Cleopatra VII (Greek: Κλεοπατρα Ζ, also translated as Cleopatra VII, Cleopatra VII; about December 70 BC or 69 BC 1 August - about August 12, 30 BC) was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt.
In literature, art or movies, she is considered to have seduced Julius Caesar and his subordinate Mark Antony in order to protect the country from being annexed by the Roman Empire. She is also known as "Cleopatra" in later generations.
In 31 BC, Cleopatra VII and her ally Mark Antony were defeated by the Roman consul Octavian at the Battle of Actium. In 30 BC, Cleopatra VII committed suicide, and Octavian declared Egypt a province of Rome. The heirs to the Ptolemaic throne were soon killed, and the pharaonic era in Egypt came to an end.
Some people say that Cleopatra is the "temptress of the Nile" and "the flower snake of the Nile"; some say that Cleopatra is the mistress of all poets in the world. She is the mistress of all the revelers in the world; the Romans hated her because she almost turned Rome into a province of Egypt; the Egyptians praised her as a warrior because she won 22 years of peace for the weak Egypt. . In 30 BC, Octavian attacked Egypt, Cleopatra committed suicide, Egypt was annexed to Rome, and ancient Egyptian civilization came to an end.
Cleopatra VII[1] (Cleopatra VII, 69 BC - 30 BC), the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt. She has outstanding talent and appearance, is smart and witty, is good at maneuvering, has ulterior motives, and her life is full of drama. In particular, she was involved in the political whirlpool of the Roman Revolution and the last period, and had a close relationship with Caesar and Antony. Along with various rumors and anecdotes, she became a famous figure in literary and artistic works. Cleopatra was one of the monarchs canonized by the Ptolemaic dynasty after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Her father, Ptolemy XII, appointed his eldest son Ptolemy XIII to co-reign with her (according to the law at the time, Cleopatra had to marry her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII). Lemy XIII), who ruled Egypt. In 51 BC, Cleopatra ascended the throne. Cleopatra was undoubtedly a focal figure in ancient Egypt. According to later generations' accounts, this peerless Egyptian beauty not only temporarily preserved a dynasty with her stunning beauty, but also made the powerful Roman Empire Kings all fell under her pomegranate skirt and willingly worked for her. Dante, Shakespeare, etc. all described this legendary woman as "the most sexy temptress"; while Bernard Shaw also called her "a willful and unfeeling woman". Cleopatra VII was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII of Egypt and Cleopatra V (the sister of Cleopatra VII). She was born in 69 BC. He grew up in a court of arrogance and extravagance. When his father died in 51 BC, he left a will designating Cleopatra VII and her half-brother Ptolemy XIII (63 BC to 47 BC) as heirs, and they both ruled together. But the two fell out due to factionalism and struggles for power. After Cleopatra VII was expelled from Alexandria in 48 BC, she gathered an army along the border between Egypt and Syria, preparing to invade Egypt.
At this time, Caesar was pursuing Pompey and came to Egypt to mediate the battle for the Egyptian throne. Upon hearing the news, Cleopatra VII sneaked into Alexandria by boat at night, wrapped herself in a blanket, and was carried to the door of Caesar's room. Cleopatra VII suddenly appeared in front of Caesar. Caesar was deeply moved by Cleopatra VII's courage and beauty. She soon became his mistress. However, Ptolemy XIII suffered a defeat in the Alexandria War against Caesar and drowned in the Nile. Cleopatra VII relied on Caesar to consolidate her position and became the actual ruler of Egypt. In name, according to Egyptian tradition, he married another half-brother, Ptolemy XIV (about 59 BC to 44 BC), and they ruled Egypt together. In order to please Caesar, Cleopatra VII catered to him in every possible way, entertained him with feasts, and accompanied him on a cruise up the Nile to enjoy the scenery. Soon, Caesar went to Asia Minor due to the war, and later returned to Rome. At that time, Cleopatra VII gave birth to a son for Caesar, named Ptolemy Caesar or Caesarion.
In 45 BC, Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIV were invited to Rome together. They were honored and lived in Caesar's private residence across the Tiber tree. Caesar fulfilled his oath and built a temple in Rome to honor Venus, his ancestor of the Julius family, and erected a golden statue of Cleopatra VII next to the goddess. Just when she was about to become the first lady of the Roman world, Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. Cleopatra VII's dream came to nothing in an instant, and she left Rome sadly.
After Cleopatra VII returned to Egypt, she poisoned Ptolemy XIV and made her and Caesar's son Ptolemy XV. They both ruled Egypt together. . His son was declared the son of the god Amun.
After Caesar's death, Antony ruled Rome. After he finally defeated the armies of the peaceful leaders Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi, he toured the Eastern Province to raise funds in accordance with the agreement with Octavian. In 41 BC, he arrived in Tarsus in Cilicia, left Egypt, and summoned Cleopatra VII.
Cleopatra VII had a good understanding of the political situation and leading figures in Rome, and thought this was another excellent opportunity, so she made clever arrangements to take advantage of it. It is said that Cleopatra VII set out from Egypt in a large gilded ship with purple sails and silver oars, first to Cilicia, and then to Tarsos via the Denos River. The ship was hung with purple sails dyed with precious Tyrean dye, and the poop was encrusted with gold sheets, which reflected the blue waves and shone brightly during the voyage. The queen was dressed as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and lay in a gauze curtain as thin as cicada wings strung with gold threads. Beautiful boys stood on both sides like Jupiter, each holding an incense fan and shaking it gently. The maid dressed as a sea fairy holds a silver oar and paddles rhythmically to the sound of drums. Seeing this scene, the residents suspected that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, came here riding a golden dragon to have fun with the god of wine (Antony). People rushed to tell each other, and there was a flood of spectators. Antony was invited to the ship for a banquet. When he saw Cleopatra VII's charming appearance and elegant conversation, he was fascinated and at a loss. Not only did he put aside the question of questioning Cleopatra VII's ambiguous attitude in the war between the communists and the "Three Heads", but he immediately agreed to her requests one by one, and even agreed. She killed her half-sister Iasis, who was the heir and contender for the Egyptian throne and who was taking refuge in Ephesus. Within a few days, the warrior became her prisoner and followed her to Egypt. They spent the winter of 41 to 40 BC together in Egypt.
In the summer of 40 BC, Antony returned to Italy. At this time, the conflict between Antony and Octavian had eased. He married Octavian's sister Octavia, consolidating the political alliance in the traditional Roman marriage method. By 37 BC, the conflict between Antony and Octavian deepened, and Antony returned to the East to prepare for an expedition to Parthia. He sent Octavia back to Rome on the grounds that the journey was difficult and not suitable for placement in a military camp. When Antony arrived in Antioch, he invited Cleopatra to meet and married Cleopatra VII, violating the traditional customs of Rome.
The union of Antony and Cleopatra VII was not entirely driven by lust, but had a political purpose. Antony was trying to stabilize Rome's eastern presence, preparing for an expedition to Parthia, and fighting Octavian, so he urgently needed financial support from Egypt. When Cleopatra VII was experiencing a profound social crisis in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, she used various means, including using methods to confuse Antony, in an attempt to maintain and develop Ptolemy under the power of Rome. Kingdom, strengthen and expand its ruling power. In order to satisfy Cleopatra VII's ambitions, Antony gave Egypt, Coere-Syria and Cyprus to Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra VII supported Antony in his expedition to Parthia, but failed to win. In 34 BC, after Antony conquered Armenia and won, he held a triumphal ceremony not in Rome but in Alexandria, Egypt, according to Egyptian etiquette. The two of them ascended the throne made of gold together. Cleopatra called her "Queen of Kings", her son Ptolemy XV was called "King of Kings". Antony's actions in the East, especially his relationship with Cleopatra VII, were initially criticized by the Romans, and then aroused their irritation. They rebuked Antony for giving the Roman conquests to Cleopatra VII and her children, and prepared to move the capital to Alexandria to establish a new dynasty. In Rome, people hated Cleopatra VII, believing that she was the queen who posed the greatest threat to Rome besides Hannibal. This destroyed Anthony's prestige and lost his strong domestic support. This was exploited by Octavian and was one of the reasons why Antony failed in his fight with Octavian.
In 32 BC, the conflict between Antony and Octavian became acute and they completely broke up. At the request of Cleopatra VII, Antony formally revised the book and abandoned his wife Octavia. Octavian also vowed to avenge the insult suffered by his sister. Regardless of offending the traditional customs of Rome, he obtained Antony's will from the Vestal Virgins and placed it in the temple and made it public. Antony's will recorded his distribution of territory to Cleopatra VII and her children, and also directed Cleopatra VII to bury her body in Alexandria. As soon as the will was announced, public opinion was in an uproar and people were furious. Accordingly, the Senate and the Citizens' Assembly "Tribus Assembly" declared war on Cleopatra VII on the grounds of usurping the property of the Roman people, and deprived Antony of his consulship and all other powers.
In 31 BC, the armies of Antony and Octavian fought at Cape Actium [Battle of Actium]. Just as the battle was in full swing and Antony's fleet was frustrated, Cleopatra VII's ship suddenly withdrew from the battlefield and sailed back to Egypt. The reasons for this are still unclear. Antony then gave chase, leaving his fighting force to be destroyed. In 30 BC, Octavian attacked Egypt and surrounded Alexandria. When Antony saw that the situation was over, he committed suicide with his sword. Cleopatra VII knew that her death was approaching and had long been researching various methods of suicide. She hid in the Tomb Castle, but was outwitted by Octavian. When Octavian went to visit his captive, she also used her skills to deceive and confuse Octavian in every possible way, but it failed. Octavian's purpose in capturing Cleopatra VII alive was to take her back to Rome and display her in a triumphal ceremony.
After Cleopatra learned about it, she fell into despair and lost all hope. The loyal maids put a poisonous snake called "Aps" in front of her in a fig basket. She grabbed the small snake and put it on her On the breasts, a magical and romantic life ended. According to legend, despite being under strict supervision, she managed to obtain a basket of figs from a farmer that contained a small venomous snake called an asp, which bit her arm and caused her to fall into coma and die. Octavian complied with her dying request and buried her and Antony together. Cleopatra VII's son Caesarion and her eldest son Alexander were both executed by Octavian.
With the death of Cleopatra VII, the 300-year-old Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt also came to an end. Egypt was merged into Rome and became the private property of the head of state.
Latest discovery
According to "Youth Reference": Among the many famous women in history, "Cleopatra" Cleopatra is undoubtedly a focal figure . With her beauty, this peerless Egyptian beauty not only temporarily preserved a dynasty, but also made the emperors of the powerful Roman Empire bow to her and willingly work for her. Although the mysterious shadow of "Cleopatra" can always be seen in unofficial histories, legends and literary works, there is very little cultural relic information about her.
However, archaeologists have made amazing discoveries recently. They found the decree signed by "Cleopatra" and the ancient city where she once lived. These cultural relics are enough to prove that this ancient Egyptian queen was far away. The country is governed not only by beauty and lust, but by wisdom.
(1) The discovery of the decree signed by "Cleopatra" was purely accidental. If it hadn't been for the meticulousness of Dutch historian Peter Van Minny, perhaps no one would have discovered that an ancient Egyptian mummy in the Berlin Museum in Germany actually hid a huge secret. This is an ordinary Egyptian mummy in the Berlin Museum, so it was collected in the museum for more than 100 years. It has never attracted the attention of archaeologists or researchers.
When Belgian papyrus expert Jan Bigen received special permission to conduct a comprehensive study of the mummies in the Berlin collection, one day he suddenly discovered an ancient yellowed papyrus sandwiched in the mummy's cloth. . Minnie's heart was beating wildly. Based on his first impression, this was definitely a document from a certain era in ancient Egypt. When he carefully picked out the 16-karat piece of papyrus bit by bit from the mummy, his heart beat faster again - the papyrus was filled with densely packed characters, ancient Egyptian characters.
Bigun, who felt like he had found a treasure, "invited" this treasured piece of paper into the special appraisal room. With the help of an ordinary magnifying glass, Biegun was able to identify that it was an official document from a certain dynasty in ancient Egypt, with the date of receipt on it. It is very regrettable that Biegun couldn't wait to publish his results in the authoritative archaeological monthly magazine in October after his research, and arbitrarily determined that it was an ordinary contract between a certain Egyptian farmer and "Mr.
(2) When Dutch historian Van Minny saw this research paper, he immediately noticed something suspicious: Judging from the published pictures alone, this document was by no means private. A contract, but an authentic ancient Egyptian government document. Minni immediately asked the publisher for an enlarged photo of the document. When he entered the photo into his computer, Minni concluded "within 30 seconds" that it was a document from the Egyptian royal palace. Ancient Egyptian historians immediately converted the year on the document's header—February 23, 33 BC. In 33 BC, wasn't this the Ptolemaic dynasty under the rule of "Cleopatra" Cleopatra VII? The archaeologists screamed in surprise. An even more surprising discovery was yet to come. The contents of the document were clearly handwritten and, judging by the strength of the pen, appeared to have been written by a male official. The specific content of the document is that the King of Egypt promised to give Canidis, the Roman general, preferential import and export tariffs on goods—allowing him to export 10,000 bags of wheat to Egypt duty-free every year and import 5,000 amperes of fine Egyptian wine. .
There is a word "juanxiu" at the end of this document. It is obviously completely different from the font of the document content, and it is obviously a female handwriting. When the word was clearly revealed under a 40x professional magnifying glass, Minni screamed in surprise: Isn't genestho the Greek word for consent when the king of ancient Egypt signed a decree? The king of Egypt, 33 BC, the general of the Roman Empire, plus the signature of a woman - isn't this the autograph of "Cleopatra"?
(3) Any relics and new theories about Cleopatra will always attract the attention of the world. It is no wonder that the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, her legendary beauty and her love affair with heroes such as Caesar and Antony, have inspired poets, writers, painters and artists of all ages. Imagination, such as Dante's "Inferno" and Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", have all described her as a "unparalleled voluptuous temptress"; and Bernard Shaw also called her "a willful and unfeeling woman" ". However, there are also historical records saying that her beauty was "not outstanding or amazing." Some archaeologists also joked: "If her nose were not so high, I am afraid that world history would have been rewritten.
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In the Hollywood blockbuster "Cleopatra", Cleopatra was even portrayed as using her color to induce Caesar to fall under her pomegranate skirt and help him defeat his biological brother. After Caesar was assassinated, she attracted Antony to work for her. However, Antony's actions aroused the anger of the Roman citizens. After being completely defeated in the battle with the Romans, Cleopatra was defeated. Seeing that the situation was over, Terra had no choice but to commit suicide by biting her chest with a poisonous snake.
(4) Because "Cleopatra" is so legendary, any discovery of historical artifacts about her is difficult. All caused a worldwide sensation, especially in the archaeological community. After the news of the discovery of the decree signed by "Cleopatra" came out, the world's archaeological community was deeply impressed by the academic level of the Dutch historian Minni. Archaeological experts at the British Museum are convinced that the manuscript discovered by Minny is definitely signed by Cleopatra, because Minny's research has never missed it. Susan Wall, deputy curator of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. K said with great certainty: "This must be Cleopatra's autograph, because the content of the document can be traced back to 33 BC, which was during the reign of Cleopatra VII. This is what Cleopatra left. ’s only handwriting. " Volker further analyzed that this handwritten document is not only a government document, but also a concrete manifestation of "Cleopatra's" political skills.
(5) According to the famous ancient Greek biographer The historical facts recorded by the essayist Plutarch in his famous work "Comparative Biographies of Greek and Roman Celebrities", "After Caesar's death, Cleopatra was eager to seek asylum from Antony, but she encountered a Soft nails. Therefore, Cleopatra immediately turned her main attack direction to Canidis, Antony's most capable general, and finally bribed this influential Roman general. Canidis later persuaded Antony to agree to protect Cleopatra, and Antony also fell into Cleopatra's tender trap and could not extricate himself.
Although Plutarch took everything It sounds impressive, but historians and archaeologists have never found conclusive evidence that could prove these historical facts. The autograph document of Cleopatra discovered this time was actually "Cleopatra" bribed the Roman Empire general. However, two years later, in 31 BC, Canidis joined the crusade against "Cleopatra" and Antony, the commander-in-chief of the Roman Empire's land armies and the commander of Augustus. The maritime forces joined forces to defeat "Cleopatra" and her lover Antony.
Alan Bowman, another ancient Egyptian historian, said: "The discovery of this document shows that 'Cleopatra'. It is definitely not just about beauty to defend the country and defend one's throne. The techniques she used were not unlike those we use today in dealing with international relations. This is the true embodiment of the beauty and wisdom of ‘Cleopatra’. ”
In fact, ancient Egypt still maintained extreme prosperity during the reign of Cleopatra. Earlier this year, when the American archaeologist Godio and his Egyptian colleagues dived into the seabed off Alexandria , they saw block after block, statue after statue, which was the love nest built by "Cleopatra" Cleopatra and her last lover Michael Antony - Alexandria. It was the ocean explorer Frank Goddio and his archaeological expedition that brought this legendary royal city back to life. Their amazing discoveries proved that the ancient Egyptian history was still prosperous. It also proves that "Cleopatra" is not only a beautiful queen, but also a queen with outstanding talents
Experts question whether the mummy is Cleopatra or a man
US Eastern Time 8. According to news on August 31 (September 1, Beijing time), Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Egyptian Antiquities Society, said on August 30 that a British Egyptologist had previously claimed that she had discovered an ancient The mummy of Cleopatra Nefertiti, but in fact, this mummy is more like a man
Nefertiti was the wife of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. She has always been considered the most beautiful and powerful woman in ancient Egypt. In June of this year, Jo ann Fletcher, a mummy expert from the University of York in England, said that her research team was very likely to find the mummy in Lu. The discovery of Nefertiti's mummy was unearthed from the ancient Egyptian pharaoh's tomb in Koster. The discovery was also announced on a TV show in June. Expressing doubts about the discovery, Hawass said there are still many questions about the gender of the mummy, saying in Cairo: "I am convinced that this mummy is not a woman. "Don Brothwell, the leader of the York University expedition, also said in a report submitted to the Supreme Meeting of the Egyptian Antiquities Society: "There is indeed some ambiguity in the gender of this mummy. Condition. "However, the report concluded that the mummy was female because she lacked male genitalia.
Hawass said that the phenomenon of holes in the ears exists in both male and female mummies, but in the era when Cleopatra Nefertiti lived, there were more mummies with holes in the ears. Be male. "All the queens wear earrings in their wigs, not in their ears," he said. Havas has been working in this field for 35 years. He added that a male mummy found next to the alleged mummy of Nefertiti also had pierced ears. Moreover, Nefertiti gave birth to six children, so her hips should be very wide, but this mummy’s hips are very narrow.
Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University, said in Cairo that X-ray examination of the mummy brought back by the York University expedition can confirm whether the mummy is Have given birth. "There is no evidence at all that this mummy is Nefertiti," Ikam said in a phone interview. "By taking an X-ray of the mummy, it's clear whether she had given birth. That's illustrative." "Is she the clearest sign of Nefertiti?" Hawass said that Nefertiti lived to be at least 35 years old, but Braswell's expedition reported that the mummy was 18 years old. to 30 years old.