The Murder of Cleopatra
Read The Murder of Cleopatra Online
Authors: Pat Brown
Published 2013 by Prometheus Books
The Murder of Cleopatra: History's Greatest Cold Case
. Copyright © 2013 by Pat Brown. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Every attempt has been made to trace accurate ownership of copyrighted material in this book. Errors and omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions, provided that notification is sent to the publisher.
Cover image © 2013 iStockPhoto
Cover design by Nicole Sommer-Lecht
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Pat, 1955-
The murder of Cleopatra : history's greatest cold case / by Pat Brown.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61614-650-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-61614-651-1 (ebook)
1. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C. 2. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C.âDeath and burial. 3. QueensâEgypt. 4. EgyptâKings and rulers. 5. EgyptâHistoryâ332-30 B.C. I. Title.
DT92.7.B78 2013
932.021092--dc23
2012040641
Printed in the United States of America
PROLOGUE: THE MYTH OF CLEOPATRA'S DEATH
Chapter 3: The Stage: Ancient Alexandria
Chapter 4: The Making of the Queen:
Part OneâThe Ancestors
Chapter 5: The Making of the Queen:
Part TwoâThe Macedonian Lineage
Chapter 6: The Making of the Queen:
Part ThreeâThe Family
Chapter 7: Cleopatra VII Becomes Queen
Chapter 11: The Road to Actium:
Part OneâThe Conflict
Chapter 12: The Road to Actium:
Part TwoâThe Partners
Chapter 13: The Road to Actium:
Part ThreeâThe Preparations
Chapter 15: Plan BâThe First Attempt to Flee Egypt
Chapter 16: Plan CâThe Second Attempt to Flee Egypt
Chapter 17: A Motive for the Murder of Cleopatra
Chapter 18: The Unforeseen Murder of Antony
Chapter 19: The Capture of Cleopatra
Chapter 20: The Reconstruction
Chapter 21: Octavian's Triumph
AFTERWORD: WHAT THIS NEW VIEW OF CLEOPATRA MEANS TO WORLD HISTORY
This exploration of the life and death of Cleopatra VII has been one of the most fascinating adventures of my life, and, once I decided there was a story to tell, I knew I needed others along with me who wanted the ideas I developed to get out into the world. The journey started in 2003 with Discovery Channel and Atlantic Productions, and if they hadn't selected me to analyze this part of history and be the host of
The Mysterious Death of Cleopatra
, this book likely would not have been written.
Next I have to thank my wonderful and incredibly supportive literary agent, Claire Gerus, who believed in this book and fought to find a publisher who would believe in it is as well. She brought me to Steven L. Mitchell and Prometheus Books, who took this book on and brought it to fruition. I can't thank Steven enough for choosing this story of Cleopatra for publication.
Finally, I want to thank the people of Egypt for making my two trips so enjoyable, and, especially I want to thank Dr. Zahi Hawass, who oversees everything archeological in Egypt, who saw me without an appointment, and who set up my wonderful trip to Tapasoris Magna. And my utmost thanks to Dr. Said Gohary, whose hospitality and conversation along with his lovely wife, Dr. Jocelyn Gohary, made both my trips to Egypt so very special and helped me immensely in my understanding of ancient Egypt and the times in which Cleopatra lived.
And, finally, my readers; thank you for having a mind that is open enough to read this new look at history and being willing to give Cleopatra the extra attention she has always deserved.
âPat Brown
This book is an examination of the life and death of the last Egyptian pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, with an aim to uncover what really happened to Cleopatra and why. What is not contained in this study is a detailed and complete history of Rome and Egypt. If I endeavored to include such a thorough account of all the events of those days, this book would be a very large tome and it would defeat the purpose of this work, which is to focus on the most relevant issues leading to the queen's demise. For this analysis of the death of Cleopatra, I have included the background information most pertinent to understanding Cleopatra and the Roman men in her life and the specific pieces of evidence that will illuminate what led to the final days of Alexandria. For more information about ancient times and the Roman and Egyptian world in which Cleopatra was born and died, I recommend Joyce Tyldesley's
Cleopatra
and her other books on the queens of Egypt; Michael Grant's
Cleopatra
; Anthony Everitt's
Augustus
; Jean-Yves Empereur's
Alexandria Rediscovered
; N. G. L. Hammonds's
The Genius of Alexander the Great
; Adrian Goldsworthy's
Caesar
; and Peter Green's
The Hellenistic Age
. Any of Zahi Hawass's books on Egypt and archeology or the books of Said and Joceyln Gohary on the Egyptian tombs and monuments will round out one's understanding of the world of Egypt until the end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty at Cleopatra's death in 30 BCE.
When the sun rose over the city of Alexandria on the morning of August 12, 30 BCE, it did not shine down on the great Alexandria of Egypt, but the new Alexandria of the Roman Empire. The air was heavy with resignation and solemn respect for the passing of the queen and for the transfer of Alexandria into the hands of the Roman general Octavian. Cleopatra had provided a dignified conclusion to the great dynasty with her brave, if surprising, exit from the world.
The story was simple, yet awe-inspiring. Octavian had been in the palace, and Cleopatra in her tomb with her two favorite handmaidens. Somehow, a cobra had been smuggled into the mausoleum hidden in a basket of figs. A soldier delivered a letter to Octavian in which Cleopatra explained that she was about to take her life with a request that her body be buried next to her beloved husband and Roman general, Mark Antony, who had already committed suicide a few days earlier, dying in the arms of his wife. Octavian immediately dispatched his men to the mausoleum to intervene and stop the queen from this rash course of action. However, by the time the soldiers arrived, Cleopatra was dead. Word was sent back to Octavian, “We were too late.”
Unwilling to believe Cleopatra was truly dead, Octavian hurried to the mausoleum. He was stunned and angered by the sight of the motionless queen. This determined woman who had refused to yield
at any time in her life, this enchantress who lured married Roman men into unfaithfulness and turned them against their countries, this queen who had refused to recognize his superiority in life, preferred death over submission to his sovereignty. He would now be unable to bring her back to Rome in shackles and parade her though the streets in his grand triumphâhis final coup de grâce. Queen Cleopatra, the greatest prize in the entire world, had slipped out of his grasp.
Hoping she was perhaps in a coma, the sleep that mimics death, Octavian desperately sent for the physician and for specialists in snake venom who might still find a way to save her. But the snake-venom experts had no remedies and the doctor pronounced her dead. All of this was witnessed by the soldiers, and after they left, Octavian met with his advisors.