The Cleopatras

March 1, 2024
A new look at the legendary queen and her equally legendary family. The iconic female figure of the ancient world, Queen Cleopatra has caught the attention of luminaries from Plutarch to Shakespeare to Elizabeth Taylor, as well as a steady stream of biographers, but even history buffs may be surprised to learn that there were seven Egyptian queens with that name. Llewellyn-Jones, the chair in ancient history at Cardiff University and author of Persians, reminds readers that upon the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., his massive conquests broke up into three parts: Macedonia, the Seleucid Empire, and Egypt, each ruled by a former Alexandrine general. Ptolemy I Soter and his successors ruled Egypt. The author passes quickly over the first century of what is now known as the Hellenistic era until 192 B.C. when the Seleucid emperor sent his daughter to marry Ptolemy V of Egypt to seal a diplomatic agreement. She became Cleopatra I and gave birth to Cleopatra II, ancestor of the remaining Cleopatras, all of whom married Ptolemies. Llewellyn-Jones agrees that the last Cleopatra deserves her prominence, but her predecessors were no slouches. He adds that the 150 years after 192 was a golden age for royal women in Egypt, when queens transcended traditional gender roles. Readers seeking to learn about Hellenistic people and culture will have chosen the wrong book. This is traditional great-men-and-politics history, although one in which the great men's wives were as powerful as--and often more competent than--their husbands. Generous with family trees, Llewellyn-Jones works hard and often successfully to distinguish between a plethora of Cleopatras and Ptolemies and a dizzying series of wars, intrigues, and deadly family quarrels that ended only when Rome, always a looming power, took over in 30 B.C. An authoritative portrait of the tempestuous but impressive Cleopatra dynasty.

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March 25, 2024
The seven Cleopatras who ruled Egypt in the final two centuries before its first-century BCE conquest by Rome wielded “supreme power,” according to this illuminating study. Historian Llewellyn-Jones (Persians) argues that, when taken out of the shadow of their last and most famous member and interpreted as a dynasty, the Cleopatras “set a new model for female power in antiquity,” redefining current understandings of women’s exercise of authority in the past. Most of them easily outmatched their many husbands (each Cleopatra was married multiple times, usually to different brothers or nephews), amassing power via intrigue and assassination, military command, and the canny development of religious rituals. Generally, the Cleopatras posed as dutiful wives and mothers—even when they plotted against their own kin—deploying femininity as yet another weapon in their arsenal. Cleopatra I Syra, a Syrian princess and wife to Ptolemy V, initiated the Cleopatra line. Over the following generations, many of the Cleopatras ruled alone or with precedence over male relatives. The royal line ended with Cleopatra VII, whose risky entanglement with Rome led to her defeat and suicide. Throughout, Llewellyn-Jones highlights the queens’ ruthless determination, framing them as women with a developed sense of gender dynamics and of patriarchy’s inequities, whose political project was often—and quite explicitly—to seize power from men. It’s an innovative take on an ancient dynasty. Illus.

April 1, 2024
Historian Llewellyn-Jones sheds light on the Egyptian queens that came before the renowned Cleopatra VII, elucidating how the Ptolemaic dynasty was full of intrigue, betrayals, and upheaval. Focusing on the queens who shared Cleopatra's name, Llewellyn-Jones begins with Cleopatra Syra, a Syrian princess who wed Ptolemy V of Egypt in 192 BC, an unusual union for an Egyptian ruler, given that they usually married blood siblings. Their descendants would largely follow that tradition, with their daughter Cleopatra II wedding her brother Ptolemy VI and ruling with him in harmony for nearly two decades until his death, when their younger brother Ptolemy VIII, known as Potbelly, returned from exile to claim Cleopatra II as his queen. This union was far from harmonious, with Potbelly bedding and wedding Cleopatra II's daughter, Cleopatra II eventually forcing the pair into exile, Potbelly murdering his son with Cleopatra II to send his estranged wife a message, and the trio ultimately ruling together. A fascinating look at myriad dynastic dramas that will appeal to readers who want to learn more about the ancient world.

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Starred review from May 10, 2024

Cleopatra is one of the most noted women in world history, but many may not realize or remember that the most famous one is actually the seventh and final Egyptian queen with that name. Llewellyn-Jones (ancient history, Cardiff Univ.; Persians) offers the first book for general readers that includes the histories and biographies of all the Cleopatras, all of whom were strong women in their own right. He presents vivid portraits of these exceptional women, starting with Cleopatra I, who was given the nickname of Syra for her Syrian roots and was the queen of Egypt in 193-176 BCE. The book ends with the legendary Cleopatra VII, who ruled 51-39 BCE. Llewellyn-Jones shows that all the Cleopatras were astute and talented. His book deftly points out the importance of women's power in an era when there was an overwhelming and stifling patriarchal world of antiquity. The book includes expansive genealogical charts, maps, and a bibliography, which help readers keep details and family trees straight. VERDICT Llewellen-Jones's extensive research on all seven of these intriguing Cleopatras is expertly presented. Highly recommended.--Lucy Heckman

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