Cleopatra: A Sphinx Revisited

About this book

Cleopatraa brave astute and charming woman who spoke many languages entertained lavishly hunted went into battle eliminated siblings to consolidate her power and held off the threat of Imperial Rome to protect her country as long as she couldcontinues to fascinate centuries after she ruled Egypt. These wide-ranging essays explore such topics as Cleopatras controversial trip to Rome her suicide by snake bite and the afterlife of her love potions. They view Cleopatra from the Egyptian perspective and examine the reception in Rome of Egyptian culture especially of its religion and architecture. They discuss films about her and consider what inspired Egyptomania in early modern art. Together these essays illuminate Cleopatras legacy and illustrate how it has been used and reused through the centuries.