![]() Whispers run through the crowd of a name the girl does not yet recognize: Octavianus. As he bequeaths land to each of his children, he stirs up controversy with his gift to Caesarion, Queen Cleopatra's only son with her first husband, Julius Caesar. Shecter then flashes back to a pivotal scene when Cleopatra Selene, at age seven, took part in a ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt, at which her father, Marcus Antonius, made his "Dispositions of War." The event not only portrays the man's power, but also the tensions between him and his native Rome. The heroine's position and circumstances in history may be unique, but her emotions as a teen on the cusp of adulthood are universal. to a prisoner of Rome?" The author thus sets up the framework of the novel, as the teen reflects on her past and fears what lies ahead for her. How was it that I went from a Princess of Egypt. A motherless daughter, and now a brotherless sister. "I stared at the sea," Cleopatra says, "trying to understand how I came to be here. Her twin brother, Alexandros Helios (whom Cleopatra calls "the sun to my moon"), has died during the voyage because, just prior to their departure, he drank from a poisoned cup intended for her. Shecter may imagine the thoughts of Queen Cleopatra's extraordinary daughter, but the author anchors this riveting work of fiction with fascinating facts gleaned from years of research (for her nonfiction books Alexander the Great Rocks the World and Cleopatra Rules!).Īs the novel opens, 16-year-old narrator Cleopatra Selene sails on a Roman ship bound for Africa. It may surprise you to learn that Queen Cleopatra not only possessed a hypnotic beauty and keen intelligence, but that she was also a mother. Levine/Scholastic, $18.99, 9780545221306, 368p., ages 13-up, August 1, 2011)įirst-time novelist Vicky Alvear Shecter plunges us into the captivating world of Cleopatra Selene, the only one of Queen Cleopatra's four children (the other three were males) to survive into adulthood. Although marriage between a Roman and a foreigner was not permitted (not to mention the fact that Caesar was already married), he never denied fathering her child.Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter (Arthur A. In Rome Caesar had a gilded statue of Cleopatra erected, but it is not known if their affair continued. After a year she came to Rome where Caesar housed her on one of his estates. The Queen, who was unpopular in Alexandria, required the protection of Roman legions. With Cleopatra successfully installed, the couple cruised the Nile on the Queen’s royal barge, after which Caesar returned to Rome, leaving a Cleopatra with child. Placing Ptolemy XII’s daughter on the throne meant she would inherit her father’s debts to Rome and was capable of paying them off. Caesar and Cleopatra were stuck inside for several months before Roman reinforcements arrived, allowing Caesar to take all of Alexandria. Meanwhile Cleopatra’s younger sister, Arsinoe, escaped and declared her own rebellion. Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsĬaesar declared Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII to be joint rulers, but this was not accepted by Ptolemy’s supporters, who laid siege to the palace in Alexandria. She is believed to have been the world’s richest woman at the time and able to finance Caesar’s return to power in Rome.īust of Cleopatra VII (left) Bust of Julius Caesar (right). Cleopatra required the might of Caesar’s armies to install her as ruler of Egypt, while Caesar was in need of Cleopatra’s vast wealth. The pair’s need of one another was mutual. ![]() Her servant, disguised as a merchant, unrolled the Queen in front of Caesar inside the general’s suite. In order to avoid being caught by her brother’s forces, she was secreted into Alexandria while rolled up in a carpet. Meanwhile, in the midst of a civil war between her supporters and those of her brother, Cleopatra sought help from Caesar. Caesar pursued Pompey - who had already been murdered by a trio of treasonous Roman military men who were stationed there - and defeated his armies at Alexandria. Watch Nowĭuring Caesar’s civil war with Pompey, the latter fled to Egypt. Featuring Dr Emma Southon and Professor Marco Conti. This documentary tells the story of Julius Caesar's assassination on the 'Ides of March' in 44 BC.
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