The passion that Cleopatra Filopátor (69 BC – 30 BC), the last queen of ancient Egypt, aroused in Julius Caesar and Marco Antonio left in history a legend of unsurpassed beauty capable of driving the two powerful mad Roman leaders.
For the next two thousand years, she would be known for her great physical beauty, inspiring countless works of art depicting her as an irresistible seductress. But what was she really like? Is there any solid basis for the legend about her peerless physical beauty?
Sally-Ann Ashton, an Egyptologist at the University of Cambridge, spent a year reconstructing the appearance of the famous pharaoh. The following are some of the conclusions about what she discovered.
Ashton analyzed Cleopatra’s genealogy, her profile on ancient coins, as well as sculptures and reproductions of decorations from temples at Dandara (located on the west bank of the Nile, in Egypt).
The Greek historian Plutarch wrote that the queen of Egypt was not beautiful, but she could bewitch you with her speech. This exquisite woman could conquer anyone with her speech, her voice and her personality.
Considering the deep passion it caused in both César and Marco Antonio, it is obvious that there must have been more at stake than a young body. After all, they were both notorious womanizers and the Queen of Egypt’s sexual attraction would be heightened by the prospect of conquering an entire civilization.
Creating a new dynasty and merging the Roman world and the Egypt of the Ptolemies, with its Hellenistic and Pharaonic heritage, meant dominating the world known in antiquity.
Cleopatra’s true appearance
The Egyptologist concluded that Cleopatra’s nose was very large, her lips very thin, and her jaw pointed.
The color of the legendary woman’s skin was dark. Also, her body did not meet the beauty standards of our time. She was 1.52 meters tall and overweight.
But charisma and intelligence are what make a woman beautiful, enough to be a legend. What do you think?