Queen Cleopatra
by: Tom Streissguth
As the third daughter of King Ptolemy the 12th, Cleopatra was destined to become the last sovereign of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. and its annexation by Rome in 31 B.C. The dynasty had been founded by Alexander's marshal, Ptolemy. Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent and had no Egyptian blood, although, she alone of her house took the trouble to learn Egyptian, and for political reasons regarded herself as the daughter of Re, the sun god.
Cleopatra was born in about 69 B. C. as the daughter of Ptolemy the 12th. When her father died, she and her half-brother, Ptolemy 13th, were to rule Egypt jointly. It was custom amongst Ptolemaic rulers that brother should marry sister and rule jointly. This was to ensure that none of the powerful families would gain enough influence to control the throne of Egypt. Instead of marrying her, Ptolemy exiled her and took over the throne himself.......
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Approximate Word Count: 811
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |