Cleopatra: kohl and vipers, barges and thrones, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. We have long been schooled in the myth of the Egyptian ruler. In his new book Michel Chauveau brings us a picture of her firmly based in reality. Cleopatra VII reigned in Egypt between 51 and 30 B.C.E. Her primary goal as a ruler was to restore over the eastern Mediterranean the supremacy of the Lagides, the dynasty of Macedonian origin of which she herself was a descendant. We know the queen best from Greek and Latin sources, though these must be used with caution because of their bias. Understandably enough, they reflect not only matters of interest to Romans, but also the propaganda that Octavian used against the queen during his struggles with Mark Antony. Chauveau combines his knowledge of Egyptian sources with judicious use of classical materials to produce an authoritative biography of Cleopatra, the woman and queen, seen in the light of the turbulent era in which she lived.

About the Author

Michel Chauveau is a former member of the Institut Francais d'Archaeologie Orientale in Cairo, and is currently director of studies at L'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He is the author of Egypt in the Age of Cleopatra: History and Society under the Ptolemies, also from Cornell. David Lorton, an Egyptologist, lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

Students who read this brief volume will find little of the movie queen but a great deal of Roman history. Cleopatra's defeat made Octavian emperor of Rome, and he arranged for the spin on history to make his actions look good.

* School Library Journal *


Awards
Winner of A Main Selection of the Discovery Channel Book Clu.



Book Information
ISBN 9780801489532
Author Michel Chauveau
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Cornell University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 11mm