8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The last of so many noble rulers..., September 3, 2005
This review is from: The Reign of Cleopatra (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events of the Ancient World) (Hardcover)
Cleopatra was an enigma in her own time, and has remained so throughout two thousand years of subsequent history. As the Elizabeth Taylor film about Cleopatra concluded, she 'was the last of so many noble rulers.' In fact, she represented the close of several chapters of history - she was the last of the Ptolemiac line to rule Egypt, the last of the independent ruler/monarchs or pharoahs, and the last the major threats to Rome before it became a consolidated empire under Augustus.
Yet this is not the primary source of her fame. Her fame comes largely from her legendary sexual allure, which according to Burstein's research, was less due to her physical beauty (apparently she was rather ordinary looking) as it was from her intelligence and charm. An extraordinarily educated and wise woman, she survived intrigues and reached pinnacles of power beyond that of most, especially of women during her period of history. Cleopatra's personal life is an very complicated one - married to several different men (including, in true Ptolemaic fashion, her own brother), she had four children (one by Julius Caesar, and three by Mark Antony), and following the family history of Cleopatra is a real trick - there were no fewer than 14 kings named Ptolemy, at least seven Cleopatras, and numerous Arsinoes and Berenikes. It is easy to get lost in the history.
Stanley Burstein does a good job at keeping this history straight. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to Ptolemaic Egypt, beginning with Ptolemy I, friend of Alexander the Great, and proceeding up through the various descendents and their waxing and waning fortunes in the eastern Mediterranean. The wars amongst the successors of Alexander gave way to family intrigues among the Ptolemies at times, and included involvement in the various civil wars of the Romans, which would eventually end with the fall of Cleopatra and Antony and the rise of Augustus. Cleopatra's three children by Antony would survive; her grandson (also named Ptolemy) would succeed as king of Mauretania, until one of Augustus' successors (Caligula) would assassinate him.
In addition to presenting the international and foreign political history involving Cleopatra, Burstein presents essays on the internal structures and cultures in Egypt, with special emphasis on the city of Alexandria. Alexandria was home of the Great Lighthouse and the Great Library (two of the Ancient Wonders of the World) in addition to other magnificent structures; it was the most cosmopolitan place in the world known to the Romans (and, mostly likely, the entire world at the time). There were rumours at different times that the capital of the empire might be moved from Rome to Alexandria - such rumours were exploited in Rome at convenient times. Burstein concludes his essays with a discussion of the way Cleopatra has been viewed over time, including modern discussions of her prominence as an early figure of feminist activity (a woman in history who acted in her own right, and not through the agency of a man) as well as a figure of pride for African Americans, many of whom have taken her as one of their own history as an early African ruler.
Indeed, far from being the sexually predatory figure as she was often portrayed, most evidence seems to indicate she was only involved with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and was faithful to each while involved with them. She was also faithful to her children, and to Egypt itself. It was politically expedient for her to be portrayed as wanton and licentious at the time, and has served later times in various ways to play up this image, but the real Cleopatra is quite different from that which has become a legend down to our own times.
Burstein provides, as is characteristic of the Greenwood Guides, biographical snapshots of key figures of the time (this includes Egyptians, Romans, and even mythical figures such as Isis), a glossary of terms, listings of primary sources materials, an extensive annotated bibliography, an index, and various maps and images that help put some visual context for the stories.
A very useful book, written at a level that advanced high school and undergraduate students can find accessible, but also useful to general readers.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Valuable Introduction to a Fascinating Character in the Ancient World, January 10, 2008
Few figures in ancient history are as enticing as Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE), who came to power in Egypt at a time when the Hellenistic world was colliding with a rising Roman empire. She has been remembered largely as the sexy, beautiful lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and this aspect of her life is relayed in this book, but what is less well known is how superb a monarch she was for ancient Egypt. She successfully negotiated the shoals of war and diplomacy with Rome, other Middle Eastern empires, and her own realm's dissident elements. "The Reign of Cleopatra" is a fine introduction to this intriguing leader's life and times. In it we see a woman who possessed a unique talent for diplomacy, leadership, and power brokering. In a world dominated by strong and sometimes brutal men, Cleopatra was every bit as dominant and sometimes brutal as those she encountered.
This book offers a window into a world long gone and all but forgotten. It was a pre-Christian world in which values were far different from what has existed since. In it she was viewed as a god incarnate by her subjects, she was married to her brother for a short time, and she had other lovers, notably Julius Caesar and Mark Antony with whom she had children. Her ability to seduce and make an alliance with Julius Caesar was critical to her early reign. After his death by assassination her relationship to Mark Antony, even closer than that with Caesar, was critical to her reign and ultimately led to her suicide in 30 BCE after Antony's defeat by Octavian.
"The Reign of Cleopatra" is very much a primer on the era and its politics and society. There are chapters on Cleopatra as an individual, on Egypt under the Ptolemys, the social character of Egypt, the role of Alexandria as the capital, a collection of key documents illuminating various aspects of the story, and a biographical section offering thumbnail descriptions of key actors. This is a fine introduction to a complex and fascinating subject.
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