A brief history of Cleopatra's life illustrated by objects from the exhibition at the British Museum.
Cleopatra VII
This wreath belonged to a young woman called Cleopatra who was just over 17 at her death, some 150 years after her famous namesake, Cleopatra VII. She was one of three generations of the family of Soter buried at Thebes, all of whom lived between AD 109 and 146. During a burial in ancient Egypt wreaths and bouquets were often placed on the top of the outer coffin. These may have been carried by members of the family of the deceased during the funeral procession, and put on the coffin before the
An article about Ancient Egypt: The Ptolemaic Period
Cleopatra VII (reigned 51-30 BC) was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. By the time that she came to the throne in 51 BC, the fate of her kingdom lay very much in the hands of Rome. In 48 BC Egypt became embroiled in the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, when Pompey fled after the Battle of Pharsalus to Cleopatra's capital Alexandria, where he was murdered. Caesar followed, but was besieged in the Royal Palace for several months by Cleopatra's brother, Ptolemy XIII. It w
In July 46 BC Julius Caesar (died 44 BC) returned to Rome after his successful African campaign. During the triumphal celebrations he brought Cleopatra VII, the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, to the city. Several significant Roman political figures were offended by the arrival of the queen and her entourage. But, despite this affront, her presence in Rome revived cults of certain Egyptian deities such as Isis, with whom Cleopatra was associated. The queen lived luxuriously in Rome and her stay m
Cleopatra was born in 69-68 BC. When Ptolemy XII Auletes (the 'flute-player') died in 51 BC, the 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII, aged ten, were named as his successors. Following tradition, they were required to marry. As the seventh of her name (meaning 'her father's glory'), she became Cleopatra VII, and like earlier queens, she was titled 'Lady of the Two Lands', that is, Upper and Lower Egypt. This engraved glass gem, now very worn, could have been used as a seal, indica
This coffin is one of a group belonging to three generations of the family of Soter at Thebes, all of whom lived between AD 109 and 146. An inscription on the coffin tells us that this young woman, called Cleopatra, was just over 17 when she died. This age has been confirmed by recent CT scans of her mummy. Cleopatra's coffin is rectangular, with a vaulted lid and corner posts, a form that was first seen in the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (about 747-656 BC). The lid is decorated with two rows of deitie