Lectures - Cleopatra: The Last Pharoah

Queen of Egypt prior to its absorption by Rome, Cleopatra was an important power player in the civil wars that marked the end of the Roman Republic. Her alliance with Julius Caesar included an affair, which resulted in the birth of their son, Ptolemy Caesarion. After the fallout from Caesar’s assassination, Cleopatra began a new alliance and affair with his chief lieutenant, Mark Antony. Anthony and Cleopatra held sway together over the East, but were ultimately defeated by Caesar’s nephew Octavian, who became Caesar Augustus. Demonized by writers loyal to Augustus, Cleopatra’s memory became a cautionary tale against the wiles of female rulers. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place attempts to recover the real life and qualities of Egypt’s famous queen, the last of the Pharaohs.