NOT WHAT YOU THINK
Ever watch a YouTube presentation about the "real" Cleopatra ... or "10 Things You Didn't Know About Cleopatra" ... or "Cleopatra the Murderer"?
Most of those "historical facts" are dead wrong. Even some historians, cashing-in on books or the lecture circuit make comments about Cleopatra that they haven't researched well and are just repeating "common knowledge." You really need to specialize in Ptolemaic history (as opposed to the 3000+ years of "ancient Egypt") to weave through the flak.
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I got tired of this, over and over and over. I watch these things looking for new information, especially the serious ones, and I'm continually surprised at the mistakes they make. Why believe ME? For every historical statement, I'll give you a link to the source material. For inscriptions and manuscripts 2000 years old, there's sometimes a bit of wiggle room ... make up your own mind.
Popular Misconceptions About Cleopatra VII
MISCONCEPTION
HISTORY
SUMMARY
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Cleopatra VII was illegitimate.
Her mother is unkown.
Cleopatra VII was the legitimate child of reigning Queen Cleopatra V.
Sngle source Strabo doesn't exactly say the other children were illegitimate, he just says that Berenike IV was legitimate. Cleopatra VII (born 69 BCE) is referred to in a stone inscription from 68 BCE as one of the children of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V.
Cleopatra VII killed her oldest younger brother Ptolemy XIII.
Ptolemy XIII drowned escaping defeat at the Battle of the Nile.
Neither Caesar nor Cleopatra VII were there. It's reported in Caesar's Alexandrian Civil War, and by Josephus.
Cleopatra VII had her younger sister Arsinoe IV killed in Ephesus
There is no evidence that this occurred.
The single source is Josephus, repeated by Appian. It is a rumor started by Josephus. Cassius Dio reports this same rumor as Cleopatra VII killing both her brothers instead (which was impossible).
Cleopatra VII killed her youngest younger brother Ptolemy XIV.
There is no evidence that this occurred.
Not only is the single source Josephus (repeated by Poryphyri), Ptolemy XIV appears as Pharaoh on a document, alongside Cleopatra VII, after Josephus says he was killed.
Cleopatra VII killed her youngest younger brother Ptolemy XIV.
There is no evidence that this occurred.
Not only is the single source Josephus (repeated by Poryphyri), Ptolemy XIV appears as Pharaoh on a document, alongside Cleopatra VII, after Josephus says he was killed.
Cleopatra VII married one or both of her younger brothers.
There is no evidence that this occurred. Her only recorded marriage is to Marc Antony.
According to her father's will, Cleopatra VII was supposed to marry Ptolemy XIII but it's likely this did not occur since they fought for power from the start. There's no evidence she married Ptolemy XIV who only appears as pharaoh in 45 BCE.
Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt continuously after the death of her father Ptolemy XII.
Cleopatra ruled with her father, then by herself, then with her brother Ptolemy XIII, then she was exiled, then very briefly with P.XIII, then by herself, then with P.XIV, then by herself, then with P.XV
At first co-regent, Cleopatra VII ruled as Queen with her father Ptolemy XII (no marriage). On his death, she ruled alone sidelining Ptolemy XIII, until he came to power eventually forcing her to exile in Syria. Even though Caesar called her back, she did have to sneak past P.XIII's guards (probably NOT in a carpet). She ruled alone for about 4 years until P.XIV joined her briefly, then she placed her son with Caesar, P.XV, on the throne with her.
Cleopatra VII cut open pregnant women to examine fetuses.
There is no evidence that this occurred.
Both the Hebrew Mishna and Tosefta contain passages that refer to this, which conflict 100% with each other. An attempt was made to justify a Niddah rule in Leviticus in the 3rd century ACE and Cleopatra VII was a convenient scapegoat.
Cleopatra VII was promiscuous.
There is no evidence for this.
The only men recorded as being intimate with Cleopatra VII are Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Both of these started as diplomatic liaisons since Egypt couldn't survive without Roman support. However both of those men are reported by multiple sources as promiscuous (Caesar much more so than Antony).
Cleopatra VII inherited a rich empire.
Egypt was bankrupted by her father Ptolemy XII, She inherited a crumbling empire deep in debt to Rome.
Over the course of her ~24 years on the throne Cleopatra VII restored the Egyptian Empire by clever administration. When Octavian hauled back her treasury to Rome after her death, it depressed the world price of gold.
The instrument of Cleopatra's suicide was a snake.
Her personal physician, probably the one who inspected the body, says "no one knows".
Cleopatra VII died dressed in her finest garments, with no sign of death throes. Her two hand maidens died of poison painlessly: we know this because one was alive when the soldiers burst in, she spoke briefly, then dropped dead. There are two candidates for "asp": Horned Viper, and Egyptian Cobra. A viper bite leaves ulcerated puncture wounds, a swollen limb, and an agonizing death. Cobra wounds don't ulcerate but would leave deep marks and death would be very slow and painful. Throughout recorded history, the phallic perception of a serpent has always been an effective story element.
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