Muddy myths sink Queen of the Nile
Cleopatra is among the most identifiable people from the ancient world, but would you know her if you bumped into her in the street? Dr Karl has been reading hieroglyphics for a clearer picture.
The world is fascinated by Cleopatra. Cleopatra (Cleopatra VII to be exact) was the last pharaoh of Egypt — and has inspired books, plays, movies and 32 operas.
Most of us are not experts in Egyptology, but we all think that we know a few things about Cleopatra — something along the lines that this Egyptian woman was stunningly beautiful, and committed suicide by getting a small snake, an asp, to bite her.
The only correct belief in all of that is that she was a woman.
First, Cleopatra was not Egyptian, she was Macedonian.
Alexander The Great (who was from Macedonia) conquered Egypt. After he died in 323 BC, control of Egypt passed to Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, a Macedonian nobleman.
Ptolemy set up a three-century-long dynasty, which was closed to outsiders, including Egyptians. Indeed, the parents of Cleopatra were brother and sister.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica writes that "the Macedonian-Greek character of the monarchy was vigorously preserved" and that "Cleopatra VII was of Macedonian descent and had no Egyptian blood".
In fact, Cleopatra was the first of the Ptolemaic pharaohs to learn the Egyptian language. She was also the last pharaoh of Egypt. After her death, Egypt became a province of Rome.
Second, Cleopatra almost certainly was not beautiful in the physical sense — bearing in mind that the concept of beauty is different for each time period and for each person.
The Greek essayist, Plutarch, wrote about her about a century after her death in 30 BC, in his book, Life of Antony, about the Roman general, Marc Antony, who was one of her lovers.
He describes her as "by no means flawless or even remarkable" and further writes "her beauty was not in and for itself incomparable".
Only 10 coins from her reign with representation of her have survived in good condition. They show her as having a fat neck (euphemistically called "Rolls of Venus"), a hooked nose, long ears and a prominent chin.
Cleopatra was, like all the other Ptolemaic women, around 1.5 metres tall. In today's terms, she was short, dumpy and squat — nevertheless, she had a lot going for her.
If you follow Frank Zappa's belief that "your brain is your main sex organ", Cleopatra was beautiful.
She could speak nine languages, and had a sharp intelligence and compelling charisma. She was highly educated, had a powerful regal presence from an early age, and projected a sense of vigorous charm and powerful leadership.
Plutarch writes, "…her conversation had an irresistible charm…" and "the seduction of her speech…her character, which pervaded her actions…was utterly spellbinding. The sound of her voice was sweet."
Her wisdom and wit are praised in Arabic and Coptic literature.
Cleopatra raised an army, built a fleet to rival Rome's, made Egypt strong, kept the peace, and successfully played off powerful opponents against each other.
Her capital city, Alexandria, was probably the most sophisticated city in the world. It had a universal health service, autopsies, and a magnificent library and lighthouse — and was a centre that drew in artists, scientists, engineers, and writers from across the world.
And while she was not physically beautiful, she had what it took to woo and win the hearts of two of the most powerful men of her day, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Third, the snake. Shakespeare tells us (in Antony and Cleopatra) that Cleopatra died from the bite of an asp, smuggled into her bedroom in a basket of figs.
But that particular species of snake does not live in Egypt. A far more likely contender (if she was killed by a snake) was the cobra, which does live in Egypt.
Plutarch writes, "…but on opening the doors, they saw her stone dead, lying upon a bed of gold, set out in all her royal ornaments."
So even today, we still don't know how she really died.
Unfortunately, the science of forensics will not be able to show us her face.
Napoleon Bonaparte looted many treasures from Egypt, including the mummy case of Cleopatra VII. Most of these treasures were returned to Egypt, but her mummy case was accidentally left behind.
In the 1940s, workers found her mummy case, and emptied it into the sewers. Sad to think that a dirty French river should be the final resting place for the Queen of the Nile.
Published 17 September 2008
© 2013 Karl S. Kruszelnicki Pty Ltd