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Cleopatra: Beyond the Myth
Cleopatra: kohl and vipers, barges and thrones, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. We have long been schooled in the myth of the Egyptian ruler. In his new book Michel Chauveau brings us a picture of her firmly based in reality. Cleopatra VII reigned in Egypt between 51 and 30 B.C.E. Her primary goal as a ruler was to restore over the eastern Mediterranean the supremacy of the Lagides, the dynasty of Macedonian origin of which she herself was a descendant. We know the queen best from Greek and Latin sources, though these must be used with caution because of their bias. Understandably enough, they reflect not only matters of interest to Romans, but also the propaganda that Octavian used against the queen during his struggles with Mark Antony. Chauveau combines his knowledge of Egyptian sources with judicious use of classical materials to produce an authoritative biography of Cleopatra, the woman and queen, seen in the light of the turbulent era in which she lived.
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 31, 2018
A short book, but useful for its bare-bones reliance on contemporary accounts.
June 25, 2024
Wonderful read. Feels good to put aside all the nonsense. Very good bibliography.
August 6, 2010
Book was translated from French by David Lorton.
I have always enjoyed reading about strong women and where else would you find one? But it took me a while to venture beyond the Introduction and Chapter 1 purely because I found myself suddenly in the Hellenistic era and I had to readjust my time clock. In the end, I have to keep another reference open to now and then check on the personalities mentioned in the book as I progressed. Yes, the book expects readers some background knowledge of Hellenistic Egypt.
Thanks to the author's warning that there is really very little or no ancient account of Cleopatra VII's reign - not even a simple biographic summary of it - thus had allowed romantic legends to flourish. What existed consists of little of the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stuff! History recorded that Cleopatra was the last queen of ancient Egypt whose defeat had given birth to Rome's imperial regime.
After the death of Alexander The Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy, a commander in the Macedonian army and son of Lagos, one of Alexander's bodyguard, established the Lagides Dynasty in Egypt with Alexandria as it's capital. My other reference states that with that his rivals for power, Cassander of Macedonia, and Seleucus of Syria, countered by declaring themselves kings of their respective dominions. Thus came into existence the three great monarchies that were to dominate the Hellenistic world until, one by one, they were absorbed into the Roman Empire, ending the ancient Egypt Ptolemaic period.
The Greeks practised incestuous marriages. While the crown had devised a system of exploitation, dynastic struggles, frantricidal conflicts were very prevalent. To cut the story short, Cleopatra VII represented a line of determined women who did not hesitate to exercise effective power in the place of inept and discredited husbands or sons. Details of earlier queens were lacking more due to lack of partners or adversaries of the stature of Julius Caesar or Mark Anthony. Furthermore, the Lagides were simply a dismal kingdom. Only when the Romans were ravaging Asia Minor did the intellectuals flocked to seek refuge in Alexandria.
I have always enjoyed reading about strong women and where else would you find one? But it took me a while to venture beyond the Introduction and Chapter 1 purely because I found myself suddenly in the Hellenistic era and I had to readjust my time clock. In the end, I have to keep another reference open to now and then check on the personalities mentioned in the book as I progressed. Yes, the book expects readers some background knowledge of Hellenistic Egypt.
Thanks to the author's warning that there is really very little or no ancient account of Cleopatra VII's reign - not even a simple biographic summary of it - thus had allowed romantic legends to flourish. What existed consists of little of the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stuff! History recorded that Cleopatra was the last queen of ancient Egypt whose defeat had given birth to Rome's imperial regime.
After the death of Alexander The Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy, a commander in the Macedonian army and son of Lagos, one of Alexander's bodyguard, established the Lagides Dynasty in Egypt with Alexandria as it's capital. My other reference states that with that his rivals for power, Cassander of Macedonia, and Seleucus of Syria, countered by declaring themselves kings of their respective dominions. Thus came into existence the three great monarchies that were to dominate the Hellenistic world until, one by one, they were absorbed into the Roman Empire, ending the ancient Egypt Ptolemaic period.
The Greeks practised incestuous marriages. While the crown had devised a system of exploitation, dynastic struggles, frantricidal conflicts were very prevalent. To cut the story short, Cleopatra VII represented a line of determined women who did not hesitate to exercise effective power in the place of inept and discredited husbands or sons. Details of earlier queens were lacking more due to lack of partners or adversaries of the stature of Julius Caesar or Mark Anthony. Furthermore, the Lagides were simply a dismal kingdom. Only when the Romans were ravaging Asia Minor did the intellectuals flocked to seek refuge in Alexandria.
September 29, 2014
Historically accurate but possibly loses a lot by not addressing the mythic aspects more fully.
I was looking for information on Cleopatra's relationship with Herod the Great: in particular his construction of Masada to keep an eye on her business interests at the Dead Sea, as well as his view of her territory in the north which included what was to become Caesarea Philippi. Anything to do with Herod was particularly sparse.
However, Julius Caesar and - particularly - Mark Antony are, of course, extensively addressed.
I was looking for information on Cleopatra's relationship with Herod the Great: in particular his construction of Masada to keep an eye on her business interests at the Dead Sea, as well as his view of her territory in the north which included what was to become Caesarea Philippi. Anything to do with Herod was particularly sparse.
However, Julius Caesar and - particularly - Mark Antony are, of course, extensively addressed.
March 28, 2009
Slim volume full of the few facts actually known about Cleopatra. Well-written, with an astonishing amount of material covered in only 91 pages, including re-prints from the ancient texts that mentioned the Egyptian queen.
May 29, 2011
The first of three Cleopatra books on my to read list for the next couple of months.
July 17, 2018
Cleopatra: Beyond the Myth
Chauveau, Michel
This book has in depth information about this historical figure, allowing my daughter to learn more about one of her favorite historical figures.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews