Queen Cleopatra

Review

by Arienne King
submitted on 22 January 2025

Queen Cleopatra is a straightforward introduction to the life of Egypt’s last queen Cleopatra VII. The volume is a sourcebook of ancient and modern accounts of her life, aimed at general audiences. It presents a series of snapshots of Cleopatra’s portrayal in Greek, Roman, English and American historical literature to create a complete picture of her life. The book is a solid introduction to Cleopatra, and readers of any level will likely find it entertaining.

The book opens with a brief overview of Cleopatra’s life and the historical context of Ptolemaic Egypt. Author Lindsay Powell examines Cleopatra’s career and personality, describing how her life was gradually twisted into legend by later generations of writers. It also briefly discusses the ways in which artists and filmmakers have reinvented Cleopatra through visual mediums. Although the book has no illustrations, this section includes descriptions of contemporary depicting Cleopatra. While short, this introduction adeptly prepares readers to understand the following sections.

Following the introduction is an edited version of Jacob Abbott’s 1901 biography of Cleopatra, which takes up about three quarters of the book’s total length. Abbott’s biography was originally intended for young readers, and it recounts her life story in an adventurous, instructional tone. It shows its age in places, occasionally using old fashioned terms of speech and expressing attitudes that modern readers may object to. Despite these obstacles, it presents an interesting and compelling portrait of its title character.

A selection of contemporary sources on Cleopatra’s life makes up the final section of the book. Translated excerpts of Strabo’s Geography, Cassius Dio’s Roman History, Appian’s Civil Wars, Flavius Josephus’ Jewish Antiquities, Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, and Plutarch’s Parallel Lives are used to illustrate how ancient writers imagined Cleopatra and her Egypt. The selection of sources is fairly standard for biographers of Cleopatra, and a comparable list might be found in a number of similar books. The translations used are generally quite old – the oldest is William Whiston’s 1737 translation of Jewish Antiquities. The age of these translations does not seriously impact their accuracy, although the antiquated language creates a sense of authenticity.

Each source has a brief introduction describing the original texts, their purpose and their writers. This allows readers to better understand why these accounts were written, and who their authors were. Because of its format, the book largely leaves the interpretation of these sources up to the reader. Aside from the introductions, the excerpts are presented without commentary, allowing readers to determine whether they are convinced by the tales presented.

The chosen excerpts are straightforward and entertaining, and do not require any specialist knowledge of antiquity. Readers unfamiliar with the period and figures will find it informative, although advanced students and scholars would be better served with more academic biographies of Cleopatra. Although it is not written with young readers in mind, its relatively short length and straightforward format make it suitable for young audiences.

Lindsay Powell is a historian and author specializing in ancient warfare and politics. Powell is the news editor for Ancient History and Ancient Warfare magazines, and often appears on history podcasts. The book is a part of Flame Tree Publishing’s series The World's Greatest Myths and Legends.