People & Characters
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII was the final active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and a major political figure during the Roman Republic's last decades.
Cleopatra VII was the final active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. Born around 70 or 69 BCE, she began ruling in 51 BCE and belonged to a dynasty descended from Macedonian Greeks. She governed during a period when Roman power increasingly shaped politics across the eastern Mediterranean.
Cleopatra formed political and personal alliances with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony. After Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Octavian's forces, both died in 30 BCE. Egypt was then incorporated into the Roman Empire, ending the Ptolemaic dynasty's rule.
Quick facts
- Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt from 51 BCE until her death in 30 BCE.
- She belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was descended from Macedonian Greeks.
- The British Museum notes that Cleopatra spoke both Greek and Egyptian.
- She had a son with Julius Caesar and children with Mark Antony.
- Her death in 30 BCE was followed by Egypt's incorporation into the Roman Empire.
A surprising fact
Coins issued during Cleopatra's reign provide some of the clearest surviving contemporary evidence of how she represented herself as a ruler.