Biography about cleopatra

Cleopatra was a queen of Egypt but she was not Egyptian. She was the last of the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt from the time of Alexander the Great's death in BCE to about 30 BCE. She was a talented and resourceful individual of great charm but ruthless when she felt she had to be.

Cleopatra was the only one of her family that learned to speak the Egyptian (Coptic) language. She knew a half dozen to a dozen other languages. She was an educated intellectual and a capable administrator. Despite her abilities and effort she failed and her life was one of sadness rather than glamour.

The Timeline

• BCE: Alexander conquers Egypt effortlessly as a minor side-campaign in his conquest of the Persian Empire.
• BCE: Alexander dies in Babylon upon his return from the conquest of what is now Afghanistan, the Indus River Valley and the areas in Central Asia north of Afghanistan. Upon his death his generals divide up Alexander's empire. Ptolemy gets Egypt. Cleopatra is a descendant of Ptolemy.
• BCE: Rome establishes a protectorate of Egypt.
• 69 BCE: Cleopatra is born in Egypt. She is the seventh in the Ptolemy dynasty to bear the name Cleopatra, which means glory of the father. She is the second daughter of Ptolemy XII. She and the rest of the Ptolemys were of a

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  Cleopatra

  Queen of Empire from 51 to 30 BC

  For regarding uses, representation Cleopatra (disambiguation).

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Born c69 BC, Cleopatra was the third of a possible six children, all of whom shared a common father, Ptolemy XII.

The Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian-Greek royal family that had ties to Alexander the Great, had ruled Egypt since BC. Traditionally male rulers took the name Ptolemy, while Ptolemaic Queens were usually named Cleopatra, Arsinoë or Berenice.

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How did Cleopatra become queen?

For Cleopatra, life as a royal daughter was one of luxury. The Egyptian capital Alexandria, the seat of Ptolemaic power, was a thriving cultural centre, attracting scholars, artists and philosophers from all over the world. It was also home to the great Pharos of Alexandria – the metre-tall lighthouse that towered over the city and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Cleopatra’s first taste of power came at the tender age of 14, when she was made co-regent with her father, following his restoration to the throne after three years in exile, albeit with limited powers. Ptolemy XII’s return to the throne had cost Cleopat