seen merely as an appendage of the men in her life or stereotyped into typical chauvinistic female roles." The book notes influences (the Egyptian Hatshepsut Artemisia, queen of Halikarnassos the Ptolemaic Arsinoë II), iconography and the religious cult based on her association with Isis-like Cleopatra, a single mother who blessed agricultural and harvest work.Ĭleopatra also does much to redeem the Macedonian-Greek queen from centuries of abuse by "male-dominated historiography in both ancient and modern times. He methodically chronicles Cleopatra's ancestry and background, her Ptolemaic heritage and education, her consolidation of the empire and her downfall. It makes for a somewhat dry read-navigating through Ptolemaic genealogies, recounts of political posturing with obscure satraps and discussions of ancient Roman land disputes won't keep the casual reader engaged.īut Roller does provide ample information for those who care only for what can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. That means forgoing all input from Shakespeare, Massenet and Hollywood. Roller, a professor emeritus of Greek and Latin at the Ohio State University, makes it abundantly clear that his goal is to create a portrait of the infamous queen that is based "solely on information from the ancient world." If you're looking for romance-novel details of the Mark Anthony-Cleopatra VII affair, keep looking.
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