Cleopatra

This passage is about the famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

Lexile Level: 1270L

Categories: History People & Places

The life of the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII was quite unusual when measured by contemporary mores. She became queen when, as custom dictated, she was ceremonially married to her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. The two endured a stormy relationship that ended when Julius Caesar ventured into Egypt. He defeated Cleopatra's enemies, including Ptolemy, and returned to Rome with Cleopatra. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C., Cleopatra ventured back to Egypt and eventually returned to the throne to rule jointly with her son by Caesar, Cesarion. When Mark Antony arrived in Egypt, he married Cleopatra, despite his existing marriage to Octavia, sister of Caesar's heir, Octavian. At the time, Mark Antony and Octavian represented two-thirds of the triumvirate that ruled the Roman Empire, but this arrangement crumbled when Octavian attacked Egypt. Cleopatra and Mark Antony took their lives when defeat became imminent, ending the story of Egypt's most legendary queen.