Cleopatra, the last pharaoh
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Decisions, questions and your own progress, in the app
Marble head of Cleopatra VII, Berlin · Chappsnet · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source page
The story
Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt for 21 years and allied herself first with Julius Caesar, then with Mark Antony.
What happened next
When Octavian defeated Antony, Egypt became a Roman province and Cleopatra took her own life. She was the last active ruler of a family that had governed Egypt for nearly 300 years.
Remember
- Her family were Macedonian Greeks, descended from one of Alexander’s generals
- She was said to be the first of her family to speak Egyptian
- She lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid
Review question
Where did Cleopatra’s family originally come from?
Answer: Macedonia, in Greece. Her ancestor Ptolemy was one of Alexander the Great’s generals. He took Egypt when Alexander’s empire split.
Image credits
- Marble head of Cleopatra VII, Berlin · Chappsnet · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source page
