Cleopatra

No one knows how old Cleopatra was when her mum died. We don't even know who her mum was, let alone her death date.

Cleopatra had three sons and one daughter. Her daughter was also named Cleopatra with an added "Selene" after her name. Her three sons were Ptolemy XV (Caesarion), Alexander Helios, the twin of Cleopatra Selene, and Ptolemy Philadelphios. Caesarion was killed while trying to escape from Egypt and the other children were taken to Rome and raised by their father's ex-wife, Octavia. The boys fade from history but the girl became a queen of Mauritania.

She drank and partied. She was also sexually active.

Technically, Cleopatra owned all the pyramids. She was the queen and the queen (or king) in ancient Egypt owned the entire country. However if by "owning" the pyramids you mean did she build one, the answer is no. The age of pyramid building had been over by thousands of years before Cleopatra came to the throne.

Cleopatra is famous for being the last pharoh in Ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was one of the only Ptolemies to speak Greek, and she often represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

There was/is no Cleopatra 111. The subject of this category is Cleopatra VII. Her family was the Ptolemies. They were descended from Ptolemy Sotor, one of the generals who took over Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great.

Cleopatra by well over a thousand years.

For all practical purposes, Cleopatra's death ended the rule of the ancient kings and queens. Octavian/Rome took over Egypt. But the situation gets a little tacky as far as precision is concerned. Cleopatra had made her son, Ptolemy XV (Caesarion) her co-ruler according to law. This was okay during his childhood, but at the time of Cleo's death, Caesarion was a grown man and was actually the king of Egypt. He outlived her, so for a brief time he was the Egyptian ruler. (Just a brief note: Caesarion was 17 years old at the time, but in the ancient world he would have been considered an adult).

It is assumed that Cleopatra grew up in Alexandria, although we don't know for certain. At any rate, no matter where she grew up, the place would not have affected her to any large extent. She was a royal child and because of her status she was isolated from the "average" people of the city. Her schooling was given by tutors and servants who taught her how to act and behave. Her friends and associates were all people of her own class.

suicide

Most of the Egyptians were farmers, so worked on the land. However there were also tradesmen, crafters, boatmen and sea traders who plied their various trades. There were also scholars who worked at the Library of Alexandria and were supported by the state. (the library at Alexandria was much more than just books).

Apparently, Cleopatra was not ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh, as her unique crown belonged to Queen Arsinoë II, 200 years before, a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, concluded.

Cleopatra is/was perceived by different people at different times in different ways. In her own time, she was hated by the Romans as they thought she was an evil seductress, who had destroyed a good man. Herod considered her arrogant and greedy and her neighboring rulers did not trust her. At home she was disliked by some who felt that she stole the throne from her brother and Caesar aided her. The Alexandrians preferred her brother as king over Cleopatra as queen and deeply resented the fact that Rome, in the person of Caesar, meddled in their affairs. However there were some who liked and admired her, especially her carousing friends who belonged to her inner circle. The average Egyptian in the nomes was indifferent. Their lives stayed the same no matter who was on the throne. Her reputation as a seductress grew in the middle ages due to Shakespeare and today she is still considered a symbol for sensuality.

Cleopatra belonged to the Egyptian civilization during the Hellenistic period.

Cleopatra had several rivals, afterall she was an ancient queen and ancient rulers always seemed to have someone trying to oust them. Her main rival was her sister, Arsinoe, who was very popular with the Alexandrians. Her brothers were both rivals for the throne and one even made her go into exile. She also had rivals in the area of influence over Marc Antony. They were two of his wives, Fulvia and Octavia.

Well, the source of crocodile dung is a crocodile, so that's where it came from. There were/are crocodiles all along the Nile so it would be a simple matter for the slaves to collect the dung. However, it was not just for Cleopatra. Crocodile dung was an ingredient in many concoctions, both cosmetic and medicinal, in the ancient world.

Cleopatra VII was the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled ancient Egypt. She tried to preserver her country's independence and also to preserve her dynasty by personal diplomacy and sexual relationships with two of Rome's most powerful leaders. She made wrong choices and not only lost her country, but her life as well. She is remembered today for her seduction of Marc Antony and possibly Caesar and for the myth that she killed herself by snakebite.

Cleopatra was, of course, born in Egypt. However exactly where in Egypt is unknown. Many historians assume she was born in Alexandria, as that's where the main royal palace was located. Others claim that she was actually born near the city of Thebes, as there is an unproven rumor in some circles that her mother was a woman from a priestly Thebian family. For now, we simply have to say that we don't know where in Egypt Cleopatra was born.

Cleopatra slept on her bed. She more than likely had a cushioned mattress and pillows with a blanket for cool nights. There was probably a slave sleeping on the floor in the same room in case Cleopatra woke and needed anything during the night.

Yes

A pharaoh could make the laws of ancient Egypt and many times did make them. However he was under an overall restriction, so to speak, because the Egyptian outlook on life was one of continuity. A new law could not be too radical or the priests would get upset as their idea of the gods could not be changed. The Pharaoh Akhenaten

tried it, but his reforms, both religious and civil lasted only as long as he did.

The obelisk called "Cleopatra's Needle" was quarried at Aswan. It has nothing to do with the queen Cleopatra. It was quarried during the reign of Tutmose

III, way, way before Cleopatra's birth.

It is generally assumed that Cleopatra poisoned her second brother/husband. Her reasons were completely self-serving. With her brother out of the way, and no other brother alive to be a co-ruler with her, (Egyptian law said that a queen had to have a co-ruler)

she was free to name her own co-ruler and she did. It was her infant son Ptolemy XV or Caesarion.

This way Cleo had all the authority and power for herself as the baby would not care one way or another about politics. Also, by having her brother dead, she also freed herself from the possibility of him ousting her from the throne as her other brother did a couple of years before.

At Actium

itself both Antony and Cleopatra made their escape and fled back to Egypt where events unfolded which ultimately resulted in Octavian entering Alexandria and taking possession of Egypt.

Cleopatra had two older sisters, Berenice and Cleopatra VI, but which one was older is unknown. She also had a younger sister, Arsinoe,

(who she had killed) and two younger brothers, both named Ptolemy.