

Roman reinforcements arrived the following spring, and Ptolemy XIII fled and drowned in the Nile. Caesar and Cleopatra became lovers and spent the winter besieged in Alexandria.

Cleopatra was determined to keep her throne and, if possible, to restore the glories of the first Ptolemies and recover as much as possible of their dominions, which had included southern Syria and Palestine. Caesar sought money for repayment of the debts incurred by Cleopatra’s father, Auletes, as he struggled to retain his throne. The murder of the Roman general Pompey, who had sought refuge from Ptolemy XIII at Pelusium, and the arrival of Julius Caesar brought temporary peace.Ĭleopatra realized that she needed Roman support, or, more specifically, Caesar’s support, if she was to regain her throne. Soon after, Cleopatra was forced to flee Egypt for Syria, where she raised an army and in 48 bce returned to face her brother at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. Evidence shows that the first decree in which Ptolemy’s name precedes Cleopatra’s was in October of 50 bce.

The 18-year-old Cleopatra, older than her brother by about eight years, became the dominant ruler. It is likely, but not proven, that the two married soon after their father’s death. When Ptolemy XII died in 51 bce, the throne passed to his young son, Ptolemy XIII, and daughter, Cleopatra VII. Coin portraits of Cleopatra show a countenance alive rather than beautiful, with a sensitive mouth, firm chin, liquid eyes, broad forehead, and prominent nose.
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Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent and had little, if any, Egyptian blood, although the Classical author Plutarch wrote that she alone of her house took the trouble to learn Egyptian and, for political reasons, styled herself as the new Isis, a title that distinguished her from the earlier Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra III, who had also claimed to be the living embodiment of the goddess Isis. The line had been founded by Alexander’s general Ptolemy, who became King Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt.
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