A Look Into the Death of Queen Cleopatra

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It has been over 2000 years since Cleopatra drew her last breath, ending the rule of the pharaohs in Egypt for good. In the years following her death, there have been many theories as to how she might have died. The most widely accepted theory is that she committed suicide by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous snake and it is the theory that has been written in most history books as historical fact. Yet, there is increasing evidentiary support that would suggest that her alleged suicide was in fact a homicide. Though, it is hard to find incriminating evidence for something that happened so long ago, the minds behind this theory believe that by using investigative practices of the modern age they are able to piece together the truth of her death. By looking into Cleopatra’s past one can discover that she was not a woman who would just give up, that she would never be capable of her historical suicide.

From the early years of her life, Cleopatra learned that to gain the thrown in the dynasty of the Ptolemies it took a lot more then sheer knowledge. She did however have a very good education in which she knew how to speak seven different languages and was the only Ptolemy to have know how to speak Egyptian and Greek ("The Unsolved Death of Cleopatra"). It is clear that even from such a young age Cleopatra was driven to succeed. It appears that it wasn't enough for her to just be educated, but to surpass her siblings and quite possibly her own parents. This was soon proven to be so once she inherited the throne and problems began to ensue. With the title of pharaoh came the marriage to her younger brother, though neither one was willing to share that power together. Soon after taking the throne her brother was found murdere...

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...forever be up to interpretation. Even Plutarch himself stated in his writings that “in the truth of the matter, no one knows” ("The Unsolved Death of Cleopatra") . Hopefully though, with the known information on her past one could see that this great ruler can not simply be seen as someone so weak willed as to cave to Octavian’s threats. Even with her last breath one could imagine her fighting back against her attackers, still ever so unyielding to the control of others.

Works Cited

"Cleopatra and Egypt - The Coins of Julius Caesar - Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies." Division of Humanities - Macquarie University. Director, ACANS, n.d. Web. July 2008.

"Cleopatra's death." Sir Thomas Browne. n.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

"The Unsolved Death of Cleopatra." Unearthing Ancient Secrets. Prod. Wyatt Channell. Science. SCI. 9 Mar. 2009. Television.

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