Cleopatra VII of Egypt

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Κλεοπάτρα θεά φιλοπάτωρ, December, 70 BC or January, 69 BC–August 12?, 30 BC) was queen of ancient Egypt. She was the last member of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty and hence the last Greek ruler of Egypt. Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes. The name "Cleopatra" is Greek for "father's glory"; her full name, "Cleopatra Thea Philopator" means "the Goddess Cleopatra, Beloved of Her Father."

The race debate

There is often a debate between Egyptologists and Afrocentric historians as to what race Cleopatra belonged to. Egyptologists say that Cleopatra was descended from the Ptolemies, a Macedonian family, whose patriach was once a general for Alexander the Great. They say the Ptolemies' family tree indicates that there was a great deal of interbreeding in the family, and that because Cleopatra was the first monarch to learn Egyptian, that Cleopatra was white. Ancient busts and coins of Cleopatra also appear to point to her Caucasian ancestry. Contemporary descriptions of Cleopatra describe her as being short, slightly overweight, with a hawk-nose and red-brown hair. Afrocentric historians, however, claim that ancient Egypt was a predominately black civilization and that most ancient Egyptians were black people. Even though they acknowledge Ptolemy was white, they believe there must have been sexual liaisons between the monarchs and the people of Egypt. Since Cleopatra's mother is not known (not identified on the Ptolemiac family tree), many believe she was a black concubine. However a version that her mother was Auletes's sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena (it was commonplace for members of the Ptolemaic dynasty to marry their siblings) exists. Significantly, the charge of illegitimacy was never made against Cleopatra, which is surprising considering the wealth of Roman propaganda against her, which adds credence to the latter theory regarding her mother. In light of the matrilinear nature of Egyptian succession, it is unlikely that her father would have named her as his heir had she been the offspring of a concubine considering she had a legitimate sister Arsinoë. Finally, no Roman historian ever describes Cleopatra as black, another odd ommisssion from the propaganda against her if it was true. Egyptologists say that belief in Cleopatra's being black is Afrocentric revisionism, designed to stir up pride amongst black youth. The belief is clearly based on a stereotypical myth of Cleopatra as an exotic eastern queen rather than the historical reality of her as a red-headed Macedonian.

Related Topics:
Egyptologists - Afrocentric - Ptolemies - Alexander the Great - Caucasian - Black - Cleopatra V Tryphaena - Matrilinear

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