Cleopatra's skin colour didn't matter in ancient Egypt - her strategic role in world history did

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Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.

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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

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Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.
The fuss has provided an opportunity to look at her role in history and how she has been portrayed over time.

In a very real sense, the reign of Cleopatra marks the final flourishing of ancient Egyptian culture.
When Cleopatra died, so did ancient Egyptian civilisation as a vibrant, living culture.

It tells us more about the preoccupations of our own time than about what was considered important in Cleopatra’s age.
There is no evidence that Cleopatra’s ethnicity was a matter of debate or interest during her own lifetime.
She came from a long line of Greek-speaking kings, but her family had lived in Egypt for 300 years.

For example, she is often depicted with a long, aquiline nose and a pointed chin.
However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and history teaches us that power is a strong aphrodisiac.

She forcefully asserted her right to rule, dispensing with her two brothers when they undermined or tried to thwart her objectives.
Her strategic liaisons with Caesar and then Antony were carefully calculated to secure her own position and her country’s autonomy.
Her leadership skills also enabled her to avert famine in Egypt when other lands in the eastern Mediterranean suffered from starvation.

Even in her own time, Cleopatra was a source of fascination – as a woman ruler in a man’s world.
The Romans found her exotic, intriguing and controversial; and the writings of Roman historians and commentators ensured Cleopatra’s posthumous reputation.
Her entanglement with Rome, especially her infamous love affairs with Caesar and Antony, scandalised contemporary Roman society and have fascinated subsequent generations.