During their own lifetimes their liaison quickly became infamous, the subject of gossip, innuendo and outrage throughout the ancient world. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. and, later, Mark Antony (c. 81–30 B.C.E. Cleopatra eventually followed Caesar back to Rome, but returned to Egypt in 44 B.C., following his assassination. She was 18 years old during this time. But unlike the rest of the Ptolemaic family, the young queen embraced many of Egypt’s ancient customs and was the first ruler to learn the Egyptian language. After her father secured a teaching job at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her family went house hunting and eventually settled in Framingham, a 30-minute ride away from Boston, when she was 8 years old. Cleopatra then assembled an army to overthrow her brother. She earned an unfavorable reputation during her age, but as the lover of the Roman emperors Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.E. ) After he ordered the execution of Pompey, one of Julius Caesar ’s Roman political enemies, in front of Pompey’s own wife and children, Caesar, then ruler of Rome, was absolutely enraged. She was also the last true pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra’s immense power came from her position in Egypt’s long-ruling Ptolemaic dynasty. One of her great lovers was Julius Caesar , a relationship that resulted in a never acknowledged son – Caesarion – for the Roman dictator. According to History of Macedonia, Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which was descended from Alexander the Great's general, a man named Ptolemy I.That means they not only had Greek ancestry, they spoke Greek and followed Greek customs, too.The Ptolemys ruled Egypt for 300 years after the nation was handed over to Ptolemy I following Alexander's death in 323 B.C. After her father King Ptolemy XII died, she and her brother ascended to the throne. Ptolemic family politics were tough: When Ptolemy XII died, he made Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII joint rulers, but Ptolemy soon ousted Cleopatra. T he love affair of Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt (69-30 BC), and Marcus Antonius, Roman triumvir (83-30 BC) is legendary. Marrying a sibling is beyond the pale today, but in Cleopatra’s time? A note on Cleopatra’s nationality. written by thomasmdbrooke Most of us have a vague understanding of the story of Cleopatra, the exotic Egyptian Queen who first seduced the mighty Julius Caesar, before falling for Mark Antony, and the tragic end to her story. She was not an Egyptian, however, despite being pharaoh, but a Macedonian in the Ptolemaic dynasty that a Macedonian Ptolemy I Soter started. Her father Ptolemy XII Auletes was born illegitimate in 117 BC to Ptolemy IX Soter II and the unknown grandmother – but besides this, Cleopatra’s parents were completely related to each other. With reference to the family tree enclosed, intermarrying within Cleopatra’s family was so prevalent that she only had two ancestors alive 120 years before her birth. Her family hailed not from the land it governed but from Macedonia, which has led many researchers to believe her skin was light — as European art has always depicted her — not dark like that of the native Egyptians. Cleopatra VII, often simply called “Cleopatra,” was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. Now, the Ptolemies had been intermarrying among their Greek family for three hundred years but genetically, there’s no way any of them would have children after that long without introducing any foreign DNA. Cleopatra Wasn't Egyptian. She became queen at age 18, reigning with her … Cleopatra (January 69 B.C. ), Cleopatra has become a romantic legend in modern times. Such was Cleopatra’s family, and such too was Cleopatra: ... with a protruding chin and an underhang beneath the jaw—was a woman far from today’s standard of beauty. was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra then assembled an army to overthrow her brother. Cleopatra’s father, remember, was an illegitimate child. But while Cleopatra was a queen of Egypt, she is a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian Greek royal family. However, when Cleopatra and Mark Anthony were defeated by Octavian during the naval battle at Actium in 31 BC, this idyllic life came to a close. In other words, Cleopatra was likely an olive-toned Mediterranean woman. Until 31 BC the family of the last Ptolemaic queen lived a magnificent life in a golden palace, one of the most luxurious places of the world. Their relationship became strained after they assumed power. Cleopatra was the last in a long line of Macedonian Greek kings and queens who ruled Egypt starting with the conquest of Alexander the Great.After Alexander's death, his general Ptolemy I was installed as king of Egypt, which he ruled as a Greek from the Hellenistic capitol of Alexandria. Cleopatra’s younger brother Ptolemy XIII now sat on the Egyptian throne at only 13 years old, and he ruled with all the maturity and tact one would expect from a 13-year-old. One with Julius Caesar and three with Mark Anthony. Cleopatra was the last of the "Ptolemies," a line of rulers descended from Ptolemy Soter, one of Alexander the Great's generals. Pharaonic family tree. The results of the forensic examination and the fact that the facial reconstruction shows that Arsinoe had an African mother is a real sensation which leads to a new insight on Cleopatra’s family and the relationship of the sisters Cleopatra and Arsinoe,” said Dr Hilke Thür. 1. 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