Why is Cleopatra so famous?

Some people say that Cleopatra is a "witch on the Nile" and a "flower snake on the Nile". Some people say that Cleopatra is the mistress of all poets in the world and the mistress of all revelers in the world; The Romans hated her because she almost turned Rome into a province of Egypt; Egyptians praised her as a warrior because she won 22 years of peace for weak Egypt. ...

Brief introduction of Cleopatra's life

Cleopatra VII (69-30 BC) was the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. She is talented, witty, clever and has ulterior motives, and her life is full of drama. In particular, she was involved in the political whirlpool in Rome and later period, and was closely related to Caesar and Anthony, accompanied by various anecdotes, which made her a famous figure in literary and artistic works. Leo Petra was one of the Ptolemaic monarchs after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Her father Ptolemy XII appointed his eldest son Ptolemy to rule Egypt with her. In 5 1 year BC, Cleopatra ascended the throne. Cleopatra is undoubtedly the focus of ancient Egypt. In the account of later generations, this peerless Egyptian beauty not only temporarily saved a dynasty, but also made the powerful king of the Roman Empire fall at her feet and willingly serve her. Dante, Shakespeare, etc. They all described this legendary woman as an "unparalleled sexy witch"; Bernard Shaw also called her "a willful and selfless woman". Kleopatra VII, daughter of Egyptian King Ptolemy XII and Kleopatra V, was born in 69 BC and grew up in a luxurious court. Her father died in 5 1 year BC, leaving a will to designate Cleopatra VII and her half-brother Ptolemy XIII (63-47 BC) as heirs, and they jointly took power. But the two of them fell out because of factional struggle and power struggle. After Kleopatra VII was expelled from Alexandria in 48 BC, he assembled troops on the border between Egypt and Syria and prepared to invade Egypt.

At this time, Caesar pursued Pompeii and came to Egypt to mediate the dispute over the Egyptian throne. Kleopatra VII got the news and sneaked into Alexandria by boat at night, wrapped in a blanket and carried it to Caesar's door. Cleopatra VII suddenly appeared in front of Caesar, which made Caesar dare and happy. She soon became his mistress. On the other hand, Ptolemy XIII was defeated in the war between Alexander and Caesar and drowned in the Nile. Relying on Caesar, Cleopatra VII consolidated his position and became the actual ruler of Egypt. Nominally, according to Egyptian tradition, he married another half-brother Ptolemy XIV (about 59-44 AD) and ruled Egypt together. In order to please the quiet hermit, Kleopatra VII catered to him in every way, holding a feast to accompany him to cruise the Nile and enjoy the scenery. Soon, Caesar went to Asia Minor because of the war, and then returned to Rome. At that time, Cleopatra VII gave birth to a son named Ptolemy Caesar or Caesar Lyon.

In 45 BC, Kleopatra and Ptolemy XIV were invited to Rome and were honored to live in Caesar's private residence on the other side of the Tiber tree. Caesar fulfilled his oath, built a temple in Rome to worship Venus, the ancestor of his julius clan, and erected a golden statue of Cleopatra VII beside the goddess. On the verge of becoming the first lady of the Roman world, Caesar was stabbed to death on March 15, 44 BC. Kleopatra VII's dream was shattered in an instant, and he left Rome sadly.

After Cleopatra VII returned to Egypt, she poisoned Ptolemy XIV and made her and Ptolemy XV, Caesar's son, rule Egypt together. His son was declared the son of Amon.

After Caesar died, Anthony ruled Rome. After he finally defeated the armies of Brutu and Cassio, the leaders of the * * * faction, at the Battle of Philippi, he toured the eastern provinces to raise funds according to the agreement with Octavian. In 4 1 BC, he arrived in Tarsus, Silesia, left Egypt and summoned Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra VII knew the political situation and leading figures in Rome like the back of his hand, and thought it was another excellent opportunity, so he cleverly arranged to take advantage of it. It is said that Kleopatra VII set out from Egypt on a luxury ship, first to Silesia, and then to Tarso via the Denos River. This hand cabin is hung with purple sails dyed with rare Tyrol dyes, and the stern building is inlaid with gold foils, which shine brightly with the blue waves during the voyage. The queen, dressed as the goddess Venus, lay in a curtain of golden thread as thin as cicada's wings. The beautiful boy stood on both sides like Jupiter, each holding a fragrant fan and shaking it gently. A girl dressed as a fairy in the sea, holding a silver paddle, paddled rhythmically with the drums. When residents saw this scene, they suspected that Venus, the goddess of love, came here in a golden dragon to have fun with Dionysus (Anthony). People rushed to tell, and the audience was like a flood. Anthony was invited to the boat for dinner. Seeing Cleopatra VII's charming charm and elegant speech, he was fascinated and lost. He not only ignored the criticism of Cleopatra VII's ambiguous attitude towards the "three-headed" war among the * * * pacifists, but also immediately agreed to her demands one by one, even promised her to kill the heir to the Egyptian throne and competitors, as well as her half-sister Yasisi who took refuge in Ephesus at that time. A few days later, the Beowulf became her captive and went to Egypt together. They spent the winter of 4 1-40 BC in Egypt together.

In the summer of 40 BC, Anthony returned to Italy. At this time, the contradiction between Anthony and Octavian eased, and he married Octavian's sister Octavia, thus consolidating the political alliance with the traditional Roman marriage. By 37 BC, the contradiction between Anthony and Octavian deepened, and Anthony returned to the East to prepare for an expedition to Parthia. He sent Octavia back to Rome on the grounds that his journey was hard and he was not suitable for being placed in a military camp. When Anthony arrived in Antioch, he invited Cleopatra VII to meet him. He married Cleopatra VII in violation of Roman traditional customs.

The marriage between Antony and Cleopatra VII was not entirely driven by lust, but had a political purpose. Antony tried to stabilize Rome's preparations in the east, prepared for an expedition to Parthia and attacked Octavian, and was in urgent need of financial support from Egypt. When Cleopatra VII experienced a profound social crisis in the Ptolemy Kingdom of Egypt, she tried to maintain and develop the Ptolemy Kingdom by all kinds of tricks, including confusing Anthony, and strengthened and expanded her ruling power under the power of Rome. In order to satisfy Cleopatra VII's ambition, Anthony gave Cleopatra VII the central part of Syria, some cities along the Phoenician coast, the island of Cyprus and parts of the kingdom of Nabat. Cleopatra VII supported Anthony's expedition to Parthia, but failed to win. In 34 BC, after Anthony won in Armenia, he held a triumph ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt, not in Rome. They all ascended thrones made of gold. Cleopatra called him "queen of kings" and his son Ptolemy XV called him "king of kings". What Anthony did in the East, especially his relationship with Cleopatra VII, was initially criticized by the Romans, and later aroused their anger. They rebuked Anthony for giving the conquered land of Rome to Cleopatra VII and his children, and prepared to move the capital to Alexandria to establish a new dynasty. In Rome, people hate Cleopatra VII, and think that she is the queen who poses the greatest threat to Rome except Hannibal. This made Anthony lose his prestige and strong domestic support. This is used by Octavian, and it is also one of the reasons why Anthony failed in the struggle with Octavian.

In 32 BC, Anthony and Octavian had a sharp contradiction and broke up completely. At the request of Cleopatra VII, Anthony officially wrote a book and abandoned his wife Octavia. Octavian also vowed to avenge his sister's insult. Ignoring the traditional custom of offending Rome, he obtained Anthony's will from the Virgin of Vesta and made it public. Anthony's will recorded his territorial distribution to Cleopatra VII and his children, and ordered Cleopatra VII to bury his body in Alexandria. As soon as the will was published, public opinion was in uproar and the crowd was furious. Accordingly, the Senate and the Civil Assembly declared war on Kleopatra VII on the grounds of encroaching on the property of the Roman people, depriving Anthony of his position as consul and all other powers.

In 3l BC, Anthony and Octavian's army fought at Cape Aktium. When the fighting was in full swing and Anthony's fleet was frustrated, Cleopatra VII's ship suddenly left the battlefield and sailed back to Egypt. The reason is still controversial. Anthony immediately chased away, leaving the fighting troops completely annihilated. In 30 BC, Octavian attacked Egypt and surrounded Alexandria. Anthony saw the tide recede and he fell on his sword. Kleopatra VII knew that his death was near, and he had already studied various suicide methods. She hid in the tomb castle, but Octavian caught her. When Octavian visited her prisoner, she tried her best to trick and confuse Octavian, but it didn't work. Octavian captured Cleopatra VII alive to bring her back to Rome and show her to the public at the triumph ceremony. Cleopatra VII fell into despair after learning about this. The loyal maid gave her a poisonous snake named "Apps" in a basket of figs. She grabbed the snake and put it on her chest, ending her magical and romantic life. According to legend, although she was closely watched, she managed to get a basket of figs sent by a farmer, which contained a small poisonous snake named asp. She was bitten by a poisonous snake and died in a coma. Octavian fulfilled her last wish and buried her with Anthony. Cleopatra VII and Caesar's son Caesar Lyon, VII and Anthony's eldest son Alexander were all executed by Octavian.

With the death of Kleopatra VII, the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, which lasted for 300 years, came to an end, and Egypt was merged into Rome and became the private property of the Fuehrer.

Latest discovery

According to Youth Reference, among many famous women in history, Cleopatra is undoubtedly a focus. With her beauty, this peerless Egyptian not only temporarily saved a dynasty, but also made the powerful emperors of the Roman Empire fall at her feet and willingly serve her. Although Cleopatra's mysterious shadow can always be seen in unofficial history, legends and literary works, there are few cultural relics about her.

However, archaeologists have made an amazing discovery recently. They found the decree signed by Cleopatra and the ancient city where she once lived, which proved that the queen of ancient Egypt relied on wisdom to govern the country far from relying solely on beauty and lust.

(1) The discovery of Cleopatra's autographed decree was purely accidental. If the Dutch historian Peter Fannie hadn't been so careful, perhaps no one would have discovered that an ancient Egyptian mummy in the Berlin Museum in Germany hides a huge secret. This is an ordinary Egyptian mummy in Berlin Museum, so it has been in the museum for over 100 years. It has never attracted the attention of archaeologists or researchers.

When Jane Bigen, a Belgian papyrus scientist, was granted special permission to conduct a comprehensive study of mummies in Berlin, one day he suddenly found an old yellow papyrus in the mummy's cloth. Minnie's heart was pounding. With his first feeling, this is definitely an ancient Egyptian document. When he carefully picked out the 16 inch papyrus from the mummy, his heart beat faster again-the papyrus was full of dense characters, ancient Egyptian characters.

Bigan of Debao invited this precious paper into the special appraisal room. With the help of an ordinary magnifying glass, Beagan recognized this as an official document of the ancient Egyptian dynasty with the date of receipt. It is a great pity that Beagan's research can't wait to publish its results in the authoritative Archaeological Monthly in June+10, 5438, and arbitrarily identified it as an ordinary contract between an Egyptian farmer and Mr. X.

(2) When the Dutch historian Fannie saw this research paper, she immediately noticed something suspicious: judging from the published pictures, this document is by no means a private contract, but an out-and-out document of the ancient Egyptian government. Minnie immediately asked the publishing house for an enlarged photo of this document. When he entered the photo into the computer, Minnie recognized it as a document of the Egyptian palace "within 30 seconds". Ancient Egyptian historians immediately converted the year when the document was put forward-February 23, 33 BC. Isn't this the Ptolemaic dynasty under Cleopatra VII in 33 BC? Archaeologists started screaming. The more surprising discovery is yet to come. The contents of the document are obviously handwritten, and from the point of pen power, it seems that it was written by male officials. The specific content of the document is that the King of Egypt promised to give preferential import and export tariffs to General Canidis of the Roman Empire-allowing him to export 10000 bags of wheat to Egypt every year and import 5000 ampoules of fine Egyptian wine duty-free.

There is a beautiful word at the end of this document, which is obviously completely different from the font of the document content, and it is obviously female handwriting. When the word appeared under a professional magnifying glass of 40 times, Minnie lost her voice and exclaimed: When the king of ancient Egypt signed the decree, wasn't genestho the Greek word for consent? King of Egypt, general of the Roman Empire in 33 BC, signature of a woman-isn't this Cleopatra's autograph?

(3) Any remains and new sayings about Cleopatra can always attract the attention of the world. It is no wonder that the last queen of Ptolemy dynasty in ancient Egypt, with her legendary peerless beauty and love affairs with heroes such as Caesar and Anthony, once inspired the rich imagination of poets, writers, painters and artists of all ages, such as Dante's Hell and Shakespeare's Caesar the Great. They all described her as an "unparalleled sensual temptress"; Bernard Shaw also called her "a willful and selfless woman". However, there are also historical records that her beauty is "not outstanding or amazing". Some archaeologists joked: "If her nose is not so high, I am afraid that world history will be rewritten."

In the Hollywood blockbuster Cleopatra, Cleopatra is portrayed as using her own color to lure Caesar to fall at her feet and help her defeat her own brother to the throne. After Caesar was assassinated, she attracted Anthony to work for him. However, things did not develop according to people's wishes. Anthony's behavior aroused the anger of Roman citizens. After being completely defeated in the battle with the Romans, Cleopatra saw that the tide was gone and had to bite her chest with a poisonous snake to commit suicide. She is only 38 years old.

(4) It is precisely because of Cleopatra's legendary color that the discovery of any of her historical relics has caused a worldwide sensation, especially in the field of archaeology. After the news that Cleopatra signed the decree came out, the world archaeological community was excited. Archaeologists who deeply admire the academic level of Dutch historian Minnie in the British Museum are convinced that the manuscript discovered by Minnie is definitely Cleopatra's signature, because Minnie's research has never been missed. Susan Volcker, deputy director of the Greek and Roman Antiques Museum of the British Museum, said with great certainty: "This must be Cleopatra's autograph, because the contents of the document can be traced back to 33 BC, which is the only handwriting left by Cleopatra VII." Volcker further analyzed that this handwritten document is not only a government document, but also a concrete embodiment of Cleopatra's political skills.

(5) According to the historical facts recorded by Plutarch, a famous biographer and essayist in ancient Greece, in his masterpiece Comparative Biographies of Celebrities in Greece and Rome, "Cleopatra longed for Anthony's asylum after Caesar's death, but met with a soft nail. As a result, Cleopatra immediately turned his main attack direction to Canidis, Anthony's most effective general, and finally bribed the influential Rome Prize. Canidis later persuaded Anthony to agree to shelter Cleopatra, and Anthony fell into Cleopatra's gentle trap. "

Although Plutarch told everything vividly, historians and archaeologists have never found conclusive evidence that might prove these historical facts. Cleopatra's autographed document found this time is conclusive evidence that Cleopatra bought off the general of the Roman Empire. However, two years later, in 3 1 BC, Canidis joined the crusaders against Cleopatra and Anthony. The commander-in-chief of the Roman army joined forces with the maritime forces commanded by Augustus to defeat Cleopatra and her lover Anthony.

Alain Bowman, another ancient Egyptian historian, said: "The discovery of this document shows that Cleopatra never defended her country and her throne just by virtue of her beauty. The skills she uses are no different from those when we deal with international relations now. This is the true embodiment of Cleopatra's beauty and wisdom. "

In fact, during Cleopatra's reign, ancient Egypt was still very prosperous. At the beginning of this year, when American archaeologist Godiet and his Egyptian colleagues dived into the seabed near Alexandria, they saw block after block and statue after statue, which was the love nest built by Cleopatra and her last lover, Mike Antony * * *-Alexander. It is the marine explorer Frank Gaudiert and his archaeological expedition that brought this legendary ancient royal city back to life. Their amazing discovery proves that the history of ancient Egypt is still prosperous. Of course, this also proves that Cleopatra is not only a beautiful queen, but also a talented queen.