Cleopatra maneuvered her way through Egyptian, Greek, and Roman politics, defying the odds to keep the Ptolemaic dynasty – and Egypt’s independence – going. But what of all the Cleopatras who came before her? Only one of her forebears truly set the tone for the dynasty, creating a mold that had royal Ptolemaic women ruling not from behind their husbands, but beside them. That woman is Arsinoë II. Let’s dive into the wild and crazy ride that was her life.
Read MoreCleopatra, the last great queen of Egypt, doesn’t really need an introduction. You can see her in your mind already: Pretty and sultry with her cat-eye makeup, covered head to toe in shiny gold. Extravagant, self-serving: this epic seductress used every magic trick in her lady arsenal to hold onto power. That’s the Cleopatra the ancient Romans want us to see. The truth is that few women’s stories have been more brutally revised by sexist haters. Who was Cleopatra, beyond the smoke and hate and glitter?
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