Cleopatra VII remains one of the most studied yet misrepresented rulers of the ancient world. Her life is known largely through Roman writers—many openly hostile—making it difficult to separate political propaganda from the actions of a capable monarch fighting to preserve her dynasty. This book examines the most reliable evidence surrounding her early reign, the pressures facing the Ptolemaic kingdom, her alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and the military and diplomatic choices that shaped the final years of independent Egypt.
Rather than repeating familiar myths, it assesses what Cleopatra actually did, why she made the decisions she did, and how her legacy was reshaped by the authors who outlived her. It offers a grounded, evidence-led account of a ruler whose intelligence and political skill remain clearer than the legends built around her.
