A. The later Ptolemies were more interested in reaping the benefits of kingship than in providing effective leadership for Egypt. 1. Derisive nicknames given to the Ptolemaic kings by the people suggest that the leadership lacked respect. 2. Cleopatra’s father, for example, was known as the “flute player,” because he was more interested in that pastime than in running the country. B. Cleopatra is the subject of a great deal of myth. The Romans—ultimately victors over Cleopatra—depicted her as a femme fatale, luring Romans to their deaths. C. In this lecture, we look at Cleopatra’s life in three stages: before Caesar, with Caesar, and with Antony. II. Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII, faced tremendous challenges. The people revolted against him, and he had to struggle to stay in power. A. To counteract these problems, Ptolemy XII appealed to Rome to help him retain the throne. Cleopatra took note of these events, which would play an important part in her life.
B. As a young girl, Cleopatra traveled with her father to the tomb of the Apis Bulls, a unique god in all of Egypt. 1. As we know, the Egyptians were resurrectionists, not reincarnationists, but the Apis Bull comes close to representing a belief in reincarnation. 2. Only one Apis Bull was alive at any time. It was believed that the Apis Bull was born when lightning struck a cow and the cow became pregnant. 3. When the Apis Bull was born, it had special markings: wings on its back and a scarab on its tongue, and its tail hairs were doubled. 4. The Apis was treated as a god. It was kept in a temple, perfumed, and fed, and when it died, it was mummified and buried in a tomb. When the Apis died, the search began for a new Apis, hinting at a belief in reincarnation. 5. Over the centuries, the Serapeum—the burial place of the Apis Bulls—because vast. Cleopatra was taken there by her father, probably to attend the burial of another Apis Bull. 6. This journey may have been a turning point in Cleopatra’s life. The mysteries of the ceremony and the tomb must have made a lasting impression on the young Cleopatra. She was the only Ptolemy ever to speak Egyptian, and she later made an attempt to resurrect the old Egyptian religion. C. When he died, Cleopatra’s father left two wills, naming as his successors two of his children, the 17-year-old Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. 1. A politician, a rhetorician, and a eunuch were appointed to make decisions for Ptolemy XIII. 2. The politician, Pothinus, turned the people of Alexandria, who were largely Greek, against Cleopatra. He planted the seeds of doubt that Cleopatra was pro-Roman. 3. Pothinus’s allegations were partially true. As mentioned earlier, Cleopatra had seen that her father stayed in power only because he had Rome’s might behind him. 4. Pothinus instituted a revolt against Cleopatra; she fled the country and raised an army. III. Rome was concerned about civil unrest in Egypt, because it wanted Egypt’s grain exports to continue. Egypt fed Rome’s army. A. Julius Caesar was sent to Alexandria to settle Egypt’s affairs. When Cleopatra learned that Caesar had established himself in the palace, she knew she had to return before Pothinus could turn him against her. Cleopatra was smuggled into the presence of Caesar in a rug. B. What did Caesar make of this 17-year-old girl? Caesar was a military man, but he was educated and cultured. Nonetheless, he had never seen a woman like Cleopatra. Roman women were uneducated and confined their activities to the home. C. Caesar determined that Cleopatra and her younger brother should rule together. Pothinus, of course, didn’t like this decision and started a revolt against Caesar. A sort of “mini-war,” the Alexandrine War, ensued, which Pothinus lost. D. Cleopatra had Caesar execute Pothinus, and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, was drowned trying to escape. Cleopatra’s competition for the throne had been eliminated. E. Cleopatra took Caesar on a spectacular tour of Egypt, cruising south on the Nile. Caesar saw the pyramids, mummies, the obelisks in Thebes—nothing remotely similar existed in Rome. 1. By the time they reached Aswan, Cleopatra was pregnant with Caesar’s child. 2. They stopped at Hermonthis, near Thebes, and built a mammisi (“birth house”), a small shrine commemorating the birth of a god. 3. Their child was named Caesarion, “Little Caesar.” F. Caesar would have been viewed by the people of Egypt as Cleopatra’s consort, but of course, Caesar had a wife, Calpurnia, in Rome. When he returned to Rome, he sent for Cleopatra and Caesarion. The Roman people were outraged! 1. Caesar set Cleopatra up in a villa just outside of Rome. He aggravated the situation by placing a statue of Cleopatra dressed as the goddess Isis in a Roman temple. 2. The Roman Senate became concerned that Caesar wanted to rule Rome as a god. As we know, the senators plotted to assassinate Caesar. G. Cleopatra was left alone in hostile territory with a child; her life seemed to parallel the Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris. 1. According to the myth, Isis and Osiris were both husband and wife and sister and brother. They came to Egypt to civilize the nation. From Egypt, all other civilizations spread. 2. Eventually, Osiris was murdered by his evil brother, Seth. Isis hovered over Osiris in the form of a bird and resurrected him. 3. Osiris then impregnated Isis with a child who would become the falcon god Horus, and Osiris himself became the god of the dead. 4. The parallels with Cleopatra’s life are apparent: Both she and Isis were widowed by murder, and both had children whom they had to protect.
IV. Cleopatra fled back to Egypt, ending the phase of her life with Caesar. Antony would enter next. A. Antony was a general, but he was not cultured, as Caesar had been. He requested an introduction to Cleopatra because he needed her support against Octavian in Rome. B. The two met at Tarsus, where Cleopatra hosted a sumptuous banquet. According to legend, she dissolved a pearl earring in her wine and drank it. She gave her guests furniture and gold dinnerware as party favors. Antony was impressed. C. Antony returned to Alexandria with Cleopatra, and the two partied together. Cleopatra became pregnant with twins, Alexander Helios (“the Sun”) and Cleopatra Selene (“the Moon”). D. Antony then returned to Rome and married Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Cleopatra must have been furious! E. Several years after he had abandoned her, Antony again needed Cleopatra’s support and requested a meeting. Cleopatra agreed to meet Antony in Syria. She would help him, but only if he met certain conditions. 1. First, Antony must agree to marry Cleopatra, but Caesarion would rule Egypt. 2. Second, in return for financing Antony’s wars, Cleopatra would receive Sinai, Judea, Cyprus, and Arabia as her territories. 3. During this period, Cleopatra also had another child, whom she named Ptolemy. F. Antony’s wars went poorly, but at one point, he returned to Alexandria to hold his Armenian triumph. Cleopatra appeared on a silver platform, dressed as Isis, and claimed what Antony had promised her. 1. Caesarion was declared “King of Kings.” Alexander Helios was given Armenia and Pontia [should be “Pontus”] (near Turkey). Cleopatra Selene received Libya, and the youngest, Ptolemy, received Phoenicia and northern Syria. 2. Rome was infuriated. Antony had celebrated a triumph in Egypt and given away what should be Roman conquests. War was declared on Cleopatra. G. At the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra’s fleet suffered a major defeat. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Alexandria, and Octavian marched on the city. 1. Barricaded in her palace, Cleopatra sent word to Antony that she planned to commit suicide. 2. Antony ran himself on his sword and was brought to Cleopatra, dying in her arms. 3. Octavian captured Cleopatra, intending to bring her back to Rome for his triumph and parade her in chains. Cleopatra cheated Octavian by killing herself with the bite of a cobra, the traditional protector of Egypt.