Cleopatra 2: Cleopatra Meets the Romans
5/7/202646 min
If it hadn’t been for Rome, Cleopatra’s sole claim to fame may have been that she married two of her brothers. But then Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria… In this episode, Mary and Charlotte recount what happened next. Caesar came to Egypt in pursuit of his great enemy, Pompey the Great, and became Cleopatra’s lover. They embarked on a cruise of the Nile, during which Caesar created the modern calendar system. After Caesar returned to Rome, Cleopatra bore a son, who she named Caesarion. She followed Caesar to Rome and was there at the time of his assassination. Afterwards, Caesar’s ally Mark Antony and great-nephew Octavian defeated Caesar’s assassins, then turned on one another. Mark Antony formed an alliance with Cleopatra and became her second Roman lover. Together, they embarked on one of the most famous romances in history. Passionate, extravagant, and - spoiler alert - doomed. Mary and Charlotte recommend some further reading: Plutarch’s Life of Mark Antony (the main ancient source for his relationship with Cleopatra) is available online: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Antony*.html In addition to the books we recommended for the last episode, Adrian Goldsworthy’s Antony and Cleopatra (Weidenfeld & Nicolson pb, 2011) focuses in detail on the politics of their relationship. For the complexity of the Roman calendar (and be warned it is complex), see Jörg Rüpke, The Roman Calendar (Wiley Blackwell, 2011), or more briefly Robert Hannah, Greek and Roman Calendars (Bristol Classical Press, 2005). You can find an online discussion of Caesar and Cleopatra’s Nile cruise online: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/cleopatra/egypt.html @instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for X email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole Video Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMary Beard· Host0:00
So Cleopatra, taking only Apollodorus with her, got into a little boat and landed at the palace when it was already getting dark. And as it was impossible to escape notice otherwise, she stretched herself out full length inside a sleeping bag, while Apollodorus tied the sleeping bag up with a cord and carried it indoors to where Julius Caesar was. It was by this device of Cleopatra's, it's said, that Caesar was first captivated.
Charlotte Higgins· Host0:34
Now, that was how, at least according to the biographer Plutarch, Cleopatra first introduced herself to Julius Caesar while he was staying in Alexandria. Not as most modern paintings and movies have it, popping out from a rolled up carpet, [laughs] but hidden in a sleeping bag or possibly a laundry bag.
Mary Beard· Host0:56
It was the start of one of the two big Roman adventures in Cleopatra's life.
Charlotte Higgins· Host1:01
It was after this, thanks to Caesar, that she was reestablished on the throne of Egypt after she'd quarreled with her brother. But there was much more to it than this. Together, Caesar and Cleopatra enjoyed together one of the most significant Nile cruises in the whole of history, and she went on to have Julius Caesar's son.
Mary Beard· Host1:23
Or at least she always insisted that he was the father.
Charlotte Higgins· Host1:28
And the second adventure is even