Rise To Power

Egypt was ruled by a Macedonian dynasty between 323 and 30 BC. The line was founded by Ptolemy I, a general in the army of Alexander the Great. The last of the Macedonian rulers, Cleopatra VII was not of Egyptian descent, though she learned to speak the Egyptian language and fashioned herself as the living embodiment of the goddess Isis.

As her portrait on Egyptian coins suggests, Cleopatra was not necessarily beautiful. Rather, she had a sensitive mouth, firm chin, liquid eyes, broad forehead, and prominent nose.

As was custom, the throne was passed to Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII after the death of her father Ptolemy XII in 51 BC. Cleopatra, then eighteen years old, and her brother, then ten years old, were married soon after their father’s death. Because she was older, Cleopatra became the dominant ruler. Soon after her rise to power, however, her brother forced her to flee Egypt.

She returned in 48 BC with an army to face her brother on Egypt’s eastern border. The murder of the Roman general Pompey, who had sought refuge from Ptolemy XIII, and the arrival of Julius Caesar brought temporary peace.