There was a growing popularity of women being depicted as mysterious, intelligent, beautiful, and seductive during the mid-20th century in movies and other media. These women would charm wide-eyed men, often causing them to end up with disastrous consequences. This description is synonymous with a lady who did not live in the 1900’s but was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Widely known in history and drama for her equation with Julius Caesar and his successor Mark Antony, Queen Cleopatra VII was from a mainly Macedonian-Greek family that governed Egypt after its conquest by Alexander the Great. According to European historians, she was originally a co-ruler with her brother but she had him executed. Around that time was when she was rumoured to be romantically affiliated to Julius Caesar and after his death, she began her relationship with Marc Antony which led Octavian, a fellow senator, to prove that all she did was interfere in Roman affairs.
This was the first description and portrayal of the Queen that emerged long after her death. But is it right to believe only one side of the story and believe her enemies in Rome? Is Cleopatra a victim of being discredited?
Unfortunately so, she is. Cleopatra was the only ruler of the Ptolemy clan to learn Egyptian thereby drawing support from her Greek and Egyptian subjects, something her 300 years of ancestors couldn’t achieve. She was a polyglot, well versed with over half a dozen of languages and was educated in a city with the world’s finest library, surrounded by one of the best scholars of that time. Her Arab contemporaries have spoken how she was interested in science, to the extent where she would hold seminars and contributed to its discussions as a polymathic scientist and even wrote books on medicine. Her dexterity in administration matters was another feat altogether! She was a fleet commander at the blossoming age of 21, stabilized the Egyptian economy when it was in serious debt and experiencing inflation, managed a vast bureaucracy and tamped down on corruption between high ranking officials. It was her reign that bought Egypt nearly 22 years of stability and prosperity. Most importantly, coins minted in her rule prove that she wasn’t particularly beautiful or ravishing as history claimed her to be. In fact, as described by Plutarch (who was a Greek philosopher and priest), what made her so attractive was her personality and intelligence. Her sparkling wit, charming personality, linguistic prowess and in-depth knowledge of most topics was what attracted powerful generals like Caesar and Antony.
Then why was she known as a femme fatale? Where did that come from?
It came from the widely popularized version of history, from Rome. Rome, that was terrified of her power and could not believe that she was as capable as she was. Rome, who upon seeing her as a threat painted her as a vapid, scheming, seductive queen. They defined one of the most powerful women in all of history by her sexuality, like people tend to do, even in the 21st century. European historians blame her for the fall of the Roman Republic but facts show us that it was the fear of a woman in power not the woman herself.
It is deeply saddening that most surviving record of Queen Cleopatra is actually a smear campaign against of one of the most powerful and accomplished woman in history, but she is nothing short of an icon and an idol to the women of today, telling us to accomplish to the best of our abilities and even if people try to undermine your efforts, there will be people to appreciate it, even if that someone is a fifteen-year-old school girl.
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