Ruler
Cleopatra VII
Last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty
51 – 30 BCE
Regnal years; she was born c. 69 BCE.
Biography
The last Ptolemy to rule Egypt. She allied with Julius Caesar and then with Mark Antony, and was defeated with him at Actium in 31 BCE. She died in Alexandria in 30 BCE, and Egypt became a Roman province.
Key facts
Certainty: Probable
Plutarch says Cleopatra spoke many languages and was the first of her dynasty to learn Egyptian.
Scholarly note: This is Plutarch’s account alone, written some 130 years after her death.
- Plutarch “Life of Antony (c. 100 CE)”, 27
- Duane W. Roller (2010) “Cleopatra: A Biography” Oxford University Press
Certainty: Debated
Cleopatra died in August 30 BCE; the asp story is famous, but the ancient sources themselves were unsure of it.
Scholarly note: Plutarch says no one knew the truth of how she died.
- Plutarch “Life of Antony (c. 100 CE)”, 86
- Duane W. Roller (2010) “Cleopatra: A Biography” Oxford University Press