Character Catalog

Cleopatra continued the construction and decoration of the great Temple of Hathor at Dendera, where she is depicted as pharaoh performing sacred rites.

Monumental temple begun by Cleopatra in honor of Julius Caesar. A remarkable edifice adorned with two obelisks, it was completed by Octavian and renamed in his own honor.

Cleopatra reorganized the Egyptian fiscal system and issued coins bearing her effigy, strengthening the kingdom's trade and finances in the face of Roman pressure.

Cleopatra negotiated with Antony the redistribution of vast eastern territories to her children, attempting to reconstitute an expanded Ptolemaic empire across the Near East.

Several ancient authors attribute to Cleopatra treatises on cosmetics and medicinal remedies, attesting to her reputation as a learned woman.

She sailed on the Cydnus in a vessel whose stern was of gold, the sails of purple and the oars of silver, plied to the sound of flutes. She herself reclined beneath a canopy embroidered with gold, adorned like Aphrodite.

Caesar recounts how Ptolemy XIII attempted to impose his will on him in Alexandria, and how the situation led to the Alexandrian civil war during which Cleopatra was restored to the throne.

Pliny reports that Cleopatra possessed two pearls of extraordinary size, inherited from the kings of the East, and that she had one dissolved in vinegar which she drank at a banquet with Antony.

Cassius Dio describes in detail the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra's flight with her fleet, and the last days of the couple in Alexandria before the city was taken by Octavian.

Capital of Ptolemaic Egypt and Cleopatra's main residence. The city housed the famous Lighthouse, the Great Library, and the royal palace of the Ptolemies on Cape Lochias.

Temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor, whose outer walls bear a monumental bas-relief depicting Cleopatra and her son Caesarion making offerings to the Egyptian gods.

City in Asia Minor where Cleopatra met Mark Antony in 41 BC during a spectacular arrival on her golden barge.

Promontory on the western coast of Greece where the decisive naval battle of 31 BC took place, sealing the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony against Octavian.

Cleopatra stayed in Rome between 46 and 44 BC, in a villa offered by Caesar on the right bank of the Tiber, arousing both fascination and hostility among the Romans.

Cleopatra wore the traditional double crown of the pharaohs during official ceremonies, symbolizing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt under her authority.

A signet ring used to authenticate royal decrees. Cleopatra used it to seal the edicts governing Egypt and diplomatic correspondence.

A ritual musical instrument associated with the cult of Isis. Cleopatra identified with this goddess and took part in religious ceremonies in her name.

A writing medium used for the administration of the kingdom. Ptolemaic Egypt had a highly developed bureaucracy relying on extensive papyrus archives.

Bronze and silver coins struck with the queen's likeness, often depicted wearing a diadem. They attest to her sovereign authority and the economic power of Egypt.

A rearing golden cobra fixed to the front of the royal crown, symbol of divine protection and pharaonic power that Cleopatra claimed for herself.