Cleopatra's Birth

Cleopatra's Birth

Cleopatra's Birth


In the springtime of 51 BC, Ptolemy Auletes died and left 

his 

kingdom in his will to his eighteen

year old daughter, Cleopatra, and her younger brother 

Ptolemy XIII who was twelve at the

time. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. 

She 

had two older sisters, Cleopatra

VI and Berenice IV as well as a younger sister, Arsinoe IV. 

There were two younger brothers

as well, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. It is thought that 

Cleopatra VI may have died as a

child and Auletes had Berenice beheaded. At Ptolemy 

Auletes' death, Pompey, a Roman

leader, was left in charge of the children. During the two 

centuries that preceded Ptolemy

Auletes death, the Ptolemies were allied with the Romans. 


The Ptolemies' strength was failing and the Roman 

Empire was  rising. City after city was falling to the Roman 

power and the Ptolemies could do nothing but create 

a pact with them.During the later rule of the Ptolemies, the 

Romans gained more and more control over Egypt. 

Tributes had to be paid to the Romans to keep them away 

from Egypt. When Ptolemy Auletes died, the fall of 

the Dynasty appeared to be even closer.

According to Egyptian law, Cleopatra was forced to have a consort, who was either a brother                              or a son, no matter what age, throughout her reign. She was married to her younger brother                                        Ptolemy XIII when he was twelve, however she soon dropped his name from any officia                              documents regardless of the Ptolemaic insistence that the male presence be first among co-                                  rulers. She also had her own portrait and name on coins of that time, ignoring her brother's                            When Cleopatra became co-regent, her world was crumbling down around her. Cyprus, Coele                               Syria and Cyrenaica were gone. There was anarchy abroad and famine at home. Cleopatra                                    was a strong-willed Macedonian queen who was brilliant and dreamed of a greater world                            empire. She almost achieved it. Whether her way of getting it done was for her own desires or                                         for the pursuit of power will never be known for certain. However, like many Hellenistic                            queens, she was passionate but not promiscuous. As far as we know, she had no other lovers                           other than Caesar and Antony. Many believe that she did what she felt was necessary to try to                                                                                                               save Alexandria, whatever the price.