Cleopatra: The Roman Civil Wars and the Fall of the Ptolemaic Dynasty

Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes. Her father decreed that she would rule Egypt jointly with her elder brother, Ptolemy XIII. But factional conflict and a struggle for power drove them apart. Cleopatra was expelled from Alexandria and gathered an army near the border between Egypt and Syria, preparing to invade Egypt. At that time, Caesar pursued Pompey to Egypt. Ptolemy XIII had Pompey killed and presented his head to Caesar in an attempt to win his favor, hoping to use him to eliminate Cleopatra. Cleopatra ordered one of her subordinates to disguise himself as a merchant and wrap her in a large rug. When the merchant went to Caesar's residence to request an audience, she emerged from the rug. Cleopatra was then in the bloom of youth and stunningly beautiful. Using her beauty and intelligence, she captivated Caesar, who ordered that her father's will be carried out and that Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII rule together. In 31 BC, the armies of Antony and Octavian clashed at the Battle of Actium. As the fighting raged and Antony's fleet began to falter, Cleopatra suddenly withdrew from the battlefield and sailed back to Egypt. Antony immediately followed her, abandoning his troops to be wiped out. In 30 BC, Octavian invaded Egypt and laid siege to Alexandria. Seeing that all was lost, Antony fell on his sword, and Cleopatra took her own life.