the empire been around for about 3000 years, but the Ptolemaic Dynasty had been going on for around 300 years.
Cleopatra: A Reigning Queen
Before we get into Cleopatra’s great loves, I want to briefly discuss her rule as Queen. She may have been the last official Pharaoh, but she was also a pretty good one. The thing about Cleopatra that sets her apart from the Ptolemaic rulers, is that she seemed to genuinely care about the Egyptian people. She learned their language, something the other Ptolemies hadn’t bothered to do, and she paid attention to grievances and issues in the kingdom.
Cleopatra & Julius Caesar
A thing about Cleopatra that doesn’t set her apart from her predecessors? Royal incest and murder. Cleopatra may have had Shakespearan affairs with Caesar and Marc Antony, but she also married two of her brothers… both named Ptolemy. And she had a hand in both of their deaths.
Brother husband #1, Ptolemy XIII, was her first co-ruler. She eventually waged war against him for the throne with the help of Julius Caesar. This duo was forged after Ptolemy XIII had made an enemy out of Caesar, and everyone knows that having a mutual enemy is a great start to any relationship.
Battle of the Friendship Bracelets
Caesar had been gallivanting around Europe conquering lands, and generally make enemies all across the continent. One of those enemies was Pompey, a former best friend. But Pompey burned his friendship bracelet the moment Caesar started getting too power-hungry.
Eventually, Pompey popped over to Egypt to visit Ptolemy XIII. This was the moment when Ptolemy had to decide who he wanted a Roman friendship bracelet with: Pompey or Caesar?
He chose Caesar… and decided to give him the gift of Pompey’s head upon arrival. Caesar did not like his gift. At all. He was disgusted at the disrespect shown to a former friend and citizen of Rome. So basically, this entire plan drastically backfired on Ptolemy XIII.
Now back to Cleopatra, the real star of this episode and blog post…
Our queen got word of what had happened and immediately started scheming of a way to meet with Caesar. Crafty and cunning as she was, Cleopatra decided to have herself wrapped up in a burlap sack (or possibly, as the famous legend suggests, a rug) and was snuck into Caesar’s rooms.
Now, Cleopatra may or may not have been an ancient beauty. I’m not going to debate that here because, honestly, it’s irrelevant. Regardless of her looks, Cleopatra was captivating. She was intelligent, a brilliant conversationalist, and clearly pretty brave when it came to asserting her power. Caesar was definitely impressed, as I think we all would’ve been in the presence of Cleopatra.
They decide to ally with each other from here onward. Considering they’re both so famous in their own right, and some people don’t even realize they crossed paths, I liken them to Marvel characters of the Ancient World teaming up for a fight. And that fight was against Ptolemy XIII.
Ptolemy is Out, Little Caesar is In: Part 1
It didn’t take long for Cleopatra to be perched atop her throne again. Except, this time she was pregnant… with Little Caesar. His real name was Caesarion, which actually translates to “Little Caesar”.
One thing that hadn’t changed though? Cleopatra being married to a brother name Ptolemy. That’s right… she decided to marry her second brother, Ptolemy XIV.
Ptolemy XIV decided to play it smarter than her other siblings had though. He let his sister have all the power, even though he was technically a co-ruler. As a reward, she brought him along on her trip to Rome. Caesar met Little Caesar… and then he declared himself “Dictator for Life”, which is quite an audacious title to give yourself in an empire that prided itself on being a republic.
Beware the Ides of March
So, as you probably know, that didn’t work out too well for him. Beware the ides of March, Caesar! He declared himself “Dictator for Life” in February of 44 BC, and in March he was stabbed 23 times.
Enter two new characters: Marc Antony, perhaps Cleopatra’s greatest love, and Octavian, perhaps Cleopatra’s greatest enemy of all.
So, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar… was it an epic romance? Probably not. Were they madly in love with each other? I don’t think so. When it comes to Caesar and Cleopatra, I think there was a great sense of admiration and respect between them. They were two of the most powerful people in the Ancient World, true forces to be reckoned with, and I think they recognized that in each other.
Her love affair with Marc Antony, however, is a very different tale. Though, oddly enough, they start and end with similar scenes.
Ptolemy is Out, Little Caesar is In: Part 2
After Caesar was killed, Cleopatra fled Rome pretty quickly. When she got back to Egypt with Little Caesar, she decided it was time to make him her co-ruler and promptly poisoned her husband-brother, Ptolemy XIV.
Meanwhile, back in Rome, people were not thrilled about the assassination of Caesar. Especially, Marc Antony and Octavian.
Marc Antony had been close friends with Caesar, and Octavian was Caesar’s nephew and adopted son. Long story short, they took back power in Rome and avenged Caesar’s murder. Marc Antony went to Turkey and eventually caught wind of a rumor that Cleopatra was scheming against Rome. He then “summoned” her to meet with him.
I’m not sure what impression you have of Cleopatra thus far, but let me make this clear… she was not going to be “summoned” anywhere by anyone. If she was going to meet with this Marc Antony fellow, she was going to arrive in style.
Cleopatra & Marc Antony
Cleopatra arrived in Turkey on a barge with purple sails, shrouded in gold fabrics and jewels. She dressed herself up to look like a goddess and drifted down the Cydnus River to Marc Antony. I can just imagine him waiting at the shore, mouth agape at this sight as she slowly floats nearer and nearer. It didn’t take long for their love affair to begin, and Marc Antony decided to go back to Egypt with Cleopatra.
Before long, Cleopatra is pregnant. And this time, it’s with twins! She gives birth to Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios.
The Real-Life Isis & Osiris
Fun Fact: Cleopatra likened herself to the Egyptian goddess, Isis, and referred to herself as “a goddess incarnate”. This wasn’t unusual for the time period though. A lot of powerful rulers in the Ancient World likened themselves to a specific god or goddess, Marc Antony included.
Eventually, both of them were officially deified. Marc Antony took on the roles of Dionysus (god of wine) and Osiris (god of the underworld), and Cleopatra took on the roles of Venus (goddess of love) and Isis (goddess of life & magic). In Egyptian mythology, Isis and Osiris are famously in love, claiming to have fallen in love “in the womb” before they were born. Even though Cleopatra chose Isis before she even met Marc Antony, I do enjoy that poetic symmetry with the divine couple.
Marc Antony Returns to Rome
Back in Rome, Octavian is not happy with this turn of events. He didn’t like Cleopatra back when she was with Caesar, and now she’s beguiled yet another Roman leader. He calls up Marc Antony and reminds him that Rome is where he’s truly needed.
So Marc Antony packs his things, tells Cleopatra he’ll be back soon, and leaves for Rome. He doesn’t return for four years. And during that four years, he marries Octavian’s sister, Octavia.
Cleopatra was probably upset about this… but she also understood his duties as a leader. I don’t think she was sitting in Egypt, tearfully singing Taylor Swift lyrics and ripping up his letters. This probably hurt a little, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.
The Lover Returns
Marc Antony started to eye up the Parthian Empire. But in order for him to conquer it, he would need some money. Fun fact: Cleopatra had a lot of money. Although it’s impossible to calculate, some claim that today she would be wealthier than Bill Gates and Elon Musk combined.
Cleopatra agreed to help him, as long as he also conquered land she wanted as well. He agreed, and the two were back together again.
Their relationship went very public at this point. They get married, have another child named Ptolemy Philadelphus, and were openly affectionate with each other in front of people. One of my favorite stories about them is that they used to dress in disguises and go out in the streets to prank people together.
Another thing they did? Legitimized Little Caesar and proclaimed him a true heir to Julius Caesar. This meant that he could lay claim to both Rome and Egypt in the future. Romans saw him as an outsider from another kingdom. And as Caesar’s adopted son and heir, Octavian saw him as a threat.
That wasn’t the only thing Octavian was mad about. Remember when Marc Antony went back to Rome and married Octavia? Yeah, he had cast her aside to marry Cleopatra. Octavian was furious at this treatment of his sister, and the Romans were angry that he’d married a foreigner. Rome had completely turned against him at this point.
The Shakespearean Deaths of Cleopatra & Marc Antony
Naturally, they go to war. The lovers suffered a huge loss at the Battle of Actium, and Octavian arrived in Egypt. The lovers knew this was the end. Marc Antony “fell on his sword” believing that Cleopatra was already dead. However, she wasn’t… and he initially survived the self-inflicted wound. They carried him off to where she was hiding, and he died in her arms.
It’s reported that she showed a lot of emotion and heartache when he died. Obviously, she knew her defeat was imminent, but I think there was also real love between these two. When I look at Caesar and Cleo, I see two power players with mutual respect and passion. When I look at Marc and Cleo, I see two people in love… who also happen to be the leaders of empires. From Shakespeare to today, Cleopatra and Marc Antony’s love story is a timeless tale of love and tragedy.
After Antony’s death, Cleopatra was captured by Octavian. She knew they would take her to Rome to be paraded through the streets in triumph… but she was never, ever going to let that happen. So instead, she killed herself. One famous legend claims that she snuck in a poisonous snake, called an asp, and had it bite her. Others believe she likely concocted a poison for herself. Either way, Cleopatra, the Last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, died in August, 30 BC.
Cheers to Cleopatra, The Last Pharaoh
After learning more about Cleopatra for Episode 3 of Tea On History, I have a lot of admiration for her as a woman and ruler in the ancient world. Marc Antony seems to be the one that made the most foolhardy blunders, but Cleopatra became the target of Octavian’s wrath in the end. So cheers to Cleopatra’s timeless love affairs… and cheers to Cleopatra herself, a captivating Queen of the Ancient World.
